Millage rates are just one of the many specialized tax terms property owners are likely to encounter. While it's often used interchangeably to mean "tax rate," millage rates have some key differences. Here is a guide to understanding millage rates and a few other important pieces of property tax terminology:
Millage rate has nothing to do with mills or milling. Rather, the name comes from the Latin "millesimum," which means "one thousandth" (1/1000). Millage rate or mill rate means the amount per every $1,000 of a property's value. Multiple millage rates go into calculating property tax amounts.
A lien is a legal claim against your property. Liens are established when you neglect to pay your taxes. Tax liens can be applied to land and building property but also to other assets like motor vehicles.
A tax levy is a more significant penalty for neglecting your taxes in which the government can actually take ownership of your property to pay the debt. The IRS can seize and even sell your assets if they're levied. Fortunately, levies are not applied immediately, but can happen after a tax lien has been placed on property and not removed.
Ad valorem is another tax term based on Latin roots. It means "according to value" and is used to convey the flexible value of individual properties and assets. Ad valorem is a percentage of the sale price or the assessed value of the asset.
These are just a few of the important tax terms property owners should know. Keep these in mind to better understand your own property taxes and better navigate the financial world.
Working with the best in the business is the only choice in real estate today.
@properties shares my commitment to offering the most comprehensive and professional marketing, sophisticated technology, and expert market knowledge, supporting the highest standards of service and representation you expect and deserve. With local leadership and national and international reach, I bring results to clients wherever their buying and selling goals take them.
I appreciate and welcome your inquiry, real estate need, or referral!
Whether you're in the research phase at the beginning of your real estate search or you know exactly what you're looking for, you'll benefit from having a real estate professional by your side. I'd be honored to put my real estate experience to work for you.
