Tough Taxes

The property tax toll for Texans is one of the worst in America

5908 Tuley's Creek Dallas house for sale

Texas ranks in the seven worst states for property taxes.

Photo courtesy of Opendoor

Each year, the average American household spends $2,375 on real estate property taxes. Guess what, Texas: we're definitely not average.

Cash-strapped Texans might not be surprised to learn that we have some of the highest property taxes in the country, according to a new report from personal finance site WalletHub.

The 2020 Property Taxes by State report shows that Texas ranks No. 45 out of 51 (the District of Columbia was also included). Our effective real estate tax rate is 1.81 percent, meaning the annual taxes on a home worth $205,000 are $3,703.

A tiny bit of good news is that the median home price in Texas is actually much lower than that, at $161,700. That means taxes for a median-priced home are around $2,922.

To put this in perspective, No. 1 Hawaii only has a real estate tax rate of 0.27 percent, resulting in a measly $560 per year on a $205,000 home. Even though the median home price in the Aloha State is much, much higher — a whopping $587,700 — that still only translates to $1,607 a year in property taxes.

At least we aren't New Jersey, which claimed last place with a real estate tax rate of 2.47 percent. Annual taxes on a median-priced home of $327,900 are a staggering $8,104.

And while real estate taxes might be taking a toll on Texas wallets, we can count our blessings that our state has no vehicle property tax or income tax. This raises real estate taxing, but it does reduce the overall taxes we pay each month. See, don't you feel better?

GP News

Grand Prairie expands to the south with new master-planned community

Rendering courtesy of Provident

Goodland Grand Prairie

The City of Grand Prairie is growing fast and expanding to make way for a new master-planned development south of US Highway 287 and along Tollway 360, in Ellis and Johnson counties.

The community development, called Goodland, is the result of Grand Prairie’s recent 1,500-acre annexation extending its southern border toward Mansfield. Overall, with the added land, Goodland will be a 5,000-acre site featuring 15,000 residences including townhomes, custom homes, and gated communities for 50,000 residents.

According to a release, it will be a “city within a city” and a 45-minute drive from Dallas-Fort Worth. Beyond housing, there will be shops, restaurants, schools, public and private event venues, regional sports fields and complexes, dance halls, churches, trail systems, city parks, ponds, and preserved green spaces.

“This is a significant step in our city’s development,” says Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen in a statement. “Unlike many of our neighboring cities, we have the unique advantage of new development opportunities to our south that will drive the growth and prosperity of our city. We recognized the opportunity and took decisive action.”

Leading the development is Provident, a Dallas-based real estate firm that has created other master-planned communities across Dallas-Fort Worth, such as Preston Hollow Village and Hillstead in Collin County. Provident has plans to work nature into the space design with more than 1,600 acres of creek corridors and floodplain land.

Plans are ongoing for a centralized mixed-use walkable Town Center, complete with civic buildings and other commercial development. Further south on the property near Highway 67, light industrial uses and other private employment campuses are already underway, projects that will contribute vital tax dollars for city growth and future expansions.

“This level of placemaking is quite rare, and certainly not easy to execute, especially in a brand-new community," says Provident Managing Director Rylan Yowell in a statement. "We are committed to a long-term vision with a desire to be good stewards of the land."

A new four-lane road called Goodland Parkway will link Goodland to Grand Prairie at Tollway 360 and US Highway 287. It's set to open by December 2025.

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