The good news? The proposed budget-balancing Nassau County fee increases to record real estate transaction documents and mortgage refinancing documents were voted down by the County Legislature! While the increased revenue from these very unpopular fees are much needed to balance Nassau County’s budget, to vote them in would not have been the politically expedient thing to […]
Both Republican and Democratic Party legislators in New York’s Nassau County have filed bills opposing the egregious proposed real estate fee hikes designed to fill deficit holes in the 2018 County budget! Of course, in the current political environment, rather than consensus for where the lost revenue might be made-up were these proposed increases not […]
If not, should you be? The term activist when describing an individual, or activism when describing a group of activists focused on a specific issue, conjures up a variety of mental images! And of course the intensity and ferocity of the images will typically vary depending on the scope of the issue and the emotions […]
When is a governmental ‘fee’ nothing more than a regressive tax in disguise? Put another way, how can politicians pull a Flim Flam Florio to raise money while hoping that no one notices? And, remember that these fees are the same whether one is buying a $200,000 property or one costing $10,000,000 or more. You do the […]
On December 14th it’s likely that Nassau County will approve real estate fee increases making it the most expensive jurisdiction in New York State in terms of closing costs! It’s an unfortunate case of deja vu’ all over again as Suffolk County this week is prepared to do some of the same with mortgage document recording […]
Question: How do government entities, whether federal, state, county or local, raise revenues in ways other than by increasing taxes? Answer: Through increasing fees or creating an entirely new class of fees. A perfect example of this from the recent past would be the tax map verification letter fee imposed by Nassau County back in early 2015 that was then tripled only months […]
Department of Assessment Tax Map certification requirement Summary of the new requirement – ‘Due to the implementation of the Department of Assessment’s Tax Map certification requirement, effective Wednesday, January 14th, 2015, all deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, assignments, consolidations, or any modification of the foregoing, must have their Section, Block and Lot verified with the Department of […]
Follow @Hallmark Abstract Service The snowfall and storms that made for an extremely tough weather winter in the northeast has also been made the scapegoat and the excuse for all things that point to an economy that may be rolling over! Whether it’s corporate earnings misses or a slowdown in home sales and new construction, […]
