Should Property taxes scare me away from Fort Worth?

[Eric Long]

Hi BP Friends!

I am still narrowing down the cities I want to invest in. So far, I have been eyeing Fort Worth / Dallas. I visited once for work and I can see the booming economy here. 

How does property tax affect my view of this city? I also live in CA, if that matters?

I was looking into long-term buy and hold rental properties. I am definitely open to the DFW area. 

Thanks in advance!

[Kyle Mccaw]

You are correct. The economy is great here. Sooo many companies have are are in the process of relocating their HQ to North Texas. Meaning, lots of new jobs and people looking for homes to live in.

There are several good points about taxes above. A couple other notes. Each city has slightly different tax rate. One thing I have noticed is that the areas with higher tax rates have better schools and much better appriciation. I have seen too many investors buy cheap houses in bad neighborhoods because they believe they will have lower expenses. Taxes may be lower but the maintenance is higher due to older homes and lower quality tenants.

But remember Texas is a very landlord friendly state. Meaning, no pay, no stay. 

I would look for properties between $150,000-$220,000. Do not purchase inside the city limits of Mesquite, Garland or Dallas. Each of these cities are known for being unfriendly to landlords.