Milwaukee Property Tax - Special Assessments 2023-Now

Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2024 · 5 posts · 2 votes

Hi BP,

Does anyone know why the special assessments added onto the property tax has been insanely high the past two years and will it continue? Many deals I find are getting blown up by 3X increase in property taxes since 2023 due to massive special assessments. I've noticed this mainly in Harambee and around Washington Park.

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Charles ClarkBusiness Member
Real Estate Broker · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2020 · 306 posts · 209 votes
1y
@Jonas Lamont
Hey Jonas — great question and you're not alone in noticing this. Special assessments in areas like Harambee and Washington Park have definitely been hitting harder the past couple years.

From what I’ve seen, a big driver has been infrastructure improvements, like street repairs, sewer upgrades, and sidewalk replacements — especially in neighborhoods seeing revitalization efforts. The city often spreads those costs across local property owners through assessments, and they can sneak up fast.

The tricky part is they’re not always easy to forecast, and they can wreck otherwise solid numbers on a deal. I’ve started building in a buffer for unexpected tax jumps when analyzing properties in those areas — especially near development zones.

Will it continue? If the city keeps reinvesting in these neighborhoods (which is great long term), it’s likely. Definitely worth checking with the city assessor or alderman’s office for upcoming projects before closing on anything in those zip codes.

Would love to hear if others have a strategy for underwriting deals around this too.
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