I've done some repairs to make it livable but the house is unfortunately not worth the investment in major renovations. The property it's on would probably be worth more without the house.

Oh I see, that's too bad :( Do you have a time frame for when you'd like to move house?

Not really, it kind of depends on some conditions I'm not in any hurry to see met (unless something necessitates a sooner move). In the meantime, it's really not so bad! The upstairs is generally cozy and the downstairs is nice during the summer. And I only have to pay property taxes to live here, which is a pretty big incentive to stay.

That does sound like a good incentive xD We have to pay city taxes, province taxes, cadastral taxes, property taxes and mortgage. And of course income taxes as well. And your income is taxed before you receive it as well. :(

That is entirely too many taxes! Including one I've never even heard of before (cadastral). X'D I mean, we have city, county and state taxes too, but I just meant I didn't have a mortgage, since the property has been in my family forever. And fortunately no HOA fees. I refuse to ever live somewhere with an HOA.

Of course, we also have income tax too. And sales tax. Taxes suck. But what can ya do...I like having roads and fire trucks. ¯(ツ)/¯

Oops, made an error. Property taxes in Flanders are calculated based on the cadastral income. Cadastral income is how much your house would net you if you'd rent it out for a year in 1975. Really weird, I know, but that's how it is. What's a HOA?

Yeah, I like having those things too, but the fact remains that we're taxed too much imo. At least here in Flanders. I mean, you get your wages but those are taxed before you get them. Then when you buy stuff, you pay taxes for those things. Once a year, you pay income taxes and other taxes as well. And then they still come round your house to ask for money for the fire department and for other stuff. So I think it's a bit ridiculous, especially as most of that tax money is most likely going to stuff I don't agree with, such as politicians and people who take advantage of the system.

/rant

What in the heck? That is the most ridiculous way to calculate a tax I've ever heard of lol. That is for your primary residence? What the flip does it matter what it would rent for in 1975, now, or in 2025...you LIVE there, you're not renting it out! Yeah, that's makin' me mad lol.

HOA=Home Owners Association. It's an organization of homeowners in a subdivision or condominium who make a bunch of rules and force everyone to follow them. Want blue curtains? Too bad, HOA dictates you must have white curtains like everyone else. Dandelion in your lawn, or grass 1/4" too tall? Get a fine. Etc. Basically I see them as a mob of elitist snobs who have nothing better to do than dictate how the outside of their neighbors' houses should look, and they charge a monthly or annual fee for the privilege of being told what to do. There might be a community park that your fee goes toward the upkeep of, if you're lucky. (I may be biased, but I don't think this description is essentially wrong lol.)

I want to agree, that I wish we didn't have to pay taxes when we disagree with how the government is using them. But then I basically wouldn't have paid any since Trump got elected and I know the world can't work like that. lol

Haha, I know, I find it quite ridiculous as well, but that's how it is. And I'm not renting it out, but they calculate your property taxes based on how you would make if you would rent it out in 1975. They use some weird formula that differs for houses and social housing, but also add extra percentages based on your city and your province. You can get reductions on the property taxes, but that's only for certain situations (like if you have a really eco-friendly house, or if you have a handicapped person living with you or stuff like that)

Wow, HOA sounds really useless. I don't think we have a Belgian equivalent for that, for which I'm thankful. The only rules I'm aware of is that, if you want to do renovate your house you might need a permit depending on the type of renovations. And you need a permit to cut down a tree in your garden if the tree is native to Belgium. If it's not native to Belgium, you can cut it down unless it's been noted down on the building plans.

Sadly enough, you're right. Otherwise I wouldn't have paid taxes since ever, because Belgian politicians are very ineffective. I don't think they're as bad as Trump, but doing nothing can be very harmful as well... And they're mostly useless and redundant imo. I mean we have like 56 or more ministers and there are like 4 different ministers for the same posts... Talk about wasting money. -rolls eyes-

Definitely fun. I'm way sore today though.

Hey !

Well...I guess...at least your tax presumably never changes, since it's always based on 1975 rent? Predictability is good. Our property gets re-assessed every year and if they decide your house is suddenly worth more, you have to pay more tax. I had my house repainted because it desperately needed it and they decided because of that one cosmetic improvement, I need to owe more tax, never mind the interior is just as crappy as ever.

I do think HOAs are useless but advocates would say they keep the neighborhood nice and maintain property values. Some people are bothered by that one neighbor with purple trim and 20 cars parked in their yard and HOAs prevent that behavior, but personally I couldn't care less.

Wow, that sounds maddeningly stupid. I'm not sure when I would have paid taxes by choice, tbh, but I sure wouldn't now. It might be cool if there was like a minimum amount everyone had to pay but you could choose to allocate it to certain tax packages. Like one for social programs or one for schools or whatever you do support, so that you aren't forced to pay for something you don't agree with. But knowing how ridiculous people are, it would never work...everyone would choose to fund a huge stadium or something instead of important infrastructure.

Hey !

How are you? How's Survival going for you?

Oh, pretty good. In my opinion, this is the best Survival ever (can you tell I like the theme?) and I don't want it to end! I've got all the candy hearts and stuff I need, but I wish there was time to get more strains. Also, I like the kissing threads because posting haha. How about you?

I'm still in need of a few candy hearts to finally tick off all the items I've needed from past years.. but it's coming along. I have a short work day today and don't work tomorrow so I imagine I should be able to collect them all C:

Excellent, I hope you get everything you need soon!

Thanks! And thanks for the kisses! Do you have plans for today?

I just got home from work, so pretty much just hanging out on Subeta until bedtime. And I have to make dinner at some point. Nothing too exciting lol. You?

I have to head to work in an hour or so. Going to stop at the dollar store on the way to get some stuff xD Other than that.. home for dinner.. maybe going to bake some muffins tonight C:

Mm, muffins. I saw the most delicious-looking gooey bran muffins at a cafe the other day and I was starving to death but I'm doing this low-carb thing and I had to pass. Nothing has tempted me like those muffins lol. I don't even care for sweets. But honey bran muffins though...

I hope you have a great day at work!

I'm also attempting to lower the amount of carbs that I eat. I started personal training this week and really want to see a difference!

Well, I'm not sure because we've only had our house for 4 years so far, but I assume thay since it also factors in the city and province that it might yet increase. Also, the cadastral income is determined by some agency thay also re-evaluates it if you renovate. Cadastral income is higher with every 'extra', such as the accessibility, whether or not you have a garage, the number of rooms you have,... For example if you have a large room that you then turn into 2 small rooms, your cadastral income will most likely increase.

Tax packages sounds like a fun idea! Though you're right and some people would sponsor stupid things... I'd probably sponsor schools and cultural things, like the renovation of protected monuments, and art and music and such :)

Burn equals exercised muscles, so yay! Hope you see some results soon :)