Property taxes continue to rise across Central Texas, creating additional challenges for individuals and families already struggling with the rising cost of living. Downsizing to a smaller home is one of the most effective ways to reduce your annual tax burden and can offer you a range of unexpected benefits. When people start considering downsizing, one of their biggest concerns is how to reduce the number of belongings they own to fit into a smaller property. A storage unit can make the transition easier without forcing you to part with essential and sentimental belongings. Let’s take a look at how downsizing your home can help to lower your Texas property tax bill and support your overall quality of life.
How Texas Property Taxes Work
Texas relies heavily on property taxes for schools and local services. When it comes to calculating your tax bills, your home’s appraised value, local tax rate, and exemptions are all combined. This calculation naturally means that larger, higher-value homes typically result in higher taxes. The tax rates are set each year locally in August and September based on budget needs, and they keep increasing year after year. If you are unable to pay your taxes by January 31st of the following year, you will start to accumulate penalties and interest.
Why Downsizing Lowers Your Tax Bill
If you are starting to struggle with the rising tax bills in your local area, you might be wondering what the solution is. Downsizing your property to a home with smaller square footage means that, in most cases, you will have a lower home value, reducing your taxable value. The lower value will create a lower tax rate, offering you significant annual savings. It’s also worth considering the current tax district you are in, as rates do vary throughout the state. Downsizing may allow a move into a lower-tax district, offering you higher savings. These savings compound over time, and along with lower utility and maintenance costs, will support your overall quality of life and give you more disposable income each year.
How Storage Units Make Downsizing Easier
If you’ve started thinking about downsizing your home in Texas, one of the biggest concerns is how you’ll fit all your current furniture and belongings into a smaller house or apartment. By investing in a storage unit, you’ll still be able to keep sentimental and expensive items that won’t fit into a smaller home. A storage unit is ideal for storing furniture, décor, keepsakes, and sports gear, and it offers easy access when you need to get items out again in the future.
We recommend using storage during staging and moving to help you declutter your home and help it sell faster. Our climate-controlled units protect valuables like electronics, photos, and antiques, so you really can store almost anything in a storage unit. Based on your unique downsizing plan, flexible unit sizes are available. Once you start decluttering items you no longer need, you can downsize your storage unit to meet your current needs.
What to Store When Downsizing
Homeowners can benefit from storing a wide range of items in a storage unit. Everyday items that you might want to store include extra furniture, seasonal décor, and tools or lawn equipment. Putting away childhood keepsakes, hobby or sports items, and business records or inventory can also help you clear out your current home to sell and assess your new property to see what fits. Once you have moved into your new home, you can see what fits and what items you might want to sell or donate if you don’t think you will need them again. Using a storage unit helps to delay these decisions and makes the moving process much less stressful.
Downsizing Tips for Lower Taxes
Once you’ve decided to downsize your property to lower your taxes, we recommend starting by decluttering your home, room by room. This decluttering makes the process more organized and less stressful, and gives you a clearer idea of your progress. You’ll want to measure your current furniture to see if it will fit in your new space, so you can decide whether to move, store, or sell it. To help you avoid making rushed decisions, put items you aren’t ready to let go of in a storage unit. We recommend climate control for sensitive items and electronics.
When choosing your new property, make sure you take the time to compare property tax rates. While you want to find a house or townhome that is the perfect fit for your needs, you’ll also want to ensure you are making a move that will serve you well financially for years to come.
How Amy’s Attic Self Storage Helps
Here at Amy’s Attic Self Storage, we are here to support you with your upcoming move. We offer convenient Central Texas locations with secure, clean, and climate-controlled units. Our helpful team will recommend the appropriate storage size based on your unique needs and the number of belongings you need to store. You’ll also appreciate the month-to-month flexibility we offer during moves, so you can keep your belongings in storage for as little or as long as needed.
Downsizing your home is a practical way to reduce your Texas property tax bill and support your finances in the future. During the selling and moving process, a storage unit helps you save money without sacrificing the belongings that are most important to you. Amy’s Attic Self Storage is ready to support your downsizing journey. Contact us today for more information about our services or to book a storage unit for your upcoming move.
