Possibly moving to Louisiana...need advice - The Hull Truth

Hooked Up · 11-11-2009, 03:49 PM

Hello Gents,

I just wanted to get your 2 cents on LA. I have tentative plans to move there next summer. Work will be in the Hammond area, but I am willing to drive a radius of 45 minutes. I need the best school system for my kids. I also like the idea of a canal front home. I prefer offshore fishing so I know that I will have to trailer the boat down south if I want to do that, or travel eastbound and hit the MS coastline. I am basically looking for an idea on where to start looking. I am not sure how property taxed run in LA, but I am thinking that my budget will be somewhere between 250-300K for the house, depending on what insurance/taxes will run. Any advice would be great!

wdkerek · 11-11-2009, 04:12 PM

Ponchatoula!
right off I-12

redfishray · 11-11-2009, 04:44 PM

Terry Harbor, River Pines Plantation, Carter Plantation, and Shelly O'neal all have spots on the Tickfaw River which leads to Lake Marapaus and Lake Pontchartrain. Some of the homes are pretty nice. There are other neighborhoods around there that are also nice. This area is about 20 minutes from Hammond as well as secluded and quiet. The Diversion canal also has very nice properties but your drive will be much father from Hammond. All of the above places are in Springfield which is the opposite direction on HWY 22 from Pontchatula.
Good Luck,
Ray

sharkbait39 · 11-11-2009, 04:46 PM

plan ahead on what in the way of vehicles/boats you will have to register in Louisiana as you will be hit with up to 10% of the value in "use tax" on each one.

Hooked Up · 11-11-2009, 05:29 PM

Where I am in PR, the tax rate is a hefty 33%, so I am getting a relief going to LA! Is the use tax a yearly thing or one time?

Hooked Up · 11-11-2009, 05:35 PM

Is Slidell worth looking into? How are the schools and real estate values?

A Few Dollars · 11-11-2009, 06:48 PM

The best schools are in Mandeville and Covington which is 20 miles closer to Hammond than Slidell.

However, waterfront homes start at roughly $750,000.

sharkbait39 · 11-11-2009, 07:00 PM

Just one time hit on use tax. I moved here with a motorhome rv and it cost me 10,000 bucks to get it registered.

Bigger Hammer · 11-11-2009, 07:15 PM

It's been a while since I've done the research, but I think this will still be accurate. And I don't know how old your kids are.
St Tammany Parish will have the best public schools. If this is your highest priority, the Mandeville area will probably be your best choice based on distance from Hammond. Eastern Slidell also has top notch schools, I believe equal to Mandeville, but Slidell is ~1/2 hour further to Hammond.
Property values are still very stagnant, everywhere. It's a buyers market, with lots of houses for sale, and few moving. Housing prices are going to be higher, generally, in the Mandeville/Covington/Madisonville are, somewhat lower in Slidell, lower still around Hammond, Pontchatoula.
Where in PR are you coming from? I grew up at Roosevelt Roads NS, graduated from HS in Humacao.
Bill

triguy7 · 11-12-2009, 06:21 AM

Does the use tax apply to cars, boats, rv's? What other items get hit with it?

Gulfsurfer · 11-12-2009, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigger Hammer

It's been a while since I've done the research, but I think this will still be accurate. And I don't know how old your kids are.
St Tammany Parish will have the best public schools. If this is your highest priority, the Mandeville area will probably be your best choice based on distance from Hammond. Eastern Slidell also has top notch schools, I believe equal to Mandeville, but Slidell is ~1/2 hour further to Hammond.
Property values are still very stagnant, everywhere. It's a buyers market, with lots of houses for sale, and few moving. Housing prices are going to be higher, generally, in the Mandeville/Covington/Madisonville are, somewhat lower in Slidell, lower still around Hammond, Pontchatoula.
Where in PR are you coming from? I grew up at Roosevelt Roads NS, graduated from HS in Humacao.
Bill

Don't mean to dis any others, my kids are enrolled in WSTSD (that's the area south of I-12) and we're very satisfied. Blue Ribbon School of Excellence certification. Homes in various subs along the Tchefuncte River starti in the 200 to 300K$ range and up. Some have waterfront or water access, just for fun on the river. Offshore is 1-2 hrs away, depending on where you put in. 20-30 min from Hammond on I-12.

Louisiana = Sportsman's Paradise!

MakoMyDay · 11-12-2009, 07:45 AM

Madisonville for sure

WhalerMax · 11-12-2009, 08:43 AM

I would definetely look to the mandeville, covington, madisonville area for a quick commute to Hammond, easy water access, and a general nice, safe place to live..

For public school use, Mandeville is much better than madisonville and covington though.

For fishing- Straight down to Venice, Grand Isle, or Fourchon.

beenie · 11-12-2009, 11:25 AM

I called the DMV to check on the use tax. I had never heard of it before. They said it is calculated on the current book value of your vehicle, according to their chart, and the tax will be the % of sales tax charged in the area where you will live. I would think 8% would be a close number to estimate. That applies to auto, truck, rv, & trailers. If there is a reciprocal agreement with the state where the vehicles are registered, that is taken into consideration. They have no agreement with PR.
Mike

WhalerMax · 11-12-2009, 03:03 PM

Sell it all before you come, if you have to pay a percentage equal to the sales tax, you might as well get new gear. It has to be cheaper than transporting it and you can get the right vehicles and boats for your intended use.

sharkbait39 · 11-12-2009, 04:06 PM

If you can get by with 8% that is much better than Northeast Louisiana. Up here the rate is 9.9%.....go figure>

prockvoan · 11-12-2009, 04:12 PM

As far as home yearly tax,you get a break on the first $75,000 for free. After that its X amount per $10,000 value thru out the state.

Used boats,is %4 state and X amount per which parish you live in,plus a bunch of paperwork.

big money · 11-13-2009, 09:11 AM

There is no tax on a used boat, only the trailer. The rate on the car will depend on which parish you reside in. The Northshore (Madisonville, Mandeville) is a nice area.

Hooked Up · 11-13-2009, 01:31 PM

Guys thanks for all your inputs. I was planning on at least bringing one of my vehicles up (2007 Dodge RAM 2500), since I still have a loan with it and love the truck. Will I have to pay them 8% of book value to register it?

Thanks for all the inputs, once I am hoping to buy a nice offshore boat with trailer when I get there, so I am possibly thinking about just buying a non-waterfront home, saving the extra cash for the boat, while avoiding the higher insurance/flooding costs.

Please continue giving me feedback on the area...I am printing all the good posts for the wife to read