“In Demand” Zip Codes
Fiserve Case Shiller Weiss conducted reports to determine which zip codes in the US are experiencing the largest growth surges in terms of housing development. How do they come up with their results?

Well, the process involves a) researching repetitious sales data for a microcosm of houses within the zip code in question b) reviewing previous housing price fluctuations, employment statistics and interest rate increases and decreases and c) making allowances for external factors that may play a role in the determining the area’s overall housing market.

The following top two city areas with specified zip codes ranked among the highest in terms of quickly ascending housing sales:
Within Boston | Worcester | Lawrence: Lawrence (01841) and Boston (02124)
Within Chicago, IL | Gary | Kenosha: Oak Park (60302) and Chicago (60302)
Within Detroit| Ann Arbor | Flint: Detroit (48219) and Inkster (48141)
Within Los Angeles | Riverside | Orange County: Long Beach (90802) and Glendale (91203)
Within Miami | Fort Lauderdale: Miami (33137) and Miami (33138)
Within New York-| Northern New Jersey | Long Island: Beach Haven, NJ (08008) and Lavallette, NJ (08735)
Within Philadelphia | Wilmington | Atlantic City: Brigantine, NJ (08203) and Villas, NJ (08251)
Within San Francisco | Oakland | San Jose: Oakland, CA (94621) and Vallejo (94590
Within Seattle | Tacoma | Bremerton: Seattle (98116) and Seattle, WA (98126)
Within Washington | Baltimore: Takoma Park, MD (20912) and Silver Spring, MD (20910)

State Property Taxes

Since the year 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that individual property taxes have inflated by more than 5.5 percent per year. They attribute this development to the growth in home values, numbers of new property developments and overall increases in property taxes. Both local and state government rely upon property as their prime revenue source for garnering moneys for schools and city workers, i.e. police and fire departments. However, property tax accelerations, by far, exceed increases on all other taxable items. According to a study by USA TODAY, the states looking to repeal the sizable property tax increases are:

• Maine in which voters may vote to reverse property taxes by 50 percent
• Washington in which voters may elect for a tax cut initiative to reduce property taxes by 25 percent
• New Jersey in which legislators are considering increasing income taxes in order to decrease property taxes
• Pennsylvania in which discussions are occurring whereby the legalization of slot machines would replace reduced property taxes
• Texas in which state officials desire lottery and sin taxes to cover moneys lost if rates on property taxes do down.