In my last column, I briefly mentioned the role higher taxes play in real estate values. When young workers are straining to afford a house to fit their families, the associated mil levy can make a big difference in the monthly payment, and whether or not they can make it work. Additionally, if they paid more for the house than the last owner, they can anticipate a tax increase in the near future.
High taxes is a relative term, so a comparison of 10 counties in SEK are in order. They are: Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette, Linn, Montgomery, Neosho, and Woodson. Besides geography, these counties have another common denominator: they all lost population from 2010 to 2018, 4.41% as a whole (Bourbon was 3.43%).