The late ecomonic crunch is begining to be felt in the tax coffers of US states. Several states are waking up to the fact their tax take has fallen (surprise, surprise). Down at the end of the bars in our beer halls, you can hear "Fix our tax problem, annex Canada". Back in the 1770s, there was a guy named Revere who took a midinght ride on his pony shouting, "The Red Coats are comming". Let's hope that we don't hear you driving down the road some dark night in your red MG (or maybe its an Aston Martin) shouting "The red-white-blues are coming!" Just kidding, I hope.

You have a good looking home with lots of potential. Since you are not asking for a short term fix, you may want to decide a scheme and color for your house and landscape that complement the house style. Any changes you make need to be integrated to the scheme and color. There are many landscape design books can help you with the decisions. Since you said there is a space between front door and the tree; how about remove steps, rails and short walls and make a curvy terrace to connects the driveway and front door? Then add roomier, softer looking steps. You can tie the base of the tree to the terrace with flowers and plants. Put some sittings, a birdbath, wind charm, landscape lightings..etc. you have a nice outdoor room. This is just one suggestion, soon, you will realize there are tons of possibilities. If I were you, I will also do something to the chain link fence by either replace it or cover it with vines or bushes. Updating landscape and curb appeal is a fun and rewarding experience, you will like that.

it certainly does not hurt to try and get a review, especially if vales are lower than what your assessment has. until a couple of yrs ago alot of FL homeowners were getting reassessments but then our taxes were significantly cut. i used to pay 4X what I do now and for a few yrs in a row i had to pay the shortages, couple times it was thousands of $$. then they ended up w several thousand $$ extra and of course you can not access that $$ and you pay taxes on it. since taxes came down, my overages were rolled over and my payment went down. i refinanced in Jan just as values have been starting to trend back up, now my payment is 1/2 of what it was. we just voted in a mileage rate increase FINALLY so taxes go up a tiny bit. the county lost 1.5% in sales taxes in 2011 + loss of property taxes and every semester they close 5 more schools and lay off thousands more teachers. they desperately need the increase, we have A+ schools here and my property someday selling well depends on my cities school staying open which it may not (chopping block for 1 yr now). ~ liz

friedajune, I agree. And with the rediscovery in recent years of craftsmanship and artisanal work -- whether one is building a house or making beer or cheese -- there is considerably less stigma. I was a liberal arts college graduate from NYC who married a carpenter/farmer 25 years ago, and there's never been any stigma; in fact, most of my college friends have said over the years some version of "I wish I could ditch the office for carpentry or farming." Our sons, who've recently graduated from high school, are going to be starting their first and second years of carpentry at a nearby trade school, and will be third-generation carpenters. Earlier this year CBC Radio in Canada had an interesting feature on students leaving PhD programs for the trades. I'd also recommend the following books for anyone interested: "Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter" by Nina Maclaughlin, a former Classics major who was working as an editor at The Boston Phoenix when she answered a Craigslist ad for a carpenter's assistant. "Shop Craft as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work" by Matthew Crawford "Making Things Right: The Simple Philosophy of a Working Life" by Ole Thorstensen As a reader of any of these books will note, there's a huge difference between doing this sort of work because you see a value in skilled work, craftsmanship, and a job well-done -- and for many too because it's a necessary outlet for creativity, just like music or moviemaking or writing or sculpture -- and working without particular care only for a paycheck.