Gary R..: I will never buy something again in Illinois.

Gary R. owns a 3,056 square foot, 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom Carpentersville home that is currently assessed at $429,618.

“I'm trying to sell my house,” Gary said. “It's been on the market about a year and a half. I've already lowered by price by about $100,000, but if I want to sell my house I have to basically give it away.”

Gary took possession of the home in 1998 when it was worth around $355,000, or $549,152 in today’s dollars. He has paid $199,988 in property taxes since 2002, more than 56 percent of the original value of his home.

“I just want to sell my house, and then I will decide if I want to move out of state,” Gary said. “I may rent here. I will never buy something again in Illinois.”

“I just want to sell my house, and then I will decide if I want to move out of state,” Gary said. “I may rent here. I will never buy something again in Illinois.”

Gary is currently paying $14,689 per year in property taxes on his home, about 3.4 percent of the Kane County Assessor claimed value of $429,618.

Indiana has a hard 1 percent cap on property taxes. This means local governments are not allowed under state law to charge homeowner’s more than 1 percent of their home’s assessed value per year. The average property tax rate for the state of Indiana is 0.89 percent. Meanwhile, the average property tax rate in Illinois is 2.3 percent.

“I have looked to move out of the state,” Gary said. “I will probably establish residency out of the state. [Our taxes in Illinois] are managed terribly.”

If Gary lived in Indiana the most he could be charged in property taxes would be $4,296 per year or $10,393 less than what he currently pays in Illinois.

To share your story with us, please send an email including your full name, address, phone number and email address to news@saveyourhomenow.org.