Nano E.: As a realtor, I don’t want to have to leave here and start all over.

Nano E. owned a 3,057 square foot,5-bedroom, 3-bathroom Grayslake home that is currently assessed at $256,308.

“The tax rate is insane here,” Nano said. “Selling anything in this town is a challenge.”

Nano took possession of the home in 2005 when it was worth around $260,000, or $336,068 in today’s dollars. She paid $77,613 in property taxes between 2005 and 2014, more than 29 percent of the original value of her home. She sold the home in 2014.

“I’m a renter now until I figure out what I’m going to do,” Nano said. “I have contemplated buying a house again, but I am not sure I even want to live in this town and have that tax bill [again].”

“I’m a renter now until I figure out what I’m going to do,” Nano said. “I have contemplated buying a house again, but I am not sure I even want to live in this town and have that tax bill [again].”

Nano paid $12,568 on her final property tax bill on her home, about 4.9 percent of the Lake County Assessor claimed value of $256,308.

“As a realtor, I don’t want to have to leave here and start all over,” Nano said. “I do know that our schools in this town are about 85 percent of our taxes. The question is: how else can we fund the schools? The funding for what they say they need needs to change. It can’t all be on the homeowners.”

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.

“If pensions are going to start to bankrupt us, then we need to readjust,” Nano said. “The hard cap would be great. I think we’re at 4 or 4.5 percent now. I think everyone has to stop and take a look at their budgets.”

If Nano lived in Indiana the most she could be charged in property taxes would be $2,563 per year or $10,005 less than what she currently pays in Illinois.

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