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By Suzette Strauss, Resident Realtor In these days of taxes, taxes, taxes, there is a way that some may catch a break… Prop 19. What is Proposition 19, and who is eligible to use it? I'm glad you asked! There are several categories of homeowners that may want to consider using this proposition to their advantage: children inheriting their parent's primary residence, homeowners over 55 years of age, the disabled, or victims of a wildfire or natural disaster. This proposition is a Constitutional Amendment that imposes new limits on property taxes and benefits for qualifying individuals. Children Inheriting Their Parents' Primary Residence: A child who inherits their parents' primary residence may, under Prop 19, keep the lower property tax base ONLY if they make it their primary residence within one year. All other eligible homeowners mentioned above may transfer their lower assessed property value of their primary home to a newly purchased or newly constructed replacement principal residence up to three times (or once per disaster). The tax base may be transferred to a property located anywhere in the state of California. If the home is sold, and a purchase is not made immediately, not to worry, the eligible homeowner has two years to purchase their replacement property, according to the California State Board of Equalization. Keep in mind, the timing may affect the Value Limit used in the formula for calculating the new tax base. The savings can be significant. Using the Prop 19 Calculator from WFG Title Company. If your primary residence has an assessed value of $225,876 and sold for $600,000. Then you purchased a new primary home for $479,000, you would have an estimated property tax of $5,748.00. However, with the implementation of Prop 19, your estimated property tax would be $2,710.51. In conclusion, even if the estimated taxable value of the new home is slightly more than my example, the savings would be worthwhile to investigate. I hope this article is helpful for you or for your children in the future. You may consider including information about Prop19 with your Trust documents, or just a copy of this article would alert your heirs to investigate. In the meantime, may you live long and enjoy good health! SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | MAY 2026 11

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