The Coplay (Whitehall-Coplay) Borough Council recently adopted a preliminary budget which will increase property taxes 15.8 percent! That would bring the Coplay Borough mill rates to 11 mills!!!

Thank goodness the Whitehall-Coplay school district taxes are some of the lowest in the Lehigh Valley. But the borough taxes are helping to to take away from that advantage.

When you are paying property taxes, you have the county, the local (the borough or city), and the school district taxes. The school taxes are by far the biggest slice of that pie, but when the other slices get bigger it makes the whole pie bigger to pay (or swallow!)

Right now, Whitehall-Coplay school district is one of the best values in the Lehigh Valley when looking for a home. But 11 mills is absolutely outrageous and if it is that high now, what will it be in a few years. We must stay on top of our boroughs, towns and school districts to make sure Lehigh Valley property taxes stay at a fair and reasonable level

As it stands now, Allentown, and Easton school districts (which includes Palmer Twp and Forks Twp) are spiraling out of control. A $200k home could cost as much as 4-5k a year! The same home in Whitehall-Coplay, or Northampton School district will cost you half that in annual property taxes.

It seems the worse the area, the worse the schools, the higher the taxes. What sense does that make? But when you allow small towns like Coplay to raise taxes almost 16 percent in one year, soon there will be no place to buy a home with affordable property taxes in the Lehigh Valley.

Click Here to view of homes for sale in Whitehall-Coplay School District

Wal-Mart took a step closer toward coming to North Whitehall as township supervisors voted Wednesday to give preliminary approval to the retailer’s subdivision plans. Wal-Mart’s application next goes to the township planning commission and then back to the supervisors for final approval. The store will be located off route 309.

Source: The Morning Call, 9.4.08

A plan for a Wal-Mart and four other stores in Schnecksville was approved Wednesday by North Whitehall township supervisors on the condition the developer first check for chemical contamination on the site.  Supervisors voted unanimously affirming that Wal-Mart Stores East, owner of the 40-acre site along Route 309, could use the land for a planned commercial development.

Source:  The Morning Call, 7.17.08

A recent trend we’ve noticed lately is that newer town-homes in Whitehall are selling VERY quickly. Apparently these town-homes – typically built in the 80’s or 90’s. 3 bed 2 bath, 1400-1500 sq ft – are a very hot commodity in Whitehall school district. We’ve seen a few of these already come and go in as little as 5 days!. Area Realtors say “Whitehall town-homes are hot – we can never get enough of them!” These newer town-homes have modern layouts, quality construction, and are close to the malls and the highways. Also Whitehall taxes are some of the lowest in the valley. “Buyers who are not quick to move are missing out on these properties”

The older units – from the 60’s and 70’s are smaller and usually sell for 150-160k, but they are not selling as quickly as the newer larger ones. The Peach Tree subdivision is one of the hottest developments to find these newer town-homes. In a hot market the homes typically list for 175k-as much as 225k, but recent comps have sold for 165k-185k and have sold very fast with multiple offers. Contact and Agent for more information