[bdangubic]

You are paying property tax on that money you are using for that HELOC.

If I bought a house at $300k, I owe $250k and house is now worth $750k the County will be slapping me with $10k/year property taxes whereas before I was paying like $3k. My gains are realized each year via property tax assessments :)

[jjav]

> My gains are realized each year via property tax assessments :)

You are confusing two very different things. You'll realize the gains (and have to pay taxes on) your house value increase only when you sell it. The fact that you were paying property taxes on it all along while owning it has nothing to do with that.

[JumpCrisscross]

> My gains are realized each year via property tax assessments

This strongly depends on jurisdiction. In many (today I learned, not all) assessed value is explicitly different from market value.

[bdangubic]

The fact is though if you live in America are paying property taxes on your home, you are NOT hiding from the IRS the fact that you do - you are not saying "sorry, I don't really own this home and I won't be paying anything to you until such later time when my ownership will be revealed at the grand sale at which point I'll pay some taxes"

With "unrealized" stock gains you are doing just that - hiding ownership so you don't have to pay taxes while enjoying the perks of the ownership when it suits you

[JumpCrisscross]

> if you live in America are paying property taxes on your home

I own in Wyoming. My property's assessed value is like 1/10th the market rate. My neighbour--just checked!--who owns a property like ten times my size, across two plots, and far more lavish than my own has an assessed value similar to mine. The real estate records even have a line item for "actual value" separate from assessed value.

Not familiar with the specifics, but I know California and New York similarly have assessed values that are entirely unmoored from what the property is actually worth.

[0xBDB]

This is most states, because the increases are capped for existing property owners especially for first homes - the homestead exemption. If you own a house you live in for a long time in a hot market your assessed value can be very low relative to market.

[0xBDB]

You do not pay property taxes to the IRS, or report the value of your property to them unless you sell it. Federal property tax is unconstitutional. It took an amendment for the feds to be able to do income tax, which has been broadly interpreted to include things like capital gains and income taxes.

[mixmastamyk]

Property tax raises are capped in CA by Prop 13.

[WillPostForFood]

Also, totally irrelevant to the capital gains tax you may owe the federal govt when you sell you house.