Corporate Relocation
Your New Jersey Tax Bill And Your Texas Tax Bill Are Not Comparable.
Samsung Electronics America is moving its US headquarters from New Jersey to Plano, with the move slated to complete by the end of the year. If you are one of the roughly one thousand people making that decision, the property tax number you are about to see will look alarming, and the way most people compare it is wrong. Here is the correct comparison.
Total Burden, Not Property Tax
The Comparison Almost Everyone Runs Backward
New Jersey
- State income tax
- Applies on every dollar of income.
- Property tax
- A rate among the highest in the nation.
- Total burden
- Income tax plus property tax, stacked.
Texas
- State income tax
- None at all.
- Property tax
- Averages roughly 1.60 percent, which is genuinely high, and that is the number that scares people.
- Total burden
- Property tax only. It is replacing an income tax, not stacking on top of one.
You are not comparing two property tax bills. You are comparing a property tax bill against a property tax bill plus a state income tax bill. Run it on total burden or the answer comes out wrong.
Illustrative. Your actual outcome depends on income, home price, county, and district. Raven Mok is a former CPA and not your tax advisor. Confirm with your own CPA.
What Nobody Tells You
The Four Things That Will Cost You Money If Nobody Tells You
01
The homestead exemption, and the deadline
Texas voters approved a school district homestead exemption increase from one hundred thousand to one hundred forty thousand dollars, effective for 2026. Owners over 65 add another sixty thousand on top of that.
The catch is the timing. You must own and occupy the home as your primary residence on January 1 of the tax year, and you apply between January 1 and April 30 of the following year. Nearly every out of state buyer misses their first year and simply overpays.
If you close in November, your January 1 status matters. If you close in February, it does not help you until the next cycle. That timing is worth real money and it is decided by your closing date.
02
MUD and PID districts
Many of the newest neighborhoods in Collin and Denton County sit inside a Municipal Utility District or a Public Improvement District, which adds to the base rate to fund the infrastructure that made the neighborhood possible.
Two houses a mile apart, same price, can carry meaningfully different annual tax bills. Zillow does not show you this clearly.
Estimate MUD Impact03
Texas is a non disclosure state
Sale prices are not public record here. Which means the estimates you are reading online are built on worse data than they are in New Jersey, and your ability to check a price yourself is limited in a way you are not used to.
04
Insurance
North Texas hail. Premiums here surprise people coming from the northeast, and the roof age on the home you are considering drives it. Ask for the roof date before you fall in love with a house.
Commute And Product
Where Samsung People Actually End Up
The Colony and Little Elm
Closest to the lake, and generally the lowest entry price of this set.
Families Who Made The Same Move
What Relocating Clients Say
Raven was our 'eyes and boots on the ground.' Her attention to detail and financial strategy made our relocation effortless.
Vinoth K.
Relocated from California
We came from California nervous about the market. Raven made us feel like locals within weeks.
The Chen Family
Celina, TX
Building from California was stressful until Raven became our eyes on the ground. Weekly updates, photos, and honest feedback made all the difference.
The Rodriguez Family
Star Trail, Prosper
Two Homes, One Timeline
The Timing Problem Nobody Plans For
You likely need to sell in New Jersey and buy in Texas without owning two homes or renting twice. There are three ways through it and they are not equally good.
Rent first, then buy
You sell in New Jersey, land in a short term rental here, and buy once you know the area from the ground rather than from a map. It costs you one extra move and a few months of rent, and it removes almost all of the risk. This is the most common path, and it is the one I recommend most often, because the people who regret their purchase are usually the ones who picked a neighborhood they had never driven at rush hour.
Sale contingent purchase
You write an offer here that depends on your New Jersey home closing. It avoids the double move entirely. The tradeoff is that a contingent offer is weaker, and on a well priced Texas home you will lose to a buyer who does not have one. It works best when inventory in your target neighborhood is soft.
Bridge, or buy before you sell
You use a bridge loan or existing assets to buy here first, then sell in New Jersey. It is the cleanest experience and the most expensive one, because you carry two homes for a stretch. It suits people whose equity position is strong and whose timeline at work is not negotiable.
Who You Are Working With
I have moved families into Plano and Frisco on corporate timelines that gave them one weekend to decide, and I know which neighborhoods hold up when you finally drive them at five o'clock on a Tuesday. I will fly the trip with you, tell you when a house is wrong for the commute you actually have, and keep the New Jersey side of the timeline honest.
Raven Mok
Active eXp Realty DFW | CLHMS | Former CPA
Tell me your timeline and I will build the plan backward from it.
Step 1 of 2. Two questions, nothing else.
Other Relocation Guides
Raven Mok and Raven Home Co. are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Samsung Electronics America. This page is an independent relocation resource for employees relocating to North Texas.