Did you buy your Florida home or condo in 2004? If you did and claim it as your primary residence, you are eligible for the homestead tax exemption, which allows for a $25,000 exemption from your home's assessed value (there are other exemptions, as well - visit http://pao.co.pinellas.fl.us for details in Pinellas County, http://www.hcpafl.org for details in Hillsborough County), providing quite a bit of savings on your property taxes.

Tomorrow is the deadline to file for the exemption. You will need to file in person at one of the designated offices in your county. Here's some important information about filing courtesy of today's St. Petersburg Times:

A married person may file for his or her spouse, provided the spouse's information is provided. To file, residents are required to provide documentation, including:

--Florida driver's license and automobile registration.

--Voter registration.

--Permanent alien registration card and/or proof of naturalization, if applicable.

--The notification card supplied by the Property Appraiser's Office, if available.

--The Social Security numbers of all applicants and their spouses.

When filing for a widow/widower exemption, bring a death certificate or obituary notice. When filing for a disability exemption, bring proper certification of total and permanent disability.

For a list of Hillsborough County locations visit http://www.hcpafl.org.

For a list of Pinellas County locations visit http://pao.co.pinellas.fl.us.

You can also find more information at http://pao.co.pinellas.fl.us, for Pinellas County, or at http://www.hcpafl.org for Hillsborough County. Visit Inside Real Estate Journal for more important real estate information.

-John Mudd
"Mr. Real Estate"