



REDMOND, Wash. -- "All the kids come with their dogs, it's not a house, it's a home. It's my home,” said Sharon Davis, who bought her home in Redmond 12 years ago.



"We have the great room. When I say we, I mean me and the dog. A dining room, and in the back is an office, laundry room, it’s about 1,650 square feet,” explained Davis.



The home is filled with books, heirlooms, family photos -- all things that Davis cherishes.



"These are my daughters, they live 10 minutes away, both of them,” said Davis, pointing to a picture of her grown children on the wall.



Davis had an idea of what her golden years would look like.



“I wanted to play, I wanted to travel and eat out, just play and enjoy my life,” said Davis.



She says she’s a homebody and wants to enjoy those years, right here.



"Of all the homes I’ve lived in, this to me is kind of like command central, it feels right. The thought of having to give this up because I’ve stripped everything I own to pay for property taxes scares me to death, scares me to death,” said Davis.



Davis knows her property taxes have been climbing steadily since she bought this place.



"I was paying $4,112 in property taxes in 2006,” said Davis.



This year her property tax bill is “8,168, that is more than double when I first bought the home.”



When she opened the envelope and saw the bill, "I got up and got a glass of wine,” she laughed.



She says it was a reality check she never saw coming, and it meant that at age 74 she had to go back to work.



"I am working part-time. I have not worked in 30 years,” said Davis.



She says things sure have changed in the 30 years since she retired from Boeing.



“I had to prove to all the young folk out there that this ol’ grandma can do it!” said Davis



As a retiree on a fixed income, Davis says lawmakers don’t realize the constraints on seniors.



"Do these (lawmakers) really talk to the little, old gray-haired people and say, 'How are you doing? How are your taxes, can you afford it for another 20 years if you live that long?'" said Davis.



She says her options are limited.



"I will not impose on my children, neither one of them could live with their mother for too long,” said Davis.



Davis says she isn’t giving up hope on being able to call this place home for the rest of her life, but she says her golden years are looking a little rusty if taxes keep going up.



“I don’t know where I’d go, seriously. I don’t know where I’d go."







