Home address: 213 Jersey Bend

2021 Taxable Value: $276,646       

Recent Sales Price: $217,500 – Over-taxed by 27%

Texas property owners can avoid paying excess property taxes by taking several basic steps. One option to reduce you property taxes is to protest the market value. An unequal appraisal appeal is easy to prepare. Just find neighborhood homes with a lower level of assessment (per square foot). Summarize the data in a table. Woody Allen said “80% of success is showing up”. The same is true of property taxes. If you file an appeal and attend the hearing, your chance of reducing your property taxes is excellent. 

Many owners do not protest because they do not understand the process.  Most would appeal if they know how easy it is the high chance of success. It is difficult for appraisal districts to accurately value homes since they rarely or never see the houses. Tax protests are resolved at the informal hearing since the result is within a “reasonable range of value”. Appraisal is not an exact science and valuations are only an educated opinion of value, not a fact. Appraisal property taxes, yard work and HVAC check-ups are just a few of the responsibilities for homeowners.