The Appraisal Process

It’s likely your home has never been individually appraised.  The 2011 Proposed Value of your home is based off of a mass appraisal.  The appraisal district does not have the manpower or time available to appraise each and every home.  To manage such a large workload the appraisal district uses a mass appraisal system based on typical property values in your area to appraise your entire neighborhood.

With a pen stroke, the appraisal district can decide to raise the tax assessed value of every home in a neighborhood by 1%, 2%, 3%....all the way up to 10% each year.  When in the midst of a recession, like we are today, it’s unlikely that the appraisal district will lower your tax assessed value.  And if they do, the decrease will be minimal.  That's because the appraisal district places the burden on the homeowner to argue a reduction in their home’s assessed value. 

The best time to argue for a reduction is when we are in a depressed economy and home values are declining.  This is why you need to protest now!

Every home is different. And if you expect to reduce your property tax burden you will need custom analysis of your home, comprehensive analysis of your neighborhood, analysis of comparable properties to your home, and a strategy when meeting with the central appraisal district.  Texas Tax Protest provides this service.

How do you Protest?

The law in Texas only allows you the opportunity to file a protest during the month of May.  There is a 31 day window.  That’s it.  If you miss it, you have to wait another  year. 

In early May, the appraisal district sends letters to homeowners which state the proposed assessed value of their homes.  You may file a protest during the month of May against the proposed assessed value of your home.  The central appraisal district will set a hearing date for you to go in front of the Appraisal Review Board (ARB).  Hearings occur from early May to mid June.  At the ARB hearing you are required to present your case and convince the Board your home is over assessed. 

If a decision is made to reduce your assessed value, your taxes will decrease retroactive to January of the current tax year.  Therefore, protesting in May benefits you for the entire year.
what you need to know before filing a Protest:

Texas Tax Protest provides all the answers.  We take the guess work out of the protest process and ensure that you don’t waste your valuable time dealing with the central appraisal district.

Protest Methods

The property tax code in Texas allows homeowners to protest their taxes with two methods:  Sales Comparable Analysis or Unequal Appraisal.

Sales Comparable Analysis

With this method homeowners present evidence to the ARB showing comparable homes that have sold at reduced prices.  These comparable homes must be similar in size, amenities, acreage, year built, and within the same neighborhood.  As of January 2010, foreclosures can be considered comparable properties as well.

Unequal Appraisal

With this method homeowners present evidence to the ARB showing comparable homes that are tax assessed at a value lower than others in the neighborhood.  Again, these comparable homes must be similar in size, amenities, acreage, year built, and within the same neighborhood. The appraisal district will use these comparable to lower your assessed value to align with the lower tax assessed homes in your neighborhood.

There is an amazing opportunity here for homeowners to reduce their property taxes.

Right now home sales are at a low and foreclosures are rampant so the Sales Comparable Analysis is a great strategy.

However, the Unequal Appraisal Method can offer significant reductions as well, especially in neighborhoods where there are few sales comparables.

Texas Tax Protest employs both Sales analysis and Unequal Appraisal analysis when protesting on behalf of our clients.  We strive to use the best methodology to reduce our client’s tax burden.  With this strategy client’s can expect an efficient, organized, and personal approach to the appeals process and most importantly, our clients save money.

To find out if you are paying too much, call us at (214) 523-9088.  We will provide a free analysis of your home and in a short time tell you how much we can expect to save you in 2011 property taxes.