Home address: 408 Little Ave

2021 Taxable Value: $153,500

Recent Sales Price: $85,000   – Over-taxed by 81%

Appraisal district errors in setting assessed values cause McLennan County owners to pay extra taxes. Appraisal districts are flexible on market value appeals given the large number of houses they value and that are protested. 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. It is difficult to persuade property owners to protest their property taxes.  But 60 to 80% of those who do are successful.

Property owners are sometimes reluctant to protest their property taxes because the believe the appeal process is difficult.  It is not difficult and 60 to 80% of owners who appeal are successful. One reason it is difficult for appraisal districts to correctly value homes is they are not homogenous.  Some have been remodeled and some haven’t. 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.