Home address: 2417 Gary Ln

2021 Tax Assessment: $172,130

Recent Sales Price: $132,500 – Over-taxed by 30%

Texas property owners can avoid paying excess property taxes by taking several basic steps. Appraisal districts are flexible on market value appeals given a 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. Property tax appeals are often won with a smile and a bit of data.

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”.  An appraisal is not an exact science and valuations are only an educated opinion of value, not a fact. Protect your home by appealing property taxes annually.