Home address: 3207 Indiana St
2021 Tax Assessment: $119,122
Recent Sales Price: $68,000 – Over-taxed by 75%
Most homeowners who do not appeal annually pay excess property taxes. Market value property tax appeals save homeowners an average of $500, according to Texas Comptroller Glen Hager, for 2019. 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.
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. Appraisal districts use mass appraisal to value property, basically a math model. Overall results are OK. However, many homes are too high or low. One reason appraisal districts are motivated to settle protests is to maintain goodwill with the community. Property taxes are the largest tax most Texans face. But it is a stealth tax hidden in the mortgage payment, disguising the size of property taxes paid.
