Home address: 1206 Fairbanks St
2021 Tax Assessment: $218,701
Recent Sales Price: $120,000 – Over-taxed by 82%
Texas property owners can avoid paying excess property taxes by taking several basic steps. A market value appeal is based on the assessor’s value exceeding the market value of your home. 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 intended to appeal but the May 15th date slipped by with no appeal. If you want to appeal and it is slipping your mind, consider a consultant. 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.
