Home address: 23110 Catalina Harbor Ct

2021 Taxable Value: $492,600

Recent Sales Price: $370,000 – Over-taxed by 33%

Fort bend County property investors far too often pay excess property taxes. Protest market value, get a few comparable sales as evidence and you are very likely to reduce your property taxes. Unequal appraisal appeals are valid when the assessment is below market value. Property tax appeals are often won with a smile and a bit of data.

Some homeowners do not appeal property taxes because they are not aware of this right. You can and should protest both market value and unequal appraisal annually. Appraisal districts use mass appraisal to value property, basically a math model. Overall results are OK. However, many homes are too high or low. Most tax protests are settled at the informal level so appraisers can return to measuring and valuing new construction. 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.