Home address: 3415 Farrel Hill St

2021 Taxable Value: $249,450

Recent Sales Price: $178,000 – Over-taxed by 40%

Property tax assessments not carefully reviewed lead to paying more than your share of property taxes. A market value appeal is based on the assessor’s value exceeding the market value of your home. Unequal appraisal appeals compare the level of assessment of your house to comparable houses, typically on a per square foot basis. Winning a property tax protest is easy. Getting property owners to appeal is hard. Only 10% of Texan home owners appeal their property taxes.

Some homeowners believe “you can’t fight city hall.” But property owners win 60 to 80% of property tax appeals. 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. Appraisal property taxes, yard work and HVAC check-ups are just a few of the responsibilities for homeowners.