Home address: 1615 Thornbrook Dr

2021 Taxable Value: $191,620

Recent Sales Price: $145,000 – Over-taxed by 32%

Appraisal district errors in setting assessed values cause Fort Bend County owners to pay extra taxes. Appraisal districts are flexible on market value appeals given the large number of houses they value and that are protested. Unequal appraisal is a powerful tool to reduce property taxes, but many homeowners are not aware of it and don’t use it. The Texas Comptroller reports 80% of 2019 property tax appeals by home owners were successful.

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. Incorrect property data such as grade, effective year built, condition, etc lead to substantial errors in appraisal district values for houses. Tax protests are resolved at the informal hearing since the result is within a “reasonable range of value”. Appraisal is not an exact science and valuations are only an educated opinion of value, not a fact. Protest your property taxes on market value and unequal appraisal by May 15th annually. Protest even if you do not receive a value notice.