Was surprised to see a Texas application. That being said, San Antonio is getting wayyy out of hand with their appraisals. My brother protests his home appraisal every year and saves a lot. Ty for sharing
Thank you so much Tammy! They lowered $13k! My neighbor who hired a company to protest his house taxes couldn’t get anything saved. Your video really helped me
HI Tammy, just a word of thanks, Last year I got one property down from 70 grand to 20 grand. this year im working on another property owned by my dad and i plan to use all of your tips to get this one lower as well. Thank you so much, xoxo, from El Paso.
THIS IS AWESOME. Love this video. My market value went up $50k. Senior like me is having such a hard time. I am hoping since my home is paid for that I don't have to sell because I cannot afford the property tax. I HATE renting my house.
I’m a out of state property owners. I try to keep the rent reasonable. I’m a senior yet being out of state. I can’t get homestead.On 22 taxes I showed a loss because of repair. Thanks
Thank you so much! I went to my formal meeting today only because they didn't approve an informal meeting. Everything went well and my property taxes went down! Next year it should be a lot better because I'll have everything i need.
@@wellsbranchrealtor I am in the process of doing a protest. Do I just put both my Husband and my name as the home owner or just his? He is a Veteran and gets that exemption and listed first on the documents or does it matter?
I'm going today and I did not put "Mail Me the Sales Comp Grid." I had no idea I needed this. Obviously I do not know what I'm doing and I'm not ready. My CPA sent me 3 comps for homes in my area that are for sale and cost less than $300K. Oh boy! I submited the form on the last day, so I'm good there. I am taking photos today before the hearing. THANKS!
I said NO to the informal conference before the protest hearing. I just submitted my protest form yesterday - is there any way for me to change that answer? I had a very successful protest last year. Basically, my realtor found a close to exact comparable house in my neighborhood, which sold for my much less than my appraisal. The only major difference was that house was on a bigger lot, so I took their sale price and subtracted a bit for my smaller lot, and that was the value I entered on the form (yes I did enter a number). I filed online, and I almost immediately got an initial offer online that was only trivially lower, so I rejected that. A short time before my scheduled hearing, I got another online offer that was about the same as the number I entered on the form (actually a bit lower), and I accepted that offer and didn't have to go to a protest hearing. I actually had a successful protest two years ago too, but it was really easy. I had just bought my house at the very end of 2021, so I just sent them proof of my purchase price, and they lowered my appraisal to a bit below that.
I have 12 houses to Protest this year. 11 in Harris County and 1 in Fort Bend. When I went to the hearing in Fort Bend County last year I went to a formal hearing and they raised my property value $5,000 after the hearing! This year I have a company protesting my taxes in Fort Bend County. The rest I'm doing myself. I have a hearing tomorrow August 16th 2016. I will let you know how it goes. Thank you for the video. I like the angle of needing a new roof which I will use tomorrow since the roof is 31 years old!
Thanks for the video; I took your advice and they took tens of thousands off of my appraisal. I have also shared your video with a number of my colleagues. Travis county is a little out of control with their appraisals.
Thank you so much Tammy for your videos and advice, they were very helpful. I attended my hearing today and was able to get an almost $35k reduction in Kaufman county. Thanks!!
Daniela Salazar me podrías decir en dónde pediste el formulario y que es lo que te piden yo radicó en carrollton y mis taxes an incrementando demasiado. Si me pudieras ayudar GRACIAS
So I had no clue and watched your video. I'm in Dallas instead of Austin and there were some small differences like you don't get a notice for an informal hearing...you just show up down there and get to see an Appraiser and that's considered your informal hearing. I went in person to file my protest as you suggested. I didn't take all my pictures and evidence but went in person so I could also ask for the Sales comps because they said in the instructions on their website, you had to request their info used to determine the value in person. Well, with NOTHING with me at all, the girl offered to lower them $20k on the spot. I went back today with my pics and comparison stuff and got another $16k! That's $36k reduction to be taxed on this year. So ….thank you so much! I had no clue how to do this and thus hadn't even once for the last 21 years! But when the bill this year said they've raised me 56% in the last 5 years, I had to learn and go for it! It's kinda ridiculous! And very, very eye opening!
Great video! Thanks. At my closing they had to drop my purchase price by $9,000 because they were charging me more than it appraised for. That being said, I've pulled properties around me and found mine is still appraising for more than theirs. I'm doing this! Thanks
My grandfather protested every year period. He died at the beginning of this year and my grandmother was left with the house with my mother and aunt basically in charge of everything. They haven’t protested because he was a 100% service connected Disbaled so they don’t have a tax liability and my grandmother is granted surviving spouses benefits and as a result they don’t think they should protest the appraisal
We had a successful informal hearing today and were able to shave off 25k of the assessed value of our Wells Branch property thanks to the comps we brought in. We did have information that we found to dispute some of the homes on the equity grid they provided in the evidence packet, like one house was listed as a one-story but is actually a two-story. The worker said they wouldn't go over information about any homes in the evidence packet...I'm not sure why if I'm bringing evidence to show that the adjustments aren't accurate. Regardless, the result was good, so can't complain too much. Thanks for the tips!
I went and protested with photos of mold, but i was not successful. Your video was very helpful. They showed me a list of homes that were valued much higher than mine and said that my home was the lowest of 500 homes. Can I go to an informal hearing more than once?
+Zulema Alvarez wow I would think pictures of mold would be effective, but I have heard from some people that pictures weren't as helpful as other strategies especially if they had a tough employee. You can only go to one informal hearing. If you get a reduction offer at your informal and do not accept it, then it goes to the formal hearing (under oath with several people vs. you). Be careful going to the formal because if you do, then your informal hearing reduction offer is no longer valid. Best of luck and I recommend coming with several different kinds of evidence to increase your chances of success. P.S. The 3 homes I protest are often some of the lowest values in my neighborhood but I don't let that stop me. I am very persistent and keep bringing up all my evidence.
Spending is out of control In Wilco. They tried to assess my rent house 19% higher than the year prior. If I raise my rent 19%, I'll lose my current renter--they are already stressed. We have seen massive tax increases in Williamson County in the last few years. Very disheartening. The legislature had better pass SB2, or we are moving to Marble Falls!!!
Thank you for this video. I protested once and got it lowered, but gee whiz, I felt like a little lamb in a pack of wolves. Well, not that bad, but I was intimidated. The person in the tax office very quickly dismissed the comps I brought saying it didn't help. (What?) I've forgotten the reasons he gave. He did offer a lower appraisal even with that, so I guess it worked. Thanks again.
+driver1928 you are so welcome!! Yeah I know it's intimidating the first time you go. I'm glad you got some amount of reduction. Keep in mind each year you get a different employee so next time they may not dismiss your comps. Some are tougher than others. I hope you keep protesting.
Hello, I bought my home in 2015 and it was valued at 77K. I never protested my taxes the first year after my home value was increased to 126K. Now my home is being valued at 190K and I am definitely protesting the taxes. I haven't done anything at all to my home since I purchased it. When speaking to the local office they are claiming that the garage that was turned into a room "closed in" is the reason for the increase as it is being categorized as an addition. I let the girl know that was how it was when I bought it. The value is significantly higher than what I have researched for similar homes and neighbors on my street. Can I please get some advice?
We need a Georgetown taxpayer's association, so we can coordinate strategy against these huge recent tax hikes. I would be interested in your outcome for your protest.
Thank you somuch shaved off 40k and going to file a homestead as well. Still its sad property owners have to carry everyone else on taxes when it could be so much more fair.
richard feldman We'll actually, even if everyone's appraisal values dropped you'd still be paying similar taxes because tax bill rates (mill rates) are based on the county's budget. I for one am happy to contribute to the county's services but of course I want my appraisal accurate.
Hello thank you for this wonderful video. I wanted to ask you when you are protesting your taxes and the district ask for your closing paper as evidence, can you show them the paper but sharpie what you pay for your property since by law we don’t have to show how much we pay for our property?
I filed an appeal in CA, I send over the paperwork to FedEx, the auditor called me and said my value was correct based on the last 3 comps in the area. I said my condo doesn't touch land, it's upstairs...he said air space? I asked by the Improvements and Land numbers keep increase each year and I did no improvements-"we just mix up the numbers to equal 2% increase each year no matter what"
Thank you for posting this video Tammy! You are giving me the courage and motivation to try it myself. I will give it a try this year and will let you know how it went.
Thank you so much for your information. We used your advices last year and it work They lowered the value of my house. This year we have to do it again but we're more prepared. Thanks!
this needs to be updated in order to help us. You can't get an informal protest and it is much harder to protest because of that. If you protest every year and get your value lower you will eventually be the lowest on your street and not have any evidence of your value being too high, then what do you do??? This needs to be brought up to date.
Very helpful video. Did not know protesting property tax is even possible. Maybe because I don't own a house yet. But i am planning on buying soon. Thank You
Thanks!! I protested my tax assessment every year since I bought this property quite frankly Texas makes California look attractive.... In California I had a flat property tax of 1.5% which was fair... In Denton County these people if Jack my property tax up every single year since 2007 when I bought this property... I have never regretted buying property before until I move to Texas.... Texas has no state tax but the property tax justifies California principles.... Thank you for the video .... . And two people who think Texas the great state, I tell you the truth Texas is no different from any other Blue State
Gee Tammy, I got some great tips from your video that I will certainly take to heart. I must, however, comment that I've been lead to believe through political circles that the city, county, etc., expect the Appraisal people to bring in MORE REVENUE so that they can finance their budgets. One should protest EVERY YEAR! I got a firm to help...they were a joke. If you want something done...you gotta do it yourself. I did everything you said, pictures and all, but the firm didn't even show up. (They settled on an appraisal with a phone call for $200 less off a $150,000 appraisal). Now, I'm trying to find some way to appeal. With me luck.
Frank Gomez good luck! I also advise to stay informed on what your state govt is doing. They are the ones passing laws that affect property tax rates. Good luck!!
the property taxes in laredo, texas are outregeous and ridiculous. we have no parks, no amusement parks, no zoos, no highways, mind u . but .... living here can be really expensive. I am hoping your video will guide me in the right direction , and beat this monsters at their game. i just wish this city would get audited.
They are attempting a 93% increase on the value of my 4 unit rental property (Hays County). (I live in one if the units). Finally got my ARB hearing date in the mail after 4 waiting months, no mention of an "informal hearing". I am hoping they will be forthcoming in providing me with the "evidence packet" when I go up to request it tomorrow. 2 weeks till my hearing. Thanks for the info!
Texocracy 93% increase in one year? That is CRAZY! I've never heard of an increase like that. I can't imagine that is accurate. Good luck at your hearing.
I promise it is completely accurate. I'm working on getting news and print media involved. KXAN hopefully. They want it to go from 180K to 340K in one year (from 2016-2017). Same increase for 20+ other 4-plexes that are exactly the same as mine (all built in 1984). It's in San Marcos, the multi-family zoned area near the college. They've decided to bring them all up 93% in a fell swoop. We the private owners are colaberating to fight it. Only just received ARB for late October. Was told the evidence packet wasn't ready for me so they are postponing. No realtors in town can find comps to justify this. Only possible way for them to justify is circular, or, an inflated potential rental income schedule based on higher rent multi-unit apartments.
I'll keep you posted :) I'm not sure if their inflated appraisal really reflects real market value accrual. These high taxes could actually bring the demand down for investors because it eats into margins and annual ROI. Hays is underwater with outstanding bonds and their balance sheet is looking shaky. I believe this is the reason for their outrageous and desperate over appraisals. We know the ARB are not simply objective citizens without an agenda :)
Start with the definitions for that title. The definition for person is a corporation, trust, association, et.al. In order for a property in any of the 50 states to be taxable, it has to have a situs (place of a crime or business) attached to it, in other words it has to be producing a profit. Through a return required by the Florida Department of Revenue for businesses, that is then sent to the property appraiser to notify of a privilege being conducted in the state. The homestead exemption is an application to exclude your “place of shelter” and exempt it from the portion of your property that is exercising a privilege, to operate in commerce in the state. Regardless of what the PA classifies your home as, it is not taxable and it is the intent of the Florida Legislature to be in compliance with the Constitution of the United States. Taxes are handled at the local level. It is the intent of the Florida Legislature to be in compliance with the US Constitution. Go ask your PA to show you what statute shows you are a taxpayer and the proof they have that shows you are operating in commerce. Bet they send you to talk to the county attorney.
I've been to several ARB meetings and from my experience I keep seeing the same people over the years and continue to have the same experiences with them. In the formal hearing I've had them ignore nearby appraisals and once they even disregarded an independent property appraisal as evidence. At the end of that session the the middle "independent" board member turned to the TAD representative and asked what they thought a fair adjustment would be since the TAD appraised value was 80K over my appraisal. The TAD rep recommended only 55K over my independent appraisal and the board immediately voted and agreed on that value. One of the fun things about the ARB, especially the TAD boards, is walking up the hallway and listening to the TAD rep and board members crack up and tell jokes. These guys sit in the room all day together for weeks or months, building a sense of comraderie, while you're just another Joe-schmo off the street.
Please discuss the state and applicable Federal law governing appraisals and appraisal districts. Example: is it possible to protest tax breaks given to large corporations such as professional sport teams and retailers such as WalMart which in effect increase personal real estate taxation.
Since I don't consider myself an expert on state and federal laws I generally do not discuss legal info. I appreciate your comment and am always looking to expand my Texas property tax knowledge.
Many large corporations demand and receive favorable taxation rates on their commercial properties. For some unknown though suspected reason they hide that fact from the general public. If the majority of Texans in a community wish to have such tax giveaways by majority rule then perhaps we should allow that by votes of citizen but never by blanket policy. I think building by building is best and bill the election costs to the corporation. Here is a reason why. My former employer was sued in civil court for manipulating the value of a property to insure low taxation. It was Enron Corp that was sued by the Spring ISD which depended on those taxes for operation. The specific property was the Bammel Field used for underground storage of natural gas. When time came for appraisal they would pump out several bcf of gas thus lowering the value. After appraisal they would simply pump it back in. This is felonious fraud. Why was not this handled in criminal court by the Texas Attorney general? Could be that Enron got Bush installed as Texas governor and had one of the Texas US Senators in it's pocket, Phil Gramm.
Our county in Texas does not update the Protest data immediately after the hearing, so we are not able to see how earlier protests have faired during their hearing. Only option I've used is attending other people's hearings.
Tammy, wondering if you could help me....my appraised value raised about 22% from 178 - 218K! I contacted 2 real estate agents and they both said they legally could not provide me with comp values. I RA said she could do a drive by assessment for $300 but wasn’t sure the county would take that type of appraisal. I filed my protest on 5/30 and I have an informal scheduled tomorrow. If all doesn’t go well, I’ll continue to ARB - thanks for the advice to be kind. I will remind myself to not get worked up. I live in Texas.
The informal did not go well. We have the homestead cap so the assessed value would not change. They offered to reduce the appraised value from 218 to196; 196 is the current assessed value. I told the appraiser that would not be acceptable (basically nothing changes and then next year they would just raise the assessed value to 218 🙄🙄). My formal is scheduled on 9/10. I’m in the Waco area and I still cannot find an agent to help me with comps. Is there something I can provide an agent or reference them to a code that shows it’s not illegal? I’m not finding anything online
Heidi Reynolds sorry you are having a hard time. All you’d need to do to get comps is contact a local Waco Realtor. Getting an almost $25k drop is excellent so not sure why you said it didn’t go well. There’s unfortunately never any guarantee to get any reduction at all. If I were you I’d take that offer.
Hello Heidi was sending Tammy a question and noticed your dilema ... just my 10 cents worth on a 2 buck rant ... I think Fixer -Upper has wound up driving some of us near the poor house ... property values are ridiculous since the Waco & McGregor Stint !! Also Coryell County A.D. is Inept and run by idiots , I'm going thru a battle with them now and considering Legal Avenue ... don't do business there regarding real estate !! L Have a good one and best of luck !! -WM
I've just searched my new appraisal value comparison along the same street. Two larger houses of my neighbors is 10000 $ less than mine. My smaller one all of the sudden is 30000$ higher than last year. This is my first time, I don't know how to start fighting this nonsense.
Tammy, thanks for making these videos! I've watched my taxes go up significantly and (after watching your videos) decided to do something about it as opposed to just fuming about it. I do have a couple of questions I hope you can answer: • The house has shifted a bit, some small cracks developed, I asume foundation issues. Is it a good idea to use this to try to lower the home value? I worry about indefinitely putting a black mark on the property. • Can a recent uptick in crime stats be used as a source to try to lower property value? Thanks again!
Romelio007 If you get someone to come out and give you an estimate on how much it’ll cost to repair your foundation they will knock that off. So if it cost $10,000 and you have proof they will take it off. As for crimes going up in the area they do not care. If you show them a picture of your driveway cracked up they do not care or your fence. It has to be attached to the home 🏠 I hope I was able to answer your questions.
I have been protesting mine for years and the county accessor says no. She’s comparing my legally 1bd home to homes with 3bedrooms. But the same sq footage. We all know ally home won’t sell without proper bedrooms!
Hi Tammy, Great video. I iFile each year. This year, like last year, they lowered my market but not my appraised value. The offer points out that the taxes will be based on the lower of the two (Market and Appraised). Since my Appraised value is lower the protest (probably all due to the homestead exemption) did me no good since all they lowered is the Market value. That has happened the last two years. Is that normal? Should I take it to the next step?
I'm a new realtor and I plan to market myself to neighborhoods to help owners fight their taxes. I'm curious, theoretically speaking, if an entire neighborhood took this route, could they collectively get all taxes lowered. Like would the collective effort make more of a difference than the effort of just a few?
Good presentation. Awesome info! Thanks for sharing, Tammy. You gave me a courage and motivation. I have a question, what if you are not local (this is my rental). Can you do this without meeting?
Martha Ngo thank you! You can do the online efile option. The downside is that it counts as your informal hearing but it’s better than doing nothing. You can do it!
Thank you Tammy. My Prop tax increased to 214K from 175K from 2016 to 2017. I could not believe how they can increase that much within a year and I did not protest. Anyway, I am thinking of selling this house which is located in Manor Tx. Would you please give some advice on this? The property is a rental and I am not local. My email is marthadngo@gmail.com. Thank you
Thanks for this video. What if 75% of my neighbors do not pay taxes because they claim additional exemptions like disabled military, etc.. Is this a mechanism that the county is trying to impose on taxpaying folks?
Hi Tammy. Great Video. I wanted to read your "April 2018 blog with updated tips", but it appears to be a bad link. Just letting you know if you wanted to update that. Cheers.
so I got the Comp Sales for 2021 Grid, but the house they are being compared are far from my home, obviously, we live in the country and houses are not the same as mine, but can they compare to homes far away? I leave in lively and they are comparing my home to Terrel, TX 17-30 miles away.
This year i have a telephone hearing do i still need to pull comps or provide evidence of houses that are much lower than mine? Any tips or advice, assistance would be nice.
I’m doing a protest for my mom’s home (in the country) tomorrow and wish I would have looked for this video earlier. It’s a phone meeting tomorrow, so we will see how it goes. If nothing else, I’ll be better prepared next year. Can you tell me if it is possible to get the total amount lowered or are you only able to lower the amount of increase for that year? Also, mom’s home is a double wide on 30 acres so there is no way to check similar values on the same street, so what’s the best way to do that on acreage property?
I live in Travis County near Bastrop County border line, could I compare the prices to homes in Bastrop County? They are $100k lower than Travis County houses less than a mile down the road.
Hi Tammy, thank you very much for sharing the useful tips. i have a question, bringing down the appraised value can save property tax, but how about in the future if i want to sell the house? dose the lower appraised price compared to others in the same neighborhood affect my selling price?
Great question! Any knowledgeable real estate agent should know that appraised value does not equal market value. When the tax district appraises homes they do not view the interior. So they have no idea if your house is a complete fixer or in excellent renovated condition. Most of the time the appraised value will be lower than the actual market/selling value of the home. The key info on what your home is worth is what similar homes have sold for in the past 6 months in your neighborhood, not your current appraised value.
Hi Tammy, thank you for your clarifications! i have one more question: when I do research on the appraised values of the neighborhood houses, i go to the appraisal district website, then type in a specific house address, then click search, then get the result of that specific house. Is there any way to get a list of all the appraised values of nearby houses all together at the same time?
jingjingandsun Wang you can search by putting a street name only, no street #. If you watch this other video I did, I show exactly how to do this around 7:55 into the video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--JXQD6kE7l0.html
Seems a bit hard, i viewed around on their efile map and every home in my area is actually a bit more $$$ than mine. According to their map at least. I have tried to protest before and the time was just not worth the cost. Going from 4,700$ to 4,580$ for 6 hours of my time just isn't worth it :( Going to try and use one of those companies who just take 50% of the savings if they lower the value, if not, no fees!
A lot of people share your sentiment but I encourage you to look at protesting as a long-term process. Every year is different. You might get a relatively easy employee one year and a super tough one the next year. I just wrote a blog with my latest and greatest tips so hope this might inspire you to try again. It is always possible to hire a company and I have a recommendation for a company in the blog. Good luck! familypair.com/website/blog/default.asp
Hi Tammy. I have my hearing next month. And I noticed that the criminal rate around my property is very high. How can I exploit that into my favor? Rgds Roberto Perez
Thank you! Where do I get the Protest Application?? Please explain the "May deadline"... Its November & my taxes are due in a few months! HOW do I search Values of other homes on my street???? And..WHO\WHERE do I hand-deliver this to??? HELP
Tammy, how do you protest if you purchased your home past the deadline of protest? Is that even something we qualify for, or do we need to wait and protest next years assessment?
i am in Texas, and my home still has damages existing from the 2 major hurricanes of 2020 as well as the Freeze that occurred in early 2021. Are these grounds for solid reasons towards having my homes appraised value reduced?
