Home address: 8413 Cloverglen Ln

2021 Taxable Value: $240,105  

Recent Sales Price: $156,000 – Overtaxed by 54%

While most Texas homeowners pay extra property taxes, there are several simple steps you can take to limit your tax bill. Market value property tax appeals save homeowners an average of $500, according to Texas Comptroller Glen Hager, for 2019. 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. 

Some property owners do not appeal due to a concern the appraisal district will want to inspect their house.  However, the appraisal district is MUCH too busy during the appeal season to even think about asking to inspect a property.  Assessors do not visit houses because of 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. 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. Protesting your property taxes annually is analogous to regularly changing the oil in your car.  Preventative maintenance avoids serious problems.