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Texas Property Tax Protest

Posted on 5/12/16 at 6:51 pm
Posted by HurricaneDunc
Houston
Member since Nov 2008
10472 posts
Posted on 5/12/16 at 6:51 pm
So as most of the Texas folks on this board know, it's a time honored tradition to protest the appraised value of your home.

We just moved into a new construction and received our first appraisal The filing deadline is May 31 and I am trying to decide the best method to protest - myself or hiring a third party. There are some companies out there that do it on a contingency - which I believe is 50% of the savings.

Anyone have experience with this? Any companies you recommend?
Posted by Fred439
Houston
Member since Aug 2011
161 posts
Posted on 5/12/16 at 6:53 pm to
O'Conner and Associates is good.
Posted by cardboardboxer
Member since Apr 2012
34342 posts
Posted on 5/12/16 at 7:24 pm to
I would do it myself the first year if you have a real estate agent that will help. Look up properties near you that sold recently and compare the value. Bring all that with you.

Each area is different, some places here they were pushovers but where I live now it was like being on the bad end of a CSI episode. After year one you know if it's worth paying.
Posted by Jag_Warrior
Virginia
Member since May 2015
4129 posts
Posted on 5/12/16 at 7:51 pm to
You're referring to the tax assessment, as opposed to the appraisal. But anyway, I've always done it myself. The law in my state (VA) requires the assessment to be based on 100% of FMV. The firm that does assessments for my county is from out of state and seems to be full of ex Enron accountants. So I and my fellow citizens end up camping out at the court house with our comps in hand.

It's not difficult... just time consuming and aggravating.
Posted by crazycubes
Member since Jan 2016
5256 posts
Posted on 5/12/16 at 8:31 pm to
I think the Houston area counties don't realize that oil prices are down

I'm about 30K over what Zillow says.
Posted by Bayou Tiger
Member since Nov 2003
3659 posts
Posted on 5/13/16 at 3:18 pm to
Jubally is the best option in the Houston area. It is a flat $75 fee instead of the ridiculous 40-60% of tax savings that the others charge. You get a free estimate of your tax savings, and if you pay you get the exact report to hand to the property tax folks in the format that they need. Jubally's website can do all of this for you in minutes.
Posted by Porker Face
Eden Isle
Member since Feb 2012
15370 posts
Posted on 5/13/16 at 4:07 pm to
I'm not from Texas and I've never heard of this. Is it really very common?
Posted by sneakytiger
Member since Oct 2007
2474 posts
Posted on 5/13/16 at 6:45 pm to
I signed up with Texas Tax Protest for a $295 flat fee, which is refundable if they don't provide at least an equal amount in savings. I attempted to protest in person myself one year... never again.
Posted by LSU
Houston
Member since Oct 2003
8845 posts
Posted on 6/20/16 at 2:48 pm to
I'll be moving to the Houston area next month and just saw this post.

I still can't believe how high my property tax is going to be as a Texas resident, but I didn't realize this protest option could actually be successful.

We're buying a new construction house in Spring, and the current assessed value listed online is about $20k higher than our sales price is.

What are the success rate chances if I protest next year?
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