FIVE GREAT REASONS TO PROTEST YOUR PROPERTY TAXES
It’s likely your home has never been individually appraised by the tax assessor.
Instead, the proposed value of your home is based on a mass appraisal. The Appraisal District does not have the manpower or time available to appraise each individual home.
Every home is unique.
Every home is different, so if you expect to reduce your property tax burden you will need a custom analysis of your home, a comprehensive analysis of your neighborhood, an analysis of comparable properties to your home, and a strategy when meeting with the Appraisal District.
Assessed home values are sensitive to economic growth & decline.
When the economy grows, your local Appraisal District increases values but when the economy declines it is reluctant to reduce your valuation.
Homes that sold at foreclosure can now be used to reduce your property value.
As of January 1, 2010, the Chief Appraiser, in appraising a residence homestead, may not exclude comparable homes that sold at foreclosure in any of the three years preceding the tax year.
With a successful protest, the burden of proof for a property value increase is on the Chief Appraiser.
Texas law now prohibits the Chief Appraiser from increasing the appraised value of the property in the following tax year unless the increased value is reasonably supported by SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE or by presenting evidence showing that the inequality in the appraisal of the property was incorrect. The burden of proof is on the Chief Appraiser to support an increase under these circumstances. If the Appraisal District can’t present substantial evidence, your value cannot be increased.