Home address: 2700 Ann Dr
2021 Taxable Value: $642,620
Recent Sales Price: $475,000  – Over-taxed by 35%

Texas property owners can avoid paying excess property taxes by taking several basic steps. One option to reduce your property taxes is to protest the market value. 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. The Texas Comptroller reports 80% of 2019 property tax appeals by homeowners were successful.

Some homeowners do not appeal property taxes because they are not aware of this right.  You can and should protest both market value and unequal appraisal annually. Appraisal districts use the cost approach to value houses.  It is generally considered the least reliable method of appraisal. Tax protests are resolved at the informal hearing since the result is within a “reasonable range of value”.  An 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.