Home address: 9805 Staubach Dr

2021 Taxable Value: $100,606  

Recent Sales Price: $73,150 – Overtaxed by 38%

Most homeowners who do not appeal annually pay excess property taxes. 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. 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 homeowners believe “you can’t fight city hall.”  But property owners win 60 to 80% of property tax appeals. It is difficult for appraisal districts to accurately value houses due to limited staff. 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.