Property Tax Appraisal Protest - What am I in for?

I'm a property tax consultant

 

You go to a cubicle farm and talk to a person who tells you that your PT should not be lowered and acts as if you are crazy for being there.

When I went they had miscalculated my square footage and they wouldn't even look at plot plans or anything to show how wrong they were. The only thing that saved me was that I am in a townhouse that is the same layout as about 5 others on the same block. They all were at one value and mine was about 20k higher. So I just kept saying "I want my house to be valued the same as these others with the same house.

So the lady makes a big deal about me getting away with a technicality or something, then a manager comes over and says I am getting away with murder, and then I went home shaking my head.

 

Look up your property on www.hcad.org

My 2007 Appraisal value is there.

 

Sorry bout that.

 

OK, stupid question. I've only had my house for three years, so I'm kind of new to this homeowner stuff, but don't you want your house to increase in value?

 

Increase in house property means increase in property taxes,school taxes...etc.

Not to mention increase in insurance cost.

 

appraised value has little to do with market value. Just because your property is listed on hcad as a 200,000 dollar property does not mean it's not worth 250,000.

First you homestead it (if you have not) this way they can only raise it 10% every year on you. Now of course you should appeal it down as much as you can because you pay around 3% a year on property taxes. So that extra 20k in value on a 200,000 dollar house = 600 bucks extra that you pay in taxes that get wasted on our crappy schools and stupid social programs

 

Well I know that, but the the major reason people move from apartments to houses is to build up equity, so the higher your house is worth, the more equity you have. Disputing your house valuation kind of defeats the purpose of buying a house in the first place.

 

appraised value (what they base your taxes on) and market value (what you're able to sell your house for) are two different things.

 

Ohhhh, OK...I've never sold a house before. I bought my house at exactly the appraised value, so I figured that's what a house was worth. Heck, I'm going to go home, put a swingset and a kiddie pool out in the front yard, never mow my grass, put an old refrigerator on the porch, and set up an '83 Trans Am on blocks in my driveway...

 

lol. Lemme know when you wanna buy another one...