Get Tips from a Pro on Your DIY Property Tax Protest

So, you have submitted your protest paperwork (it was due May 16), now what?

“Tax Protest” is a bit of a misnomer as you are protesting the market valuation of your property as of January 1st of the tax year (2022). Since you can’t affect the tax rate, your option to reduce your taxes is to reduce your market value. There are firms that can help you with your protest, they typically charge 25-50% of the amount of taxes they save you, OR, you can do it yourself. According to the Harris County Appraisal District, in 2021, 82% of DIY protests were successful vs a 53% success rate for agent-led protests.

Here are my top tips for successfully protesting your market valuation:

• Obtain your file from HCAD to see evidence they used to develop your Market Valuation. The file will include comps or properties the district feels most closely match your property in terms of square footage, lot size, number of rooms, and grade adjustment.
• Find your own comps including recent sales as well as valuations of properties similar to your own.
  
  • Use HCADs advanced search function to find your own comps.
  • Ask a friendly real estate agent to run a Competitive Market Report for you.
• Provide evidence including pictures and repair estimates that support a dollar adjustment or a lower grade.
• Examples: windows that need replacing, wood rot, cracks in the foundation or walls, etc. This is one of the easiest ways to get a reduction in value.

For more how-tos, tips and tricks for reducing your property taxes, join me and Ray Holtzapple, property tax expert and former HCAD board member, for a Zoom presentation on Thursday, June 16th at 5 pm. We will leave plenty of time for your questions. Click HERE for the meeting link. We will also broadcast on the Bayou City Life FB page.

Even if you didnt protest your value to HCAD this year, this webinar sets you up for success in future years should you ever decide to protest, so dont hesitate to join!