Home address: 20993 Westgrove Ln

2021 Taxable Value: $119,970

Recent Sales Price: $74,800 – Over-taxed by 60%

Texas property owners can avoid paying excess property taxes by taking several basic steps. Protest market value, get a few comparable sales as evidence and you are very likely to reduce your property taxes. Unequal appraisal appeals compare the level of assessment of your house to comparable houses, typically on a per square foot basis. It is difficult to persuade property owners to protest their property taxes. But 60 to 80% of those who do are successful.

Owners are sometimes reluctant to protest property taxes due to a concern their value might be raised. This can’t and does not happen. Since 2019, neither the appraisal district or the appraisal review board can increase a property tax assessment during a protest. Appraisal districts use mass appraisal to value property, basically a math model. Overall results are OK. However, many homes are too high or low. Most tax protests are settled at the informal level so appraisers can return to measuring and valuing new construction. Property taxes are the largest tax most Texans face. But it is a stealth tax hidden in the mortgage payment, disguising the size of property taxes paid.