Home address: 686 Edgewood Dr

2021 Taxable Value: $434,300 

Recent Sales Price: $230,000 – Over-taxed by 89%

Most home owners who do not appeal annually pay excess property taxes. Most market value protests are successful, typically saving the owner hundreds or thousands of dollars. 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. It is difficult to persuade property owners to protest their property taxes.  But 60 to 80% of those who do are 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. One reason it is difficult for appraisal districts to correctly value homes is they are not homogenous.  Some have been remodeled and some haven’t. Most tax protests are settled at the informal level so appraisers can return to measuring and valuing new construction. Protesting your property taxes annually is analogous to regularly changing the oil in your car.  Preventative maintenance avoids serious problems.