Home address: 15003 Nightingale Ln

2021 Taxable Value: $625,228

Recent Sales Price: $435,000 – Over-taxed by 44%

Travis County property investors far too often pay excess property taxes. 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. Winning a property tax protest is easy.  Getting property owners to appeal is hard.  Only 10% of Texan home owners appeal their property taxes.

Some homeowners believe “you can’t fight city hall.”  But property owners win 60 to 80% of property tax appeals. Appraisal districts use the cost approach to value houses.  It is generally considered the least reliable method of appraisal. 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.