My property value hasn’t changed, should I still protest?

One of the most common questions we get is, “Since the appraisal district didn’t raise my value this year should I still protest?” And the answer is absolutely, positively yes. There are a couple of simple reasons.

First, the appraisal district uses a process that they call mass appraisal, but I call it mess appraisal, because the results are a mess. Their values are all over the place. Some are way low, some are way high. And you don’t know what yours are until you look at the secret hearing evidence file, which you can’t look at unless you file a protest.

Second, the hearing process is arbitrary. The appraiser you’re working with is much more important than the evidence you have in terms of whether or not you can come to a reasonable agreement based on the consideration of a variety of facts.

So, whether or not the appraisal district increases your value, you should protest each year. That’s my number one rule. To minimize property taxes, make sure you have filed your homestead exemption and protest your property taxes each year. You can do it on your own. The deadline is May 15. You can do it online in most counties. Remember to protest market value and unequal appraisal. Request the appraisal district’s hearing evidence package.

To find out if you’re fairly taxed, go to the Texas fairness checker at cutmytaxes.com. And in less than one minute, without providing any personal information, you will find out if you’re fairly taxed or not.

To enroll in the Property Tax Protection Program, click here to get started now.