More Experiences in Protesting Taxes in Williamson County

This time I did a two-for-one. I met with the Williamson County Tax Appraiser to talk about two properties I have in the same area of about the same age and size. I thought it would be a slam dunk but regardless of your evidence and reasoning, the appraiser will come up with his own. I thought I had plenty of experience because I had previously protested three assessments this year but the county appraiser argues more than that in an hour.

I was able to get the taxes reduced on the second property but not the first. Still, I think it was worth it because I have been successful with four out of five protests.

Having access to MLS, I was able to find four good comparatives that worked for both properties which were only blocks apart. In a previous protest the appraiser wanted to use comparatives which were not as close in proximity to the subject property as the ones I had. They argued that the properties they were using were within the allowable range. This time, on property number one, they argued that their comparatives were in closer proximity to the subject property and therefore mine were not as valid.

For property number one they had assessed a value of about $155,000 and as I a REALTOR with a lot of experience in that neighborhood I know I couldn't sell it for more than $145,000 - although I wish I could. The appraiser told me his comps could price it as high as $174,000. What!!?? I could not argue him down.

Then we discussed property number two. Same appraiser, same comps, similar size, similar age, only a few blocks from property number one. Now I had him because my comparatives were closer to property number 2 than his and that was the argument he used for property number one so I was able to get the value on property number two reduced about $10,000. Yea!

One of the reasons it helps to get those values reduced aside from the obvious of reducing your taxes is that the county may only increase your taxes by 10% per year, so when values start going up again, and they will, your property will be starting from a lower tax base.

Good luck with those tax protests!

Robin Scott, BROKER. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. Amelia Bullock Realtors. 512.589.7988.

More About Protesting Your Taxes - Buyer Beware

Have you received letters in the mail informing you that your property taxes are too high and offering to protest on your behalf and get your home evaluation, thus your property taxes reduced? Mee too.

In fact, a company out of Houston sent a comparative market analysis showing homes in my nieghborhood with the prices for which they sold to demonstrate that my evaluation was too high.The Houston company used very clever marketing with what looked like a handwritten note. Since I have 5 properties, it was humorous to see the exact note on each correspondence.

Out of curiosity, I researched on our MLS the properties that were listed on the comparative to see what the true story was. Did they really sell for those lower prices, did they really exist? What i found was that the homes did really exist and they did really sell for those lower taxes - in 1995,1996 and 1997!

To me this represents FRAUD. This is just a note to recommend that if you choose to hire someone to represent you in lowering yur property taxes, make sure they are a reputable company. Get a referral from someone or check them out with the Better Business Bureau.

Robin Scott, BROKER. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. Amelia Bullock Realtors. 512.589.7988.

Protest Taxes in Williamson County

This year I got a bee in my bonnet and decided to protest taxes on all my properties and my daughters as well. We all know that the market has plummeted although not as much in Central Texas as other places across the country. I figured it was worth my efforts to try to reduce my tax liabilities so I started by filing a written protest. The counties (Travis and Williamson) sent me adjusted property values that were lower than the original value and appointment dates to come speak with them if I wasn't in agreement.

Last week I went to the informal hearing at Williamson County Appraisal District to protest the taxes on my homestead and my experience was different than the one I had in Travis County. I was told that the improved features in homes was not included in the tax appraisals.Only exterior improvements like pools, decks, etc could increase or decrease the property value. If the homes in the comparatives that the county used had interior upgrades that my home did not, that information could not be used to lower my taxes. Although the county appraiser was willing to use the comparatives from homes that I wanted included in the analysis, the plan was to use 5 homes as compatibles and I had only brought 3 so they chose 2 of their own. The county appraiser didn't agree with me about my reduced value but he did agree to reduce my value even further than offered in the written proposal. I was satisfied so I accepted.

The following day I was back at Williamson County Appraisal District to protest the taxes on my daughters home. I thought I had it made because since her home is right next door to mine, similar size, upgrades, same age and same builder; it made sense that the price per square foot should be the same. The appraiser said "no." Since my daughters house is 75 sq.ft and only 75 sq.ft. smaller, I was told that the price would be higher per square foot.

I went to the formal hearing before the review board to argue my point.

The review board is comprised of three private citizens who have been chosen to hear the protests. I sat at a table opposite the three and next to a representative of the county. I explained my reasoning, the county representative explained hers, the review board determined the value county appraiser has assessed was correct and that was the end of that.

It was worth the effort to get the taxes reduced. They did agree to reduce my daughters taxes further than the original proposal. They just didn't agree to reduce them to the same as mine.

So far I have successfully reduced the taxes on my investment property in Travis County, my home in Williamson County and my daughters home in Williamson County.

Robin Scott, BROKER. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. Amelia Bullock Realtors. 512.589.7988.

Protesting Property Taxes in Austin

As the Travis County Appraisal District (TCAD) started their process of appraising properties I published a Blog with their calendar information.
Austins Property Tax Calendar

Then I published a small Blog about protesting. I own properties in Travis and Williamson Counties so I plan to Blog about experiences protesting in both counties.
Protesting Your Property Taxes in Austin

Since property values have diminished over the year, I decided to protest. First the county sent me their evaluation on my property value with an opportunity to protest in writing which I did. After looking at the recent solds (the county determines what the property value was on December 31 of the year in question which in this case was 2008) I determined that the county had over appraised my property and I filed the form of written protest.

Then the county sent me a letter reducing my property value by a small amount along with information on 5 homes to which they were comparing. It seemed great that from my written protest they had reduced the value but I researched the homes that they were using as comparatives and found that 4 of the 5 where not true comparatives. As an example, one of the properties stated in their information that the house had $44,000 in remodeling upgrades and improvements of which my property had none. Therefore, I decided to attend the informal protest.

This morning I went to the informal protest and learned about the TCAD system. Some of the issues I encountered were as follows:

1. One of the comparatives they had provided was from January of '08. That is an entire year earlier. That was even before the market crash and should not have been considered a fair estimation of value. I was told TCAD could use sold homes from January 1 through February of the following year. Good to know when the market starts to go back up.

2. In Texas, the price you paid for your home is not public information so even TCAD doesn't have it unless you tell them - or someone else does. So, when I printed out my multiple listing system (MLS) sold sheets, I blacked out the house numbers. It seemed to me that it was the right thing to do to protect the other homeowners. After all, the MLS sheet provided all the information on a legitimate sheet from a computer generated system. The TCAD agent told me that they couldn't use the information without the house number. In other words, I had to provide the address to benefit from the information. I didn't have it, but the MLS sheet does have the legal description on the page so the agent was able to look up the house address.

3. The main reason I took the MLS sheets was because they contained pertinant information such as the house had $44,000 in upgrades so a true comparative would have been to reduce the sold price by $44,000. The agent told me that he couldn't make any adjustments in the system. What! How is that a fair comparison?

Next I'm going to the formal hearing. I'm determined to get those taxes reduced. I'll keep you posted. Please send your comments.

Robin Scott, BROKER. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. Amelia Bullock Realtors. 512.589.7988.