Brazoria County Over Appraising Property? (Pearland, Alvin: for sale, foreclosures, how much)

[Gentilly7]

I have been shopping a home in the Pearland area (Southern Trails, Shadow Creek, Sedona Lakes, Silverlake/Silvercreek) for over a year now and have noticed an issue that is specific to Brazoria County. It seems the Brazoria County Appraisal District often values property above what they are actually selling for on the free market. I base this conclusion on actual sale prices of comparables my realtor has provided me. Not only that but you can browse HAR.com and see that the asking price of many properties are below what the county is assessing them at. I am not just talking foreclosures either.

I asked my realtor about this and she told me that unlike other counties, Brazoria County intentionally tries to value property close to what they would actually sell for. It seems to me though they are intentionally assessing property higher than what they actually sell for. This equates to a higher tax bill at the end of the year. In a time where foreclosures are rampant I would think it would be in the best interest of the county not to artificially inflate property tax bills of struggling home owners.

This seems to be an issue that is not really discussed. I would like to hear others opinions on this, especially residents of Brazoria county. We really like the Pearland area and still plan on purchasing a house there but are preparing for a fight with Brazoria CAD. Please chime in, thanks!

[ChocolateBabz]

I am in Pearland and our appraisal value is less than market value IMO. Appraised value $362,000 but would hope to sell for around $400,000.

[AlfredB1979]

I believe my friend hands his assessment/bill/whatever from down in Alvin over to his lawyer to deal with every year like clockwork.

Put a working light bulb in an outdoor light fixture? Yep, tack on $5,000 to the appraisal. Or so it seems...

Brazoria County was once a really good deal in regards to making a living. Not in the house buying mood anymore, but my stepdad certainly recommended me buying in Alvin. No dice, Lyondell closed its plant down in Chocolate Bayou...and I was leery of that tax deal anyway.

[hbcu]

I was looking in (can't think of name) off of Highway 6 (between 288 & Almeda) but its considered Rosharon (not rodeo palms)...anyway, the tax rates for those homes compared to an area that's established like a Stafford was atrocious

There is nothing off 288 and 6 in terms of amenities but I got to pay high dollar?

[City Love]

Originally Posted by hbcu

I was looking in (can't think of name) off of Highway 6 (between 288 & Almeda) but its considered Rosharon (not rodeo palms)...anyway, the tax rates for those homes compared to an area that's established like a Stafford was atrocious

There is nothing off 288 and 6 in terms of amenities but I got to pay high dollar?

Yep, it's not uncommon to pay 3.6% or 3.7% in taxes in some subdivisions. It's only because of the MUD tax being so high. Someone has to pay for the infrastructure in those areas, so they tax the residents who live there.

[Gentilly7]

I am really referring to what the county appraises the property at which in turn dictates how much you pay in property taxes. The property tax rate is already high in most cases but when you add an inflated appraisal it seems to be unjustified. This is evident in the below links where the houses are listed for sale for below what the county has them paying taxes on. This says to me the houses are not worth as much as the county says they are. I pulled 2 houses from 3 different neghborhoods. you can click on the tax link to the right to see how much the county has the house appraised for.

2802 Rosebud Dr, Pearland, TX 77584 - HAR.com
3427 Lawson Dr, Pearland, TX 77584 - HAR.com
13317 Quiet Lake Ln, Pearland, TX 77584 - HAR.com
2217 Signal Hill Dr, Pearland, TX 77584 - HAR.com
12215 Willow Brook, Pearland, TX 77584 - HAR.com
3005 Willow Brook Ct, Pearland, TX 77584 - HAR.com

[pdouglas]

I think the price discrepancy between the tax rate and the asking rate is due to the economy. On a couple of the houses you listed, the price has been reduced. The seller may have had these houses on the market for while and dropped the prcies to get more looks by potential buyers. I live in Fort Bed and puchased a home about $30,000 less than the tax appraised value. I successfully protested my tax rate for two years to the price I purchased the home. However, if similar homes in my neighborhood sells formore than what I paid, I can expect my tax rate to increase.