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Old 05-16-2012, 08:00 AM
 
Location: Houston
5,993 posts, read 3,731,537 times
Reputation: 4160

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I recently filed a property tax protest online due to the fact that my taxes increased this year but my house suffered minor damage due to the drought last year (cracked driveway, drywall, etc). I don't see any obvious signs of foundation damage but I have not had this checked. I kept the foundation watered with soaker hoses throughout the summer.

I got a letter back saying that they cannot issue an iSettle resolution because their "market information may not be correct" and they are going to schedule a hearing with the appraisal review board. Has anyone had any experience with this that could tell me what I'm in for, how I should prepare, etc.? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 05-16-2012, 10:12 AM
 
Location: Pearland
799 posts, read 2,440,701 times
Reputation: 696
You need to call them and find out the dates they will review sales from. Its a strange range, not the full year previous. You could gather a ton of info, and they will just ignore it when you go in.

Do not be scared of the "appraiser" at the hearing. Have sale info on very similar homes, and be able to shoot down his "comps". He is getting his info from a computer. You will have better researched your info then he has.

Its a battle. Think of it this way, he is trying to reach in your wallet and take your money. Fight for it.
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Old 05-16-2012, 11:41 AM
 
Location: Houston
5,993 posts, read 3,731,537 times
Reputation: 4160
Where can I get accurate sale info?
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Old 05-16-2012, 11:52 AM
 
Location: Charleston Sc and Western NC
9,273 posts, read 26,486,142 times
Reputation: 4741
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtgmike View Post
Its a battle. Think of it this way, he is trying to reach in your wallet and take your money. Fight for it.

Unfortunately it's a battle more lost than won the past 5 years.
Seems it doesn't matter what repairs are needed or what homes in YOUR actual neighborhood really sold for. A new mirror and some light fixtures is a "remodel," and a new electric panel is an total remodel and a grade improvement on the structure.

That said if you put up a good fight, they might knock it down 5k to give you something. :/
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Old 05-16-2012, 12:59 PM
 
3,256 posts, read 5,278,164 times
Reputation: 681
We had no problem protesting and winning... and the people were really nice. It's not like a courtroom or anything, just a small conference room with 3 or 4 people. We went on hcad and found homes on our street and surrounding streets and put them in a spreadsheet. We showed what our appraised value versus others and got ours down to match the others. They agreed with our proposed value and it was a done deal. You just need to show the facts.
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Old 05-16-2012, 01:00 PM
 
3,256 posts, read 5,278,164 times
Reputation: 681
You can also hire a lawyer to do this for you if you don't want to or can't.
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Old 05-16-2012, 01:00 PM
 
Location: Clear Lake Area
2,075 posts, read 4,444,931 times
Reputation: 1974
I fought my valuation a few years back after we bought our house. I simply used the information they provided me in order to come up with what I considered a fair valuation. Anyhow, they did not accept my web-submitted value and set up a hearing. I went down there, waited for an hour or so then was escorted upstairs to a small conference room with around 3 people. I presented the info I had and showed how I came up with the valuation. It only took a few minutes before they accepted it. It basically cost me 4 hours out of my weekday, but saved me some $500+ dollars a year in property taxes for the past 4 years.
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Old 05-16-2012, 07:53 PM
 
Location: The Greater Houston Metro Area
9,053 posts, read 17,191,612 times
Reputation: 15226
PM me with the info - and I will send you sold comps.

(address and email are what I need)
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Old 05-17-2012, 06:08 PM
 
Location: Houston
5,993 posts, read 3,731,537 times
Reputation: 4160
From what I can tell on HCAD my house is pretty much on par with the others in my neighborhood. I wasn't protesting because I thought it was overvalued, I did it because I wanted to try and keep it at last year's value due to the drought damage. Am I wasting my time?
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Old 05-17-2012, 08:55 PM
 
Location: Houston
687 posts, read 2,127,745 times
Reputation: 779
Select the evaluative criteria criteria that you are contesting. If you are protesting the "grade" of the home, bring in pictures of the cracked drywall, etc... Good to look at cheryjohn's sales data - to see if your house is more highly valuated compared to the homes in your area. You can also get sales data at the hcad office.

Don't come in with an angry attitude. Adapt a flexible, open, and relaxed attitude. They're not bad people.
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