Harris County Appraisal District – Tips for a Successful Property Tax Protest

Harris County Appraisal District assesses property and that value sets your property tax amount. Reducing your property taxes is relatively simple but requires a modest commitment of time. Your other option is to hire a property tax consultant. Basic steps to reducing the property tax assessment set by Harris County Appraisal District include appealing both market value and unequal appraisal annually, obtaining the Harris County Appraisal District evidence, preparing for the hearing(s) and attending the informal and/or appraisal review board hearing. Few property owners are aware of the option to obtain the HCAD evidence. Sometimes referred to as the House Bill 201 package or 41.461 package, this information in invaluable in preparing for your property tax hearing. This article focuses on the hearing process. There are two options for the “administrative” hearing process at Harris County Appraisal District: 1) the informal hearing and 2) the appraisal review board (ARB) hearing. Neither the property owner nor Harris County Appraisal District is required to attend the informal hearing. About 80% of property tax protests are resolved by agreement between the property owner/property tax consultant and the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser. The second option, which typically occurs if you are not able to reach agreement with the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser, is the ARB hearing. The property owners often receive some property tax relief at the ARB hearing. Harris County Appraisal District appraisers seldom reduce the assessed value for a home by 0,000 or more. If you are seeking a reduction of more than 0,000 for a home, you should probably skip the informal hearing with the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser. There are several reasons for skipping the informal hearing at HCAD if you are seeking an increase of 0,000 or more. It will likely be a waste of your time. Further, you spend your time helping the HCAD appraiser to prepare their file for the ARB hearing.Make sure you arrive early for the hearing and try to project a cheerful, cordial and relaxed attitude, even if you are nervous. After you check in with the Harris County Appraisal District clerk, you will likely wait for 30 – 60 minutes. Bring a book, newspaper or work to pass the time. Greet the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser cheerfully and enthusiastically. His goal is similar to yours; reach a compromise quickly. At Harris County Appraisal District, the appraisers are encouraged to make changes if there is evidence to support the change. The exception is unequal appraisal. Most Harris County Appraisal District appraisers are reluctant to make changes on unequal appraisal evidence. HCAD’s approach on unequal appraisal is in flux. However, if your appeal is on unequal appraisal, you will likely need to attend the ARB hearing.After you exchange and discuss evidence with the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser, he will likely make you an offer to settle the property tax protest. You can accept the offer or continue the appeal with the ARB hearing. In most cases the value offered informally will also be suggested by the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser at the ARB hearing. Property owners are often reluctant to attend the appraisal review board (ARB) hearing because they think they are wasting their time with such a small property. This is not the case. Harris County ARB members are courteous, respectful and want the property owner to feel good about the ARB hearing. Players at the ARB hearings include the 3 ARB members, property owner (or property tax consultant) and the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser. After introductions and a brief explanation of the process:

Property owner presents evidence
Questions from ARB members
Harris County Appraisal District appraiser presents their evidence
Questions from the ARB
Property owner rebuttal
Questions from the ARB
ARB panel deliberates and announces a decision In most cases, property owners believe the decision was reasonable. The decision is not subject to negotiation. Thank the ARB members for their time and service. If you are not satisfied with the decision, you can pursue binding arbitration or a judicial appeal.

Harris County Appraisal District – Tips for a Successful Property Tax Protest

Harris County Appraisal District assesses property and that value sets your property tax amount. Reducing your property taxes is relatively simple but requires a modest commitment of time. Your other option is to hire a property tax consultant. Basic steps to reducing the property tax assessment set by Harris County Appraisal District include appealing both market value and unequal appraisal annually, obtaining the Harris County Appraisal District evidence, preparing for the hearing(s) and attending the informal and/or appraisal review board hearing. Few property owners are aware of the option to obtain the HCAD evidence. Sometimes referred to as the House Bill 201 package or 41.461 package, this information in invaluable in preparing for your property tax hearing. This article focuses on the hearing process.

There are two options for the “administrative” hearing process at Harris County Appraisal District: 1) the informal hearing and 2) the appraisal review board (ARB) hearing. Neither the property owner nor Harris County Appraisal District is required to attend the informal hearing. About 80% of property tax protests are resolved by agreement between the property owner/property tax consultant and the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser. The second option, which typically occurs if you are not able to reach agreement with the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser, is the ARB hearing. The property owners often receive some property tax relief at the ARB hearing.

Harris County Appraisal District appraisers seldom reduce the assessed value for a home by 0,000 or more. If you are seeking a reduction of more than 0,000 for a home, you should probably skip the informal hearing with the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser. There are several reasons for skipping the informal hearing at HCAD if you are seeking an increase of 0,000 or more. It will likely be a waste of your time. Further, you spend your time helping the HCAD appraiser to prepare their file for the ARB hearing.

Make sure you arrive early for the hearing and try to project a cheerful, cordial and relaxed attitude, even if you are nervous. After you check in with the Harris County Appraisal District clerk, you will likely wait for 30 – 60 minutes. Bring a book, newspaper or work to pass the time. Greet the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser cheerfully and enthusiastically. His goal is similar to yours; reach a compromise quickly. At Harris County Appraisal District, the appraisers are encouraged to make changes if there is evidence to support the change. The exception is unequal appraisal. Most Harris County Appraisal District appraisers are reluctant to make changes on unequal appraisal evidence. HCAD’s approach on unequal appraisal is in flux. However, if your appeal is on unequal appraisal, you will likely need to attend the ARB hearing.

After you exchange and discuss evidence with the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser, he will likely make you an offer to settle the property tax protest. You can accept the offer or continue the appeal with the ARB hearing. In most cases the value offered informally will also be suggested by the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser at the ARB hearing.

Property owners are often reluctant to attend the appraisal review board (ARB) hearing because they think they are wasting their time with such a small property. This is not the case. Harris County ARB members are courteous, respectful and want the property owner to feel good about the ARB hearing.

Players at the ARB hearings include the 3 ARB members, property owner (or property tax consultant) and the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser. After introductions and a brief explanation of the process:

Property owner presents evidence

Questions from ARB members

Harris County Appraisal District appraiser presents their evidence

Questions from the ARB

Property owner rebuttal

Questions from the ARB

ARB panel deliberates and announces a decision

 

In most cases, property owners believe the decision was reasonable. The decision is not subject to negotiation. Thank the ARB members for their time and service. If you are not satisfied with the decision, you can pursue binding arbitration or a judicial appeal.

The appraisal division of O’Connor & Associates is a national provider of investment real estate appraisal services including. Houston apartment rental and leasing , Dallas apartment rental and leasing , Austin apartment rental and leasing, San Antonio apartment rental and leasing, Houston retail space leasing, Houston office space leasing, Market studies, Leasing retail space, Houston Industrial space leasing and rental, Real estate consulting.

Tarrant Appraisal District – Search by Address with Tips on using a Wildcard. Appraisal District records for the Fort Worth area (Tarrant County) are located at www.TAD.org. This short video gives a few tips on using a Wildcard when searching by the property address. TarrantOnline.com – Online Resources for Fort Worth area Real Estate. -

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Options for Continuing Appeal of your Harris County Appraisal District Assessed Value After the Appraisal Review Board (arb) Hearing

Harris County Appraisal District assessed values can be appealed after the ARB hearing. For properties with an assessed value of ,000,000 or less after the ARB hearing, you can choose binding arbitration to appeal market value or a judicial appeal (lawsuit in district court). For properties with a Harris County Appraisal District value in excess of ,000,000, you can file a judicial appeal. Binding arbitration and judicial appeals share several characteristics:

You must timely file a property tax protest regarding the Harris County Appraisal District value
You cannot agree to a value at the informal hearing
You must attend the appraisal review board hearing in person or by affidavit
You must act by requesting binding arbitration or filing a lawsuit within 45 days of the date of you receive the formal notice of the ARB hearing results. Steps 1 through 3 are often referred to as “exhausting your administrative remedies.” Multiple court decisions affirm you must file a property tax protest and attend the ARB hearing to be entitled to file a judicial appeal. Advantages of using binding arbitration to appeal your Harris County Appraisal District value after the ARB hearing include lower cost, speedier decisions, an independent arbitrator who understands valuation and the opportunity to directly address the valuation problem outside of Harris County Appraisal District offices. Costs are lower because you do not need an attorney or an expert witness (likely to be necessary to seriously pursue a judicial appeal against Harris County Appraisal District). Costs of engaging an attorney and expert witness can be substantial, perhaps ,500 to ,000 for many real estate cases. For cases involving smaller properties, consider engaging a firm on a contingency fee basis. The Texas Comptroller expects binding arbitration cases to be resolved in 6 months while judicial appeals usually take 8 to 18 months. The arbitrator will be licensed appraisers or real estate agents/brokers and should understand real estate valuation. Even though the arbitrator is a real estate agent or appraiser, they may not be familiar with some types of commercial properties. Attempt to confirm your arbitrator is competent for the subject property. Disadvantages of binding arbitration include

It currently (September 2006) only applies to market value for real estate. (i.e. you can’t appeal for unequal appraisal for real estate).
There is a 0 deposit required when you request binding arbitration, although 0 is returned if the property owner prevails. In this case, Harris County Appraisal District would pay the 0 arbitration fee. When setting the requested value on the arbitration form, consider not putting the lowest possible value you can request. Include a value for which you can provide impressive documentation.
Binding arbitration can’t be used for real estate with a Harris County Appraisal District value over ,000,000 for unequal appraisal, business personal property and mineral interests. Judicial appeals against Harris County Appraisal District are more expensive but offer more options. You can appeal market value and unequal appraisal for property with any value. Judicial appeals can be used for real estate, mineral interests and business personal property. They can also be used to appeal Harris County Appraisal District when “a property owner has been denied a hearing to which the property owner is entitled.” While judicial appeals are more expensive, they offer more options and flexibility. Property owners should seriously consider appealing the Harris County Appraisal District assessed value after the ARB hearing. Most judicial appeals are successful.

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Harris County Appraisal District – Tips for a Successful Property Tax Protest

Harris County Appraisal District – Tips for a Successful Property Tax Protest

Harris County Appraisal District assesses property and that value sets your property tax amount. Reducing your property taxes is relatively simple but requires a modest commitment of time. Your other option is to hire a property tax consultant. Basic steps to reducing the property tax assessment set by Harris County Appraisal District include appealing both market value and unequal appraisal annually, obtaining the Harris County Appraisal District evidence, preparing for the hearing(s) and attending the informal and/or appraisal review board hearing. Few property owners are aware of the option to obtain the HCAD evidence. Sometimes referred to as the House Bill 201 package or 41.461 package, this information in invaluable in preparing for your property tax hearing. This article focuses on the hearing process.

There are two options for the “administrative” hearing process at Harris County Appraisal District: 1) the informal hearing and 2) the appraisal review board (ARB) hearing. Neither the property owner nor Harris County Appraisal District is required to attend the informal hearing. About 80% of property tax protests are resolved by agreement between the property owner/property tax consultant and the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser. The second option, which typically occurs if you are not able to reach agreement with the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser, is the ARB hearing. The property owners often receive some property tax relief at the ARB hearing.

Harris County Appraisal District appraisers seldom reduce the assessed value for a home by 0,000 or more. If you are seeking a reduction of more than 0,000 for a home, you should probably skip the informal hearing with the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser. There are several reasons for skipping the informal hearing at HCAD if you are seeking an increase of 0,000 or more. It will likely be a waste of your time. Further, you spend your time helping the HCAD appraiser to prepare their file for the ARB hearing.

Make sure you arrive early for the hearing and try to project a cheerful, cordial and relaxed attitude, even if you are nervous. After you check in with the Harris County Appraisal District clerk, you will likely wait for 30 – 60 minutes. Bring a book, newspaper or work to pass the time. Greet the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser cheerfully and enthusiastically. His goal is similar to yours; reach a compromise quickly. At Harris County Appraisal District, the appraisers are encouraged to make changes if there is evidence to support the change. The exception is unequal appraisal. Most Harris County Appraisal District appraisers are reluctant to make changes on unequal appraisal evidence. HCAD’s approach on unequal appraisal is in flux. However, if your appeal is on unequal appraisal, you will likely need to attend the ARB hearing.

After you exchange and discuss evidence with the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser, he will likely make you an offer to settle the property tax protest. You can accept the offer or continue the appeal with the ARB hearing. In most cases the value offered informally will also be suggested by the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser at the ARB hearing.

Property owners are often reluctant to attend the appraisal review board (ARB) hearing because they think they are wasting their time with such a small property. This is not the case. Harris County ARB members are courteous, respectful and want the property owner to feel good about the ARB hearing.

Players at the ARB hearings include the 3 ARB members, property owner (or property tax consultant) and the Harris County Appraisal District appraiser. After introductions and a brief explanation of the process:

Property owner presents evidence

Questions from ARB members

Harris County Appraisal District appraiser presents their evidence

Questions from the ARB

Property owner rebuttal

Questions from the ARB

ARB panel deliberates and announces a decision

 

In most cases, property owners believe the decision was reasonable. The decision is not subject to negotiation. Thank the ARB members for their time and service. If you are not satisfied with the decision, you can pursue binding arbitration or a judicial appeal.
The appraisal division of O’Connor & Associates is a national provider of investment real estate appraisal services including. Business valuation ,market studies , feasibility studies, real estate consulting, income tax, HCAD, Property tax, Cost segregation, Commercial real estate appraisal, Due diligence

Patrick O’Connor

 

 

 

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