property tax question (Tyler: house, neighborhood, per square foot)

[texas r]

I have a property tax question. Here is my situation: I bought a house in Tyler in 2009 for $112,000. My 2010 property taxes were based on property value of $102,800. This year they are basing taxes on property value of $113,000. The went up $10,200, yet my house and street are in somewhat lesser condition than they were in the last two years. My neighbor, who has a comparable house, did not get an increase, and overall city property values have not gone up. I want to protest—I think I can make the case that there has been no reason for my house to be raised $10,000 in value this year. My concern is that when I appeal they will ask what I paid for the house in 2009. If they know that will they likely dismiss my claim that the house is worth no more this year than last regardless of any other factors, or even worse: raise the value even more since they know what I paid? If anyone has been in a similar situation please let me know what you did.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by texas r

I have a property tax question. Here is my situation: I bought a house in Tyler in 2009 for $112,000. My 2010 property taxes were based on property value of $102,800. This year they are basing taxes on property value of $113,000. The went up $10,200, yet my house and street are in somewhat lesser condition than they were in the last two years. My neighbor, who has a comparable house, did not get an increase, and overall city property values have not gone up. I want to protest—I think I can make the case that there has been no reason for my house to be raised $10,000 in value this year. My concern is that when I appeal they will ask what I paid for the house in 2009. If they know that will they likely dismiss my claim that the house is worth no more this year than last regardless of any other factors, or even worse: raise the value even more since they know what I paid? If anyone has been in a similar situation please let me know what you did.

What you paid for a home over 2 years ago should have no bearing on your current tax appraisal in 2011.

Can you "phone in a favor" from your realtor? Have realtor pull recent SOLD comps in your neighborhood.....if they are closer to the $102.8l value based on sold price per square foot then you have a good case and should go present to the tax appraisal board. If they are closer to what you paid then unfortunately you don't have much of a chance of seein your tax bill go down. You should not disclose what you paid. It's a non-factor for the current market.

[CptnRn]

The deadline has probably passed for disputing your tax assessment for this year, but you should verify that. It has certainly long passed for the TX county where I live. But yes if you still have time to dispute the assessment you definitly should. It does not matter what you paid for the property, all that matters is that it is fairly priced in comparison to comparable properties in your area. You should ask a local realtor for help providing this information, even pay them a little for the assistance if necessary.

[texas r]

Thank you both for the replies--I know I have at least until the end of May to protest, and I'm going to give it a shot. I'll update how it went.