2015 HCAD valuations starting to trickle in. (Houston, Trinity: real estate, for rent, appliances)

[Cabot]

Do they just throw darts to determine a value? Last year they appraised our house $12K more than our next door neighbour. This year it is $13K less! No changes to either house. How do they come up with their figures?

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by Cabot

Do they just throw darts to determine a value? Last year they appraised our house $12K more than our next door neighbour. This year it is $13K less! No changes to either house. How do they come up with their figures?

They kept increasing my house every year over the last 5 years, while they didn't do a single increase to my neighbor's house. Last year they tried to raise my value $15k more than the house next door. It's 700 sq ft larger, 2 years newer, nicer, has a pool (mine didn't at the time), an outdoor kitchen with fire pit and pergola, a boat lift with a fully enclosed boat house and professional landscaping.

This year they raised his nearly 35% in market and the full 10% in appraisal.

My house sits on a canal; meanwhile, a home around the corner that is 1,000 sq ft larger, but older, that is sitting on the main lake is valued 30% under mine.

Yeah, it's like they throw darts to see who they are going to target that year.

[testmo]

If you catch the "appraisers" walking around the neighborhood with clip boards (they wear a tag that says HCAD) they look to be in their early 20s and possibly high school educated. At least the one I saw last year. She was walking the side walks, stopping on driveways, looking at each house, scribble a note and walked on

Dont have much faith in the system

[smuggy_mba]

10% increase.

Extra 3K in taxes for no reason. Also, no salary increase this year and no bonus . The only good thing so far is I haven't been laid off.

[haudi]

I should have held off mowing the lawn and doing spring landscaping until after they were done. Need to make my house look as rundown as possible

Originally Posted by testmo

If you catch the "appraisers" walking around the neighborhood with clip boards (they wear a tag that says HCAD) they look to be in their early 20s and possibly high school educated. At least the one I saw last year. She was walking the side walks, stopping on driveways, looking at each house, scribble a note and walked on

Dont have much faith in the system

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by haudi

I should have held off mowing the lawn and doing spring landscaping until after they were done. Need to make my house look as rundown as possible

I can round up a couple of old Cameros and some blocks for you for next year if you need them.

[smuggy_mba]

Originally Posted by PedroMartinez

IMHO, not really.

Since the cost of most goods is strongly tied to inflation, the increases you see in their costs tend to follow the general rise of doing things.

My guess is that a price of Levi 501 jeans is approximately the same as it was in 1995 if you subtract out inflation. The same would probably be true for a can of coke, a pair of Gold Toe socks, an electric razor, a bicycle, etc.

I'd have less of a problem with property taxes if they locked in on your purchase price and then adjusted each year based upon inflation. The problem is when you have a family who has lived in, as example, the Heights for 30 years. Just because that area became hot and the perceived value has shot up astronomically shouldn't mean that they should be penalized with higher taxes because a few rich guys razed the homes on the street and built high dollar places causing all values, even ones that haven't seen a single physical improvement, to shoot up.

Exactly.

[detachable arm]

Originally Posted by smuggy_mba

10% increase.

Extra 3K in taxes for no reason. Also, no salary increase this year and no bonus . The only good thing so far is I haven't been laid off.

+10% = +$3k in tax sounds like a major personal problem, or somehow you think you're bragging.

But yeah after a decade+ of 8-15% raises I got the crappiest raise in my career, tied with 2009 @ 3%. Bonus was also the same as last year, after years of growth.(How's that for bragging?)

Like I said a lot of people are going to be in a pinch. If they go up again next year some people will be in trouble.

[ptt]

I am glad that my home price went up each year. I woulnd not want to own anything that value the same or less than what paid for years ago.

[NTexas2010]

Originally Posted by ptt

I am glad that my home price went up each year. I woulnd not want to own anything that value the same or less than what paid for years ago.

Just because the county has deemed that the value of your property has increased year over year doesn't make it so in the open market. If/when you go to sell said property, there's no guarantee you'll be able to sell it for the amount the county appraises the property.