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frayed

to protest it, ASAP. Do you know anyone who can handle this for me? They bumped my home value (structure) 33% this year. . . and the market on the island is at best flat.
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Jeff

Get Busy

ironmanstan · Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 8:29 am Post subject:

I think you have to go downtown and protest it yourself. Question

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funmeters1 · Flour Bluffian in training Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 319

There is a Town Hall meeting at 10AM at the Catholic Church addressing property tax assessments. May want to look in and get some info from the speakers or just those standing around.

Texmaps · Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 8:45 am Post subject:

They upped mine almost 50%

Your tax notice should have included a form that you use to protest the value. Ask them for all the data they used to calculate the value (comps, field notes, etc.) You may need to look for your own comps, I think they only use the highest ones they can find. Make sure the square footage is accurate - they once had my house at 200 sq ft bigger than it actually was.

If there are any problems with your house that would lower your value, (cracked foundation, wood rot, etc), include that information in your protest. Photos and quotes to do the repair work help

Sometimes, they will call you after you file a protest and offer a lower value as a compromise. If not, you will be scheduled to go before the Appraisal Review Board.

I have protested the appraised value about 6 or 7 times and have always had the appraisal reduced at least a little. Its a pain but its worth it in the long run.

funmeters1 · Flour Bluffian in training Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 319

Right after I moved in I got a tax bill that was way out of line. I went to the asessors office with my closing papers and said I dont care want you guess the value to be, this is what I paid! The person there said that they can only guess and promptly re calculated my asessed valuation and that was it.
Except I endured a 10% increase for the next 6 years which was not very nice but legal to those guys. At that time values were going up greater than 10% so I didn't have much to complain about as the tax valuation seemed lower than what I felt I could sell the house for. I'm frozen now so the pain of incrases is diminished.
Frayed. Let me know when you are on the island as I want to check out your ATT usb modem on my computer. Also my Majek is ready to take you to some skinny water. Won't catch anything but the ride is fun.
g

robul · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 26 Jun 2007 Posts: 2677

mine went up too.. Totally ridiculous if you ask me in this market.. If you bought the house this year they have to by law tax it at what you paid for it.. Just show them the closing papers.. But be ready for the following year they will hike it up as high as they can..

ironmanstan · Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 9:39 am Post subject:

You know i got it coming.....might as well bend over now. Shocked

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Blast-n-Cast · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 1142

frayed · Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 11:24 am Post subject:

Blast that's right. I have a guy in Austin that does my place here. I pay 30% of any money saved. Am looking for someone who knows the tax office INS and outs and can b a strong advocate.
_________________
Jeff

Get Busy

skunked · Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 2:47 pm Post subject:

I'm in the same boat. I own 2 homes in CC. The one on the southside is over assessed by 18%. The one in annaville is over assessed by at least 28%. I called and chewed on someone. I will be going down there with any and every thing I can think of. I also plan on getting any and all I can to go down there and demand to know how and why they came up with these numbers. From what I can tell, everyone I know has said that their home is valued way above what they can get for it. I know that the county needs the tax revinue, but D^A^M, THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I would also like to have this investigated by what ever organization rules over this type of stuff above and beyond Nueces County. I have had my house appraised twice this year and both times it was valued almost 40 grand less than my tax appraisal. I personally don't like getting screwed so I invite any and all to protest this. If we don't do something about it, they'll go up again next year, and the year after that and so on.

DOA · Pony Mullet Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 55

If you filed a homestead exemption it can only be raised a max of 10% annualy or 50% over 5 yrs, which is way too much in my opinion.
You can only have your primary residence homesteaded which leaves the door open for them to tax any other property you own as much as they want. But if you contest, they also have to prove through a proponderance of evidence that is the property value.

We bought a house four years ago and they tried to appraise it for 50g's over what we paid. We went down there and spoke with an appraiser and got 40g's knocked off.. It is best to protest the appraisal every year just to get it on the record.

What gets me is that none of our elected/appointed officals are making any effort to control or even cut spending to help us all out.

FB PHIL · Flour Bluffian in training Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 455

EVERYTIMEI get a new appraisal for either of the 2 homes I own, I go to the assessor's office and talk/argue with their rep in his office and 90% of the time they have gone down on the appraisal(usually split the raise with me). Over time it all adds up and my home appraisals for the tax yr is way lower than what my neighbors tell me theirs is. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Don't go to that kangeroo court they have for bitching, you have to deal with about 6 appraisers who already have their minds made up and you need some extra-ordinary circumstances to change their minds. I made that mistake once and learned the hard way.

JayandCoyote · Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 4:46 pm Post subject:

Try these guys, American Ad Valorem Tax Consultants, they do property tax agent work for residential & commercial properties.

www.aavtc.com

361-852-3303

frayed · Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 5:15 pm Post subject:

Thanks Jay.

I found these guys in a quick search as well.

http://protest-nueces-county-appraisal-district-taxes.com/Property_Tax/index.cfm

I'll call them both. I need somebody to do all the legwork for me, as doing so myself will cut into my drinking time. Wink

If anyone has any other leads, please post them up. I'm looking for someone who can do it on a commission model is possible.

Here in Austin, they have little compassion for folks, and b/c they have all the data and use it their advantage, it made sense for me to hire somebody who made it their livelihood to fight with the assessors office.

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And IMS, the tax man can only bang you for the value of your property on January 1, 2009. I don't recall what, if anything was done on that date with you new house, but make sure you aren't getting smoked.

My house in Austin was dried-in, but not yet finished on 1/1/06 and they tried to hit me with full market value. Got it down 40% for that year. The win was short lived, however, as this year the structure value is up 40%!
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Jeff

Get Busy

Skipper · Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 12:46 pm Post subject:

I fought them about 5 years ago and won. But they informed me that it is legal to raise taxes 10% per year. If they don't raise them in 3 years, on the fourth year they can raise your taxes 30%.

So if you had no increase, say, in the past 2 years and the third year it goes up 30% it is legal, but you can always fight it. I know guys that fight it every year. They win some and lose some.

Just find comparable properties that have sold in your neighborhood and compare to yours is about all you can do...Adios

Skipper