Turtle Creek, Oak Lawn, and Uptown Real Estate News

Spring has Sprung! And along with bluebonnets and other wildflowers spring also brings in Texas an “Appraised Value Notice” from your appraisal district. Watch your mail for a notice form. The appraised value is the amount multiplied by a certain percentage to find out how much money you will be charged in property taxes for 2012. If you can get the appraised value lowered then you property taxes are lower. Money in your pocket!

Here are the steps to take:

Look for the appraised value and if you feel the value they have given your home is too high then you have a right to contest it. In Dallas County, at the bottom of the page is a “Notice of Protest”, fill that out and send it back before May 31, 2012.

Then find an agent or broker, like me, who practices in your county and ask for a “Comparative Market Analysis” (CMA). This can be done over the phone or by e-mail. If the CMA is lower than what the district has appraised your property then you have a good chance of lowering your property taxes.

For a small fee the broker or agent will give you that CMA and a “BOV”( Brokers Opinion of Value) and you can present it as evidence to lower your value on the tax rolls and possibly much more than that small fee. For a percentage of the savings some may even represent you at the hearing.