Do you disagree with your home’s county-assessed value? There’s a way you can protest your appraisal.
For today’s topic—protesting your property’s county-assessed value—I thought I’d visit one of the best BBQ restaurants in all of Austin: Flying Pig Provision Company.
This is a very cool place. It’s small, but they’re so popular that they sell out of products daily. I ordered what I can only describe as a super BLT and headed to Northwest Park near my old stomping grounds in central Austin to enjoy my sandwich and talk about the subject at hand.
Spring is here, which means homeowners are getting their notice of appraised value in the mail from the county. To contest your property’s appraised value, you can file a protest through your county’s website. You can then schedule a date and time for an informal hearing at the county courthouse where the appraiser will either make an adjustment or not.
What I like to do is schedule my appointment late in the week and make sure it’s the last appointment of the day in question. Think about it: These employees have been working all week long, and they’re probably ready to go home. When I walk into their office with the files of three or four properties, I can imagine them looking at me and saying to themselves, “Oh my God…the last appointment of the day and I have to deal with this guy?!”
This strategy has worked well so far, but keep in mind that they’ve changed some things about the appeal process over the last few years. Primarily, they’ve disallowed listings from being contested whose sales price is too low.
With that in mind, be as prepared as possible when protesting your home’s appraisal. Get quotes for any repairs you think need to be made, and make sure you have everything in writing. Push hard and don’t let up until you’re satisfied or you think they’ve gone as low as they’re going to go.
If you have any more questions about this topic or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home soon in our Austin market, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email. I’d love to help you.