I urge each Austinite to protest your property tax this year, just like I urge everybody to each and every year.
The Austin real estate market is still one of the strongest markets in the country. Austin is constantly featured in many top list of places to live in the country. I realize that property taxes are an essential way to pay for City services, I understand. However, the City of Austin needs to live within it’s means, like everybody else is expected to do. I doubt that any news outlet will report on this, but The Travis County Central Appraisal District is so aggressive in their appraisal values this year, in an effort to boost City of Austin and Travis County revenue, that that are actually increasing appraisal values past the 10% capped homestead exemption, as set by the TravisCAD and to be no more than 20% as defined by State of Texas law. However, this is the first year where I have personally noticed that a homestead property has increased, in my case 10.49%. .49, almost a half a percent, just below the half a percent range, to round down and not fully count as any higher than 10%. But we all know that this .49 percent adds up across the hundreds of thousands of Austin area homes. Read more here in the Property Tax Basics.
Not it seems that the house structure price is being reduced, but the land drastically increased, for 2601 Redleaf Lane that is as much as 100% land increase for 2016!
In all fairness, let’s describe the Appraisal process, as seen in the following video that has been added to the TravisCad website.
- Clawson Road has increased +12.86%, but Texas ProTax was able to decrease the increase by -2.14%
- Hank Avenue has increased +8.32%, but Texas ProTax was able to decrease the increase by 0%, they could not decrease, so it is unchanged
- Redleaf Lane has increased +10.00%, but Texas ProTax was able to decrease the increase by -8.37%
- Valley Vista Road has increased 0%, but we did just recently build a custom home on the lot Texas ProTax was able to decrease the increase by -2.12%.
See past years property tax increases:
Freeman Properties endorsed vendor, Texas ProTax.
You can always protest yourself, be sure to bring a good argument, photos, and good reasons why your property should be devalued per Travis County appraisal.
Last year, Texas ProTax saved me a total Property Tax savings for 4 combined properties on 10/27/2014 of $838.59 and a fee of $335.44
More information on Texas Property Tax Assistance.