Tax season is right around the corner, and unfortunately, some people will be in for a nasty surprise when they get their property tax bills. If you’re unsure about your property taxes, you might consider hiring a property tax consultant. Here are four signs that hiring a property tax consultant is a good idea for you.
Signs You Need To Hire A Property Tax Consultant
Your Property Tax Bill Seems Unusually High
So, you want to know if your property tax bill is unusually high. If so, you’re not alone. Many homeowners are curious about their property taxes and how they work.
To understand how a property tax bill works, we must first talk about what it actually is. A property tax bill is an estimate of the amount of money the government believes your home should be taxed based on its value.
Local governments rely on estimates from appraisers who look at comparable properties to determine an “appraised value,” which can then be used as part of a formula called millage rate calculations which determine how much tax each homeowner will pay based on the assessed value (i.e., multiplied by millages).
If the county tax assessor has given your home an assessment that seems too high, or if they’ve placed it in a higher-taxing class than its condition would indicate, then working with a consultant can help smooth things over.
The County Tax Assessor Has Denied Your Protest
If the county tax assessor has denied your protest, you’ll need to appeal to the county board of equalization. The board comprises elected members who serve for three years at a time. They are tasked with deciding whether or not to uphold or change what the county tax assessor has decided.
If you’re still unhappy with their decision and don’t want to go through another round of appeals, you may wish to hire a professional property tax consultant who can help with your appeal. They will know exactly how much time they have before filing an appeal and what strategy they should use so that it’s more likely they’ll get a different result than last time around (if at all).
You Think Your Home Is Over-Assessed Compared To Similar Properties
Your home may be under-assessed. This means the value of your property is less than it should be. There are several ways to determine if this is the case, including using an appraisal and asking a real estate agent or other professional for advice.
If you think that your property’s assessed value doesn’t reflect its true worth, you can request an assessment review.
You Don’t Have Time To Protest Or Negotiate Your Property Tax Bill
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from working with clients, it’s that most people are extremely busy these days. As such, they don’t want to spend precious time negotiating their property taxes when they could spend that time doing something else (like relaxing). In fact, our clients usually tell us that they don’t have time at all.
If your property tax bill is way higher than it should be, a consultant can help you understand exactly what’s going on and how to best approach the process. They might even be able to negotiate a better deal with the county for you.
How Ray Tax Group Can Help
The Ray Tax Group is Texas’ Premiere Property Tax consulting firm. We are a team of seasoned professionals, licensed attorneys, real estate agents, and property tax consultants with knowledgeable support staff. We have represented thousands of property taxpayers throughout Texas with residential, commercial, and business personal property tax issues.
When you hire the Ray Tax Group, you have to fill out a couple of forms, and our team of Property Tax Experts will handle the rest. We will file your protest, review your account and use our proprietary software to find the absolute best evidence to support the lowest possible valuation. We are very successful at it.
Contact us here to see how we can help you save.