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Waller County Appraisal District - Tips for a Successful Property Tax Protest Waller County Appraisal District assesses property and that value sets your property tax amount. Reducing your property taxes is relatively simple but requires a modest commitment of time. Your other option is to hire a property tax consultant. Basic steps to reducing the property tax assessment set by Waller County Appraisal District include appealing both market value and unequal appraisal annually, obtaining the Waller County Appraisal District evidence, preparing for the hearing(s) and attending the informal and/or appraisal review board hearing. This article focuses on the hearing process. There are two options for the "administrative" hearing process at Waller County Appraisal District: 1) the informal hearing and 2) the appraisal review board (ARB) hearing. Neither the property owner nor Waller County Appraisal District is required to attend the informal hearing. About 80% of property tax protests are resolved by agreement between the property owner/property tax consultant and the Waller County Appraisal District appraiser. This percentage has declined in recent years. WCAD is resolving a smaller percentage of accounts informally. The second option, which typically occurs if you are not able to reach agreement with the Waller County Appraisal District appraiser, is the ARB hearing. The property owners often receive some property tax relief at the ARB hearing. The ARB decision is typically a compromise. Neither the property owner nor the appraisal district get exactly what they requested. Waller County Appraisal District appraisers seldom reduce the assessed value for a home by $100,000 or more. If you are seeking a reduction of more than $100,000 for a home, you should probably skip the informal hearing with the Waller County Appraisal District appraiser. There are several reasons for skipping the informal hearing at WCAD if you are seeking an increase of $100,000 or more. It will likely be a waste of your time. Further, you spend your time helping the WCAD appraiser to prepare their file for the ARB hearing. Make sure you arrive early for the hearing and try to project a cheerful, cordial and relaxed attitude, even if you are nervous. After you check in with the Waller County Appraisal District clerk, you will likely wait for 30 - 60 minutes. Bring a book, newspaper or work to pass the time. Greet the Waller County Appraisal District appraiser cheerfully and enthusiastically. His goal is similar to yours; reach a compromise quickly. At Waller County Appraisal District, the appraisers are encouraged to make changes if there is evidence to support the change. The exception is unequal appraisal. Most Waller County Appraisal District appraisers are reluctant to make changes on unequal appraisal evidence. After you exchange and discuss evidence with the Waller County Appraisal District appraiser, he will likely make you an offer to settle the property tax protest. You can accept the offer or continue the appeal with the ARB hearing. In most cases the value offered informally will also be suggested by the Waller County Appraisal District appraiser at the ARB hearing. Property owners are often reluctant to attend the appraisal review board (ARB) hearing because they think they are wasting their time with such a small property. This is not the case. Waller County ARB members are courteous, respectful and want the property owner to feel good about the ARB hearing. Players at the ARB hearings include the 3 ARB members, property owner (or property tax consultant) and the Waller County Appraisal District appraiser. After introductions and a brief explanation of the process:
Property Tax Tip #1: Appealing Property Taxes for Your Home Property Tax Tip #2: Preparing for Your Property Tax Hearing Property Tax Tip #3: The Hearing Process Hire O'Connor & Associates to appeal high property taxes. You pay NOTHING unless we save you money! Links & Resources | |