HOUSTON – Time is running out to challenge your property tax bill, and the savings could be significant.
If your home’s appraised value seems too high, Texas homeowners have until May 15, or 30 days after their appraisal notice is mailed, to file a protest. Depending on the property, a successful challenge could save hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
Paul Bettencourt, CEO of Bettencourt Tax Advisors and a Republican state senator, says the process is worth it for most homeowners, and the key is knowing what evidence to bring to the table.
“Well, the first thing is if you’ve closed on your property, if you bought it, that’s really an important document. If you know the market comps of the area, if you’ve got some from a realtor or you did your own research, if you got documentation about how much the home needs in repairs, it’s called deferred maintenance, if you have bids from contractors, roofers, etc. Use those,” Bettencourt said.
He broke down what the savings can actually look like on a typical home.
“When you look at savings, say an average home of roughly $400,000, just saving $20,000 on your appraised value can give you a substantial cut of approximately $350,” Bettencourt said. “And the other thing is once you do it, that helps you keep your basis low so that next year” the savings continue to compound.
His advice on how often to protest may surprise some homeowners.
“I would say that you should look at doing it every year,” Bettencourt said.
The long-term impact of filing annually adds up fast, he says.
“If you keep your value lower and lower and lower each year, then that means you pay less and less property taxes over time. And if you protest for, you know, five years in a row, it makes a substantial difference,” Bettencourt said.
For homeowners weighing whether to handle the process themselves or hire a professional, Bettencourt says both approaches can work, with some trade-offs.
“Professional firms probably get slightly more off, but for a larger amount of people than a knowledgeable homeowner that really knows what’s going on with his home, especially if there’s maintenance or repair items,” Bettencourt said.
Some homeowners are also turning to artificial intelligence to help build their protest cases. AI tools can collect and analyze comparable sales data, reduce the time needed to prepare a protest and generate arguments specific to a property, making the process more accessible for homeowners who want to go it alone.
Whether you hire a pro, use AI or do it yourself, Bettencourt says the most important thing is to act before the deadline.