I fought the Appraisal Board - and won!

Among the lists of "Best, Greatest, Most, etc." that Austin finds itself on is "The Insanely Highest Property Valuations of Anywhere." Okay, I made the list up, but not the fact. On the TV news the other night was a story about a little one-bedroom frame house in East Austin that sold for $299,000 two years ago and the owner is now asking for $450,000 and there is actually interest from buyers! Actually, the house across the street is listed for nearly $700, 000 so I guess 450K is a good deal. No wonder appraisers are upping the numbers.

Property valuations across the city jumped nearly 20% on average; the evaluation on our house rose a mere 12%. Some areas of town hit 36%! Needless to say, there are a lot of news articles and workshops on "How to protest your valuation."

I have watched the valuation on our house closely. For years it stayed fairly constant and even decreased by a piddling amount a couple of years. Last Year there was a 9% jump and I swallowed hard, but considered it part of the price of living in a city I love. The 22% jump over two years gave me incentive to read those "How to" articles closely.

Protesting your appraisal is a daunting task; it appears you don't stand a chance if you have not done through and perhaps costly research (bring in your own appraisers, generate volumes of exhibits, learn the secret handshake, etc.), something I felt unprepared to do. Yet the newspaper articles stated that 74% of protests last year resulted in a lower appraisal! And promoted heavily this year is an efile method of protest. Go online, state in 1024 characters or less why you should get a break and suggest your opinion of what the appraisal should be. This takes the place of an informal face-to-face that here-to-fore has been the first step. If the informal efile appeal works, you are done.

So I tersely reported how the drought caused our slab to crack, affecting the value of the house, offered a number close to 2 years ago and clicked enter. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Twenty-four hours later I had a "Settlement Offer!" They bought my argument. I fought the Appraisal Board and won - a whopping 1% reduction!!

I figure it will lower my tax bill by, oh, maybe $10 bucks. But the sweet taste of victory has me motivated. I printed out the Appraisal District's "Evidence Packet" and I'm getting my ducks in a row for next year.

Now can anyone tell me what "% good adjustment" means? And "Mass Improv Adj" and should I wear a tie, or dress in my shabbiest clothes, and....