Texas’ economy is booming, and property taxes are a towering concern amongst homeowners. The passage of Senate Bill 2 by voters in November 2023, took effect on January 1, 2024, and is the latest legislative response aimed at easing some of that burden, but yet many Texans are unsure how it will actually affect their cost of […]
Temporary Disaster Exemption for 2021 Freezing Weather
On February 12, ahead of the record breaking winter storm that hit Texas, Gov. Abbott made a Disaster Declaration for all 254 counties in Texas. As a result, many resources were made available for Texans affected by the storm. One of which is a Temporary Property Tax Exemption, under Property Tax Code 11.35, available to all Texas […]
Protest Deadlines in a World with COVID-19
The COVID-19 outbreak has caused enormous trials and issues on nationwide, statewide, and personal levels. We’re not going to pretend that property taxes are the highest priority in your life right now, but we live in a world where the lower priority things matter too and sometimes just have to get done. We decided to […]
The Basics of Property Tax
Property taxes have been a big part of Texas’ state revenue for a very long time. They’re one of the things that makes Texas so great, because they encourage residents to do something with their land, not just sit on it. Do you ever look around in Houston, Dallas, or Austin and think, “Man, they […]
Property Tax Myths
Property taxes can be fun! Maybe “fun” isn’t the right word, but an understanding of them can certainly save you lots of money – and that’s fun. Most people really don’t know too much about property taxes until it’s too late. I get countless calls from people who are shocked by their tax bill. There […]
How to Protest Your Property Taxes
Every year presents an opportunity to fight back against The Man, who taxes you on what he thinks your property is worth. However, many who try to protest the property tax themselves experience a lot of frustration, as it can be quite complicated. With a better understanding of the process, hopefully it can be more tolerable and […]
How to Value Your Residential Property
In today’s crazy real estate market, do you ever wonder, what is my residential property worth? How much would someone really pay me for it? Should I get an appraisal? Should I sell? Does a pool make my house worth more? Is my Zestimate® accurate? (Spoiler alert: your Zestimate® is probably not accurate.) Even if […]
Notice of Appraised Value
The day has arrived! You look forward to it every year; ok, dread could be a better description for most. In your mailbox is your property’s new Notice of Appraised Value, lovingly constructed, sealed, and sent to you by your local appraisal district. Do you rip it up and throw it away in disgust, or […]
Mass Appraisal
So you get the appraisal notice for your property and you’re looking at it like it’s a Martian rock. “I kind of understand what it is, but where did that number come from?” Sometimes the county’s appraisal, or valuation of your property’s worth, is spot on. Sometimes it’s high, low, ridiculously high, ridiculously low – […]









