Q & A

(A) No, you don’t. While agents can help, nobody knows your home better than you do. With the right evidence, an individual homeowner can present a case as compelling as any paid agent. If a homeowner has “enough time” to prepare for and attend a protest hearing, hiring a tax agent is not necessary. 

(A) Steps after completing the Notice of Protest form and returning it before the May 15^th deadline.

1- The property owner should call contractors and get written or oral estimates for any repairs or updates needed. Often property owners get estimates for HVAC repair or replacement, replacement windows, new flooring, exterior paint, foundation cracks, roof damage, deferred maintenance and if there are foundation issues.

2- Next call a real estate agent, request an email list of homes that sold in the same neighborhood the prior year. Another option, you can also review all the sold homes provided by BCAD when you request evidence on your protest form.

3-Type the address of each sold home, look online (Realtor.com or Zillow) at that sold home’s pictures, improvements and upgrades that your home doesn’t have.

4- Choose 3 sold homes and compare each one to your home for your personal evidence.

5- Make a copy of all your pictures, contractor estimates and sold home comps onto a document and save it as a pdf file.

6- Email the (pdf) evidence to the BCAD (help center) website or put a copy on a thumb drive and drive to the Appraisal District and ask customer service to scan your evidence into their database before your hearing.

7- Find more preparation strategies on the (LesEarls.com) website video page.

(A) The biggest mistake is arguing about your tax bill instead of your market value. The ARB is legally bound to look at market value and equal appraisal metrics and another mistake is using Zillow estimates instead of actual closed sales from the MLS gives as evidence.

(A) Absolutely not. This is the biggest myth in Bexar County. The ARB cannot raise your valuation during a protest hearing; the board can only lower it or leave it the same. You have zero risk and everything to gain.

(A) The Informal hearing is a one-on-one discussion with a BCAD appraiser to see if you can agree on a lower number. If you can’t reach an agreement, you move to the Formal hearing, where you present your case to a 3-member panel of independent citizens (like me!) on the ARB.

(A) Yes, you have the right to protest your appraised value even if it stayed the same or decreased, especially if similar neighborhood properties are valued lower (unequal appraisal). The link to the Notice of Protest form is  https://bcad.org/forms/

(A) Yes, you have the right to protest your appraised value even if it stayed the same or decreased, especially if similar neighborhood properties are valued lower (unequal appraisal). The link to the Notice of Protest form is  https://bcad.org/forms/

On your internet browser type the link https://bcad.org/ and open Property Search, then type your address. Click search. Click (eyeball) view details.