| Q. | How do I appoint APPEALpropertyTAX.com as my property tax agent? |
| A. | After completing the sign-up, and accepting the service agreement, please print-out the Appointment of Agent form. Once signed, scan and email the form to our office, or you can fax it to us. |
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| Q. | How long has APPEALpropertyTAX.com been in the business of appealing property taxes? |
| A. | APPEALpropertyTAX.com is a new internet company, which began providing property tax appeal services in Harris County in 2007. The founder of the company, Wojciech Kic, has been appealing property taxes in Harris County for property owners since the late '80s. |
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| Q. | What is a typical value reduction of a property protested by APPEALpropertyTAX.com? |
| A. | On average, APPEALpropertyTAX.com reduced the appraised value of a property by approximately 9%. |
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| Q. | What does that mean in terms of property tax savings? |
| A. | On average a typical client saves $400. |
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| Q. | What was the value range of residential properties protested by APPEALpropertyTAX.com in 2009? |
| A. | The value range was between $45,000 and $9 million. |
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| Q. | APPEALpropertyTAX.com charges a 33% tax savings fee. Most competitors charge considerably more. Why are you so competitive on price? |
| A. | We are an internet-based business with very low cost structure and one specialty: to appeal property taxes on the administrative Appraisal District level only. |
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| Q. | I'm not sure I'm clear on how the tax savings are calculated. Could you provide an example? |
| A. | Of course. Let's say that the Appraisal District has assessed your home at $250,000. That is the Notice Value. At the end of the protest, APPEALpropertyTAX.com has reduced the value to $227,500. That is the Final Value. The difference of $22,500 is multiplied, before exemptions, by the ad valorem tax rate in effect during the preceding year. For example, an ad valorem tax rate of 2.52% would result in a property tax savings of $567. |
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| Q. | What if I have an appraisal cap? |
| A. | If your house is assessed at $275,000, but you have an appraisal cap of $250,000, that places the taxable limit at $250,000. If APPEALpropertyTAX.com reduces the value to $245,000, the tax savings are estimated by multiplying the ad valorem tax rate in effect during the proceeding year by $5,000. |
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| Q. | I know that my property is appraised for less than I can sell it for. Should I still consider an appeal? |
| A. | Yes. The appraised value of the property must be equitable. If similar properties in the neighborhood are appraised for less, the appraised value of your property is too high. |
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| Q. | Well, what if the appraised value did not change from last year? |
| A. | While the appraised value did not change, resale values continuously change and require ongoing review to insure that the appraised value conforms to the current market. |
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| Q. | Still, is APPEALpropertyTAX.com better than its competitors? |
| A. | In the last three years, we reduced the appraised value on nearly 80% of the properties we appealed. We feel our performance is strong, and due to our competitive 33% fee, the net property tax savings for our property owners are expected to be higher than those generated by major competitors. |
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| Q. | This sounds good. What happens when I sign up? |
| A. | We appear at the hearing for you; and of course, you pay nothing if we don't reduce the value of your property. |
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| Q. | What if I change my mind after I sign the agreement? |
| A. | No problem. We want you to have complete flexibility in your decision to appeal. The agreement with APPEALpropertyTAX.com can be terminated prior to the property tax appeal hearing, without penalty, at any time. |
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| Q. | When is the property tax appeal fee due? |
| A. | The property tax appeal fee is billed following the tax protest hearing, and it is due upon receipt. |
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