Appeal Property Tax l Houston & Harris County

Question and Answer

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 the owners of single family houses since the late '80s.

Q. During its first year, what was the average value reduction of a property protested by APPEALpropertyTAX?
A. On average, APPEALpropertyTAX.com reduced the appraised value of a property by approximately 9%.

Q. What does that mean in terms of property tax savings?
A. A typical client saved as much as $400 in property taxes.

Q. What was the value range of residential properties protested by APT in 2007?
A. The value range was between $45,000 and $6 million.

Q. APT charges a 30% 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 only:
    to appeal property taxes for owners' residential properties for the current property tax year.

Q. I'm not sure I'm clear on how the tax savings are calculated. Could you provide an example?
A. Of course. Let¹s say that the Appraisal District has assessed your home at $250,000. That is the Notice
    Value. At the end of the protest, APT has reduced the value to $227,500. That is the Final Value. The
    difference of $22,500 is multiplied by 2.52% (current tax rate) to result in a property tax savings of $567.

Q. What if I have an appraisal cap?
A. If your home is assessed at $275,000, but you have an appraisal cap of $250,000, that places the
    taxable limit at $250,000. If APT gets the value reduced to $245,000, the difference of $5000 is multiplied
    by the tax rate of 2.52%.

Q. I know that my property is appraised for less than I can sell it for. Should I still protest?
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.

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 ensure that the appraised value conforms to the current market.

Q. Still, is APPEALpropertyTAX.com better than its competitors?
A. In 2007, we reduced the appraised value on over 80% of the properties we protested. We feel our
    performance is strong, and due to our competitive 30% fee, the net property tax savings for our
    property owners are expected to be higher than those generated by major competitors.

Q. This sounds good. What happens when I sign up?
A. We strive to make the appeal process a friendly one for our clients, starting with the fast and easy
    on-line sign-up. We appear at the hearing for you; and of course, you pay nothing if we don¹t reduce
    the value of your property.

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 Appointment of
    Agent form can be revoked at any time.

Q. When is the property tax appeal fee due?
A. The property tax appeal fee is billed by e-mail, and it is due upon receipt.

Q. And finally, what is the 2008 protest deadline?
A. As per HCAD 2008 Protest Deadlines are:

For Residence Homesteads (owner-occupied dwellings)

Legislation enacted in the most recent legislative session makes protest deadlines a little confusing for homeowners. Under the old law, the last day to file a protest was the 31^st of May or the 30^th day after the date an appraisal notice was mailed to you, whichever was later.

Under the new law, homeowners have a new, earlier deadline, but they can still file without penalty until the old deadline. The new deadline is the 30^th of April or the 30^th day after an appraisal notice was mailed to you, whichever is later. Appraisal notices for homeowners will carry this new deadline, along with a reminder that even if a homeowner misses the deadline, the homeowner can still file a protest without penalty until the old May 31^st deadline.

Even the May 31^st deadline is confusing this year. State law provides that if the last day to do an act falls on a weekend or holiday, the last day is postponed to the next business day. So, for 2008, the regular protest deadline is June 2^nd.

For All Other Property

The application deadline for protests for all other property for 2008 is the later of June 2^nd or the 30^th day after the appraisal notice is mailed to you.