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Property Tax Protest Deadline Nears

May 29, 2007

Property Tax Protest Deadline Nears

Simple Tips to Protest Your Own Property Taxes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: 
      
Patrick O’Connor
President, O'Connor & Associates
poconnor@poconnor.com
713-686-1777
 
 
Scott Sherrill
Director of Marketing  
ssherrill@poconnor.com
713-375-4264

Property Tax Protest Deadline Nears Simple Tips to Protest Your Own Property Taxes

Houston, TX (May 29, 2007) – For most property owners, May 31 is the deadline for filing a property tax protest. Protesting property taxes is a simple, “owner-friendly” process most Harris county residents don’t take advantage of annually. According to O'Connor & Associates, the state’s largest property tax protest firm headquartered in Houston, protesting one’s property taxes is a strategy that’s successful and beneficial in most cases.

“We’ve found in about 70 – 75% of our homeowner clients’ property tax protests are successful,” said Pat O’Connor, president of O’Connor & Associates. “We also found most people don’t know how or don’t even know they can protest their property taxes, and those that do know don’t know they can protest annually.”

Some interesting facts about property tax protests, according to O'Connor & Associates include:
  • In 2006, 68 percent of appeals by homeowners in Harris county were successful
  • Homeowners can obtain county evidence two weeks ahead of hearing to prepare for hearing by requesting a House Bill 201 package
  • The protest process is informal and "property owner friendly"
  • Homeowners can appeal on unequal appraisal and market value
  • Only 7% of homeowners appeal, but most would reduce property taxes if they appealed
  • Property owners should protest annually to keep their tax basis low


“One of the more confusing issues is protesting on unequal appraisal,” said O’Connor. “Unequal appraisal compares the homeowner’s property to similar properties in the area. If their property is appraised higher than identical or similar properties in the area, they can protest their assessed value on that basis, regardless of how it compares to market value.”

To file a protest, Harris county property owners can mail in the 41.44 Property Tax Notice of Protest form available at www.poconnor.com or www.hcad.org, they can file a notice to protest online using the county’s iFile system, or they can hire a property tax consulting firm like O'Connor & Associates to protest the value on the property owner’s behalf.

About O'Connor & Associates O’Connor & Associates is a Texas-based real estate firm providing appraisals, market research, and federal and ad valorem tax reduction services. In business since 1974, the firm has more than 180 employees and more than 40,000 clients. Patrick O’Connor, MAI, president of O’Connor & Associates since 1983, is frequently acknowledged by national publications as a respected source of information on real estate trends. Visit www.poconnor.com.



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