Tax Protest University
Below you will find several videos I made several years ago to explain the property tax system from top to bottom. I was going to make s course designed to teach folks about property taxes from top to bottom, but stopped short of editing it all together in a neat and tidy format. What's left over is below.
Why I'm doing this
In short, I want to help people and give back to the community that I serve and love.
This news clip does a great job of scratching the surface to explain the why. If you ever want me to elaborate, just ask.
How to protest from A to Z. Start at 2:50 if you live outside Tarrant County!
Knowledge Check:
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Basics of Property Taxes
Pro's and cons of our system
How Our Property Tax System Works
Discover the 3 main governing units which embody our property tax system.
Who is the Central Appraisal District?
Who is the Appraisal Review Board (ARB)?
Who is the Tax Assessor?
Knowledge Check:
Quiz 3
Quiz 4
Timeline of Tax Protest
If you understand what happens and when it happens, you'll be well on your way... Keep in mind, the timeline might be slightly different for your county and as laws change, so will some of these dates.
Introduction to Timeline
Simplified Timeline
Detailed Timeline Part 1
Detailed Timeline Part 2
Detailed Timeline Part 3
Knowledge Check:
Quiz 5
Quiz 6
Published Proposed Tax Rates on a Newspaper
According to Truth-in-Taxation, taxpayers should be made aware of tax rate proposals and to afford the opportunity to roll back or limit tax increases.
Example: City of San Elizario
Example: City of Ames
Knowledge Check:
Quiz 7
Timeline in Linear Format
Watch this video if you wish to see a detailed look but more simplified way of presenting the timeline of our property tax system.
Parts of a Property Value Notice: Top
Know the important parts of your property value notice.
Parts of a Property Value Notice: Bottom
Know the important parts of your property value notice.
Knowledge Check:
Quiz 8
Introduction to Protesting
Now that you have understood the basics of our tax protest system, let us dive right in with protesting.
What are the Appraised Market Value Terms?
In winning the protest, it is of utmost importance to know the market value terms because they may look the same but they differ in different appraiser websites.
Introduction
Tarrant Appraisal District Market Value Terms
Dallas Appraisal District Market Value Terms Part 1
Dallas Appraisal District Market Value Terms Part 2
Denton Appraisal District Market Value Terms Part 1
Denton Appraisal District Market Value Terms Part 2
Knowledge Check:
Quiz 9
Reasons of Protest
Maybe you are asking why you should protest? Or better put, is it worthy to protest? This video tackles the rationale behind protesting. You may also check the protest form that shows the reasons of your protest.
Knowledge Check:
Quiz 10
Protest Form
Levels of Protest
It is imperative to know the levels of protests because it widens your options in winning your property tax protest.
Who Should Protest?
Deciding if you should protest or not, who should protest in your behalf.
Tax Assessor Website
Explore the Tarrant County Tax Assessor Website and familiarize yourself with the tax estimator.
Tarrant County Tax Estimator Part 1
Tarrant County Tax Estimator Part 2
Tarrant County Tax Estimator Part 3
Why Protest?
Why is there a need to protest? You will be surprised that it is not only you who will benefit from protesting.
Important Things to Consider Before Protesting
Working efficiently before getting too deep in protesting is essential. I do not want to waste the homeowner's time and just disappoint them afterwards. Here are a few things that I consider before doing the protest to save time and effort.
Has it been sold or refinanced?
Is there any tax exemption?
Is there an escrow shortage?
Introduction to Indicated Value
In this video, I will shed light on the true meaning of market value and its possibly alternative term-- the Indicated Value.
Knowledge Check:
Quiz 11
What is Indicated Value?
Indicated Value is the gem that you should never forget. This video will discuss how it will save your time in protesting and why you should keep this in mind.
Informal Protest (Automated)
It is common that counties have an automated way of doing the informal protest. I will teach you on how to hack the automated protest in this video. All done online within a few minutes!
Comparables Report
This is the one that you need to secure from the appraiser website before doing the protest. This will serve as your baseline data to determine the opinion of your property value.
Cracking the Code
This is the moment that you have been waiting for! I will show you how I cracked the code and how I have seen the pattern.
Automated formula cracking
Seeing the Trend
Informal Protest (Pep Talk)
Do not worry if your county does not have a website where you can file your automated protest, you can simply walk in in the appraisal district and speak with an appraiser. No need to present your supporting documents, you just need to mention the indicated value, and when they agree, it is a win!
Preparing for Informal Protest
Assemble your evidence to support your case and using the market strategy and sales comps.