I'm looking for guidance from those who have dealt with this before.

I purchased a six acre raw rural parcel ten years ago in a county adjacent to Brazos. It was appraised at 26k that year and has steadily crept up to 130k. During that same time I hand built a 384sf pier & beam cabin, and a similar sized pole barn that I 'paved' with hand-mixed non-reinforced cement for a floor. There is no well and just a temporary electric pole on the property. There is also a hand built 8'x12' portable storage building and a 'bar' structure that is just some tin nailed to the top of a 2x4 frame to cover the bar. It's heavily wooded and gated so none of the structures can be seen from the road. There is also an 8'x16' pier & beam shed under construction on the back part of the property.

The county relied on 'aerial observation' to make this year's assessment. The property jumped up 10k to 140k but the non-homesite improvements were assessed at $410k.

I don't know if I should hire an appraiser, hire a firm that specializes in protests, take this on myself or sell.

What's the optimal path forward to get this amount reduced? Feel free to get creative; I could use a good laugh right about now, but ultimately I want to make a sound decision.

Call CenTex appraisers in Georgetown

I strongly recommend having an in person meeting (or at least t/c) with the appropriate appraiser at the CAD. From my experience, most prefer to "work with you" and wish to avoid a formal protest. Be prepared to discuss why you feel the prelim value is above market. Share pics, cost figures, etc to support your argument. There is a good chance you will be pleased with the outcome. Best of luck to you

No advice but would like to see photos of what you built. Sounds like a perfect OB post.

You can go before your county appraisal review board. It is made up of like landowners and/ or homeowners that do it as voluntary. I served on our County ARB for three years. Not one time did we not listen to and usually always worked with and gave the landowners about what they wanted….. if reasonable.

Cornutum92 said:

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I you have time then do it yourself. File a protest before the deadline. Make sure and check the box to have an informal meeting before the formal hearing. Take pictures of the structures. Submit pictures and an explanation like you have here with the protest.
If they do not adjust the value significantly based on what you give them then ask for sales of similar properties with similar structures (without a water source) and see what they have.

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Best advice-take lots of pictures. Pin 'em down on what they say they saw and compare the reality of what's there. Get their pictures if you can to show what those pics do not show. Unless they've had eyes on the ground they won't be able to defend their position. Be respectful in what you say and how you say it. Good luck.

Another question - in my research leading up to an informal hearing I came across this list of property types that the county seems to be working off of to create valuations. How do I go about getting the current $/sf valuations for these? I've emailed the assessors office and received nada in the way of a response.

What do you think it is worth , ballpark?

Not half a million.

You can look up your neighbor's property values on the county appraisal district GIS map. Raw land, developed property $/sf etc. I used to do an informal protest every year when we owned a house in Fort Bend county. Get your comps, go to the appraiser's office and sit across a desk from the appraiser and discuss comps and agree. I got a reduction every year. When I moved to a much larger rural property in a county adjacent to Brazos it became much easier. I have gotten reductions twice just by calling the appraiser office and telling them why I thought they had overvalued my property. You might try that first.

You know what your property is worth. Be professional and take pictures of everything. Most appraisers will listen and take note of what you have presented.

DON'T MENTION TAXES. THIS IS ABOUT MARKET VALUE. THE DISCUSSION IS OVER IF YOU WANT TO ARGUE TAXES. IRONICALLY, THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR TAXES. TAXES ARE DETERMINED BY THE TAXING ENTITIES AND THEIR BUDGETS, AFTER THEY RECEIVE THE CERTIFIED VALUES FROM THE DISTRICT.

Check your insurance policy to see what your replacement cost is on the buildings. If that is to your advantage, take that with you. Measure all buildings from the outside and sketch. Separate building measurements by main building and porches

TOP THREE THINGS TO BRING:
1. Photos
2. Photos
3. Photos

Good luck.

I got this email last night. Is this sop?

Good evening,
I was reviewing your protest and saw that we need to do an onsite visit in order to make any adjustments to the value. We will actually be in the field tomorrow (5/2/24) in your area and would be happy to stop by. If you could respond to this email or call the office I can get you set up. You don't have to be there as we do not enter the structures, we just have to get pictures of the exterior and measurements.

They have already assessed the property value. Is it typical to rush a reassessment prior to the protest hearing?

Yes. Allow them to see and measured the structures.

This happened to me. Washington county. You're in luck - they're paying attention.

PuryearAg98 said:

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Should have camo'd the hell out of that roof, and hid it from the aerial reconnaissance...

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This works better than you would think. Not that I would know or anything.