Has anyone used iSettle? Should I use it or go the traditional route?

I'm curious about this too

How much did they get y'all for? Mine are a flat 10%

I used it years ago. Since I knew I wasn't moving anytime soon, I low-balled what I thought it 'should" be. They countered and I accepted it.

If you don't accept their counter offer, then you must go down to the HCAD for a hearing.

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How much did they get y'all for? Mine are a flat 10%

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I went up about 6%. Can't complain too much as they have been trailing for a while.

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If you don't accept their counter offer, then you must go down to the HCAD for a hearing.

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If I understand correctly, if you reject you must go before the board and you skip the consultant. I've done the consultant a couple of times and been happy with the results.

Mine went up 10%. I want to fight it based on principle.

Do not use it. It doesn't even look at your evidence or comments. It's just a computer algorithm that heavily favors HCAD. The only benefit it provides to you is convenience. From a reduction standpoint, it is completely on HCAD's side.

And yes, it takes the place of the "informal hearing". You remove 50% of your negotiating power if you use I-Settle.

That's the truth,truth

Does isettle always counter below you current hcad value? I can't really argue with the value based on comps, but if I can get it a little lower with isettle, why not?

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Does isettle always counter below you current hcad value?

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no

How easy is it to fight yourself? What would be the best course?

Isettle = total waste of time, since HCAD is slammed during the hearing season, this is basically one way you can loose your informal hearing.. If you can't come to an agreement in isettle, then your account gets sent straight to the ARB appraisal review board..

Not worth it total waste of time and energy, always represent yourself in person, it says that your home is worth your time and energy..

For residential, skip the consultant and do it yourself..

Isettle = total waste of time, since HCAD is slammed during the hearing season, this is basically one way you can loose your informal hearing.. If you can't come to an agreement in isettle, then your account gets sent straight to the ARB appraisal review board..

Not worth it total waste of time and energy, always represent yourself in person, it says that your home is worth your time and energy..

For residential, skip the consultant and do it yourself..

Isettle = total waste of time, since HCAD is slammed during the hearing season, this is basically one way you can loose your informal hearing.. If you can't come to an agreement in isettle, then your account gets sent straight to the ARB appraisal review board..

Not worth it total waste of time and energy, always represent yourself in person, it says that your home is worth your time and energy..

For residential, skip the consultant and do it yourself..

Has the isettle process changed? I did it about 5 years ago and they rejected my offer 5k less.

Then I went to the infomal hearing (1 on 1) and they wouldn't knock off 1k. I asked the guy so you won't even come of 1 buck and he said no.

Then I went to the formal hearing with the board and the hcad person against me and I came out 20K less.

Idiots would have come out much better if they had just accepted a reasonable reduction from the beginning. They raised me 6% this year and I plan on fighting it again myself.

Say my house was apprasied last year at 100K and they come back with 105K this year.

Is there some amount that the isettle will work? Say if I want it to be 104K? Any clue on what the program will accept? Does the wording that they have you put in or is it all numbers?

Ever since 2010 you will loose your informal hearing if you elect isettle..

Trust me, take some pics of problematic areas inside or outside your home, get a free estimate from the highest bidder, take to
HCAD, get reduction.. Win ..

I am very hesitant to post this right now.

We're not up and running yet (~3 weeks), but I'll soon be live with a site that will help all of you who want to protest yourselves, and not hire someone. I just wanted to give those of you who are protesting on your own a heads up so that you don't waste your time gathering up evidence, or waste a protest hearing without having the lowest and most accurate figure possible and evidence possible.

We'll tell you whether to bother with the protest or not by giving you the value your home should be appraised at with the county. If that value is low enough for you, then you'll sign up to receive the evidence package. We will fill out your protest forms, give instructions for filing your protest, tips for the actual hearings themselves, a summary of the values we caclulated, comparable attribute details, detailed comp and adjustment info for the Uniform and Equal Analysis using county appraisal data, detailed comp and adjustments info for the Comparable Market Analysis using recent sales in your neighborhood, and maps. We're trying to make this process as easy as possible for you, with the end result of a significant reduction.

As I mentioned, we're not live yet, but very close. And yes, I will purchase an ad once we're up. This post is genuinely not intended to promote myself or my company, but just to let you know about a product that will soon be available that will help you lower your tax liability if you so choose. I simply wanted to try to help you Ags by giving you a early notice.


[This message has been edited by Cru (edited 4/10/2013 9:53a).]

Seems like it would have been ideal to have been up and running before appraisals came out. Best of luck though

proptaxguy, I would rather bypass the 1st round. Guy I met with was a complete jerk and I did much better with the 2nd round of appraisers.

I will probalby iprotest and then go to the second round.....

That was our goal, but after three years of development our ideal go-live date just wasn't able to be met. I'd rather it be late and right, then early and wrong.

And thank you for the wishes of luck.

[This message has been edited by Cru (edited 4/10/2013 10:03a).]

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I am very hesitant to post this right now.

We're not up and running yet (~3 weeks), but I'll soon be live with a site that will help all of you who want to protest yourselves, and not hire someone. I just wanted to give those of you who are protesting on your own a heads up so that you don't waste your time gathering up evidence, or waste a protest hearing without having the lowest and most accurate figure possible and evidence possible.

We'll tell you whether to bother with the protest or not by giving you the value your home should be appraised at with the county. If that value is low enough for you, then you'll sign up to receive the evidence package. We will fill out your protest forms, give instructions for filing your protest, tips for the actual hearings themselves, a summary of the values we caclulated, comparable attribute details, detailed comp and adjustment info for the Uniform and Equal Analysis using county appraisal data, detailed comp and adjustments info for the Comparable Market Analysis using recent sales in your neighborhood, and maps. We're trying to make this process as easy as possible for you, with the end result of a significant reduction.

As I mentioned, we're not live yet, but very close. And yes, I will purchase an ad once we're up. This post is genuinely not intended to promote myself or my company, but just to let you know about a product that will soon be available that will help you lower your tax liability if you so choose. I simply wanted to try to help you Ags by giving you a early notice.

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Aren't there a bunch of guys in this space already?

How do you plan on taking their share?

The good old fashioned way. More features, better accuracey through hcad approved adjustments, lower price, more marketing, and great customer service.

Oh, and hard work and a few secret weapons.

Like I mentioned, I simply wanted to give a heads up in order to help, not promote at this time. Thank you for asking, though. I sent you a pm in order to not derail this thread, and to take the conversation 'offline'.

Best of luck Cru

What kind of price will this run?

Thank you McGibblets!!

Bigjag, please feel free to email me. I truly didn't want to derail this thread, even if it meant immediate business for me. My texags email address is gigemcru@yahoo.com .

I would post my work email address, but as mentioned, I really did not want to use this as an advertisement, and having my domain in my email would do just that. There will be a time for that, but I simply didn't want that to happen with this thread...which explains my hesitancy to post anything about it at all.

[This message has been edited by Cru (edited 4/10/2013 11:56a).]

I've gotten lazy and used iSettle the last few years. I've never had my requested price accepted. 2-3 times they countered with something reasonable and I accepted. Last year they were unreasonable. I rejected and went to panel and got $10k off of their counter.

Prior to iSettle, everytime I went to speak with the 1st guy I got my asking price. The main trick is to have a reasonable expectation of value and the information to back your reasoning.

Great thread with lots of helpful responses. I'm planning to challenge in person. We just bought in 2012 and I have comps of houses that are appraised lower and arguments for why mine should be lower; but the house is appraised for about 10% lower than what we paid. That's fairly common in our area. And the square footage and room count is lower on HCAD than reality--a basic survey/measurement of the home's footprint would reveal this.

(1) How, if at all, will that recent sale affect my protest?
(2) Related to (1), I understand appraisal and market values are different, but could it bite me in the rear if they find out we paid more than appraisal?
(3) What about the discrepancies on square footage and rooms?

Am I playing with fire by challenging my increase?

Short simple answer, because your purchase is fresh and in 2012, they will reduce it to what you paid for it, not a penny lower or higher, even if you believe you over paid...

Because the definition of market value is.... What someone is willing to pay for a property..

Trust me you can go on and on until ur face turns blue, the wont hear anything except what you paid for it..

However next year whole new ball game, your sale is no longer fresh and they are on a yearly reappraisal, so any comp you bring in will be listened to, maybe not acted on but at least will be allowed in your testimony.

GL my friend..



By the way that's what informal hearings are for, if you paid more that what they have it appraised for they will kindly show it to you and tell you to pump your brakes...

If you are brave and go before the ARB, trying to reduce it further after they told you they are aware oif your sale, then you risk a possible chance of an increase in value...

Btw... (At the ARB level) Most appraisers there get off on trying to increase a value, some even have bets with other appraisers to see who has the most increases in a day/week...

[This message has been edited by Proptaxguy (edited 4/11/2013 7:24a).]

If it's 10% lower than what you paid, don't even try to jack with that, just count your blessings.

Agree 100% with proptaxguy!

I think I'll redshirt this year then. Really appreciate the tips, folks. Your answers make intuitive sense, but I wasn't sure whether HCAD would be aware of my sale price---no telling what (i.e., just amount of our mortgage, or total sale price?) information is shared with whom. Our area is increasing in value pretty quickly so HCAD's a few years behind the market, but my house isn't as far behind as the others' houses owing to the previous owner's failure to challenge value because he felt it increased his property value. :/

Hey, go ahead and file a protest. There's nothing that makes you attend it. You are entitled to HCAD's evidence package as long as you request it. It is supposed to be made available to you at least 14 days before your informal hearing. This will tell you whether or not they have your sale on file.

agree with Cru....

protest and get your evidence packet, which is called House Bill 201..

then you can see if they know about your sale, and you can see the comps, so you can compare this years evidence with next years... Just to have better ammunition, and use their own evidence against them.

i'm in same boat. Bought in 2012 and HCAD appraisal shot up more than what I bought for but I figure there they won't lower it below what we paid for it.

don't be that ****stick neighbor that doesn't protest his taxes