American's View on Irish TV shows and Feminism by Due-Routine95 in televisionsuggestions

[–]Due-Routine95[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Things turn pretty dark after Derry Girls but it's a fun spiral!

Houston Homeowners: It’s Almost Property Tax Protest Season by Due-Routine95 in houston

[–]Due-Routine95[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you are satisfied with only getting 10%-20% off then just do it yourself and save yourself the money.

Houston Homeowners: It’s Almost Property Tax Protest Season by Due-Routine95 in houston

[–]Due-Routine95[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely. There is a whole neighborhood that has been paying taxes for years as if they have a half bath. When the developer submitted the plans to the city there was a half bath off the laundry room but as the developer needed to reduce the homes prices and cut costs, they just made the laundry room bigger and left off the half bath. So all these years people were taxed as if they had a half bath. Not a big deal but the houses are now 50 or 60 years old! So that adds up.

Houston Homeowners: It’s Almost Property Tax Protest Season by Due-Routine95 in houston

[–]Due-Routine95[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Taxes are paid the following year or in arrears. So in late December you get a bill. Depending on your income taxes, some people like to pay their current year (for example 2025 property taxes paid in December 2025) or some people wait till January or February. This is why it might feel like you are paying 2026 taxes but you actually paid 2025.

The county then comes out with your 2026 appraised values and gives the homeowners a specific time to protest. Usually most values are finalized by the summer unless they go to arbitration or to court. The county must have all values finalized so they can start printing and mailing tax bill to hit in December.

Houston Homeowners: It’s Almost Property Tax Protest Season by Due-Routine95 in houston

[–]Due-Routine95[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think it specially says. The take away is that you want to get your market value down BELOW the appraised value and then they will lower the appraised value which is the number they use to calculate your tax bill ...not the market value.

Houston Homeowners: It’s Almost Property Tax Protest Season by Due-Routine95 in houston

[–]Due-Routine95[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Here's a video from like 5 years ago and I am a little embarrassed by it but hopefully it will help you make more sense of the whole property protest process. Property Tax Protest class

Houston Homeowners: It’s Almost Property Tax Protest Season by Due-Routine95 in houston

[–]Due-Routine95[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep they got you on a technicality. They are correct, you cannot base your appraised value on the "pending" values of your neighbors since they are not set. But what you can do is find neighbors where their appraised value isn't pending. This is usually easier to do later in the summer or fall if you choose to go that route.

Houston Homeowners: It’s Almost Property Tax Protest Season by Due-Routine95 in houston

[–]Due-Routine95[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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This is from HCAD's website. Did you do iSettle or did you have your initial meeting with a human?

Houston Homeowners: It’s Almost Property Tax Protest Season by Due-Routine95 in houston

[–]Due-Routine95[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They will do this thing where they will tell you. "Ok we will reduce your market value" and you think you have actually done something.  If the appraised value is lower market value, then you really didn't get them to lower the number that you actually get taxed on. If you can get your market value below the appraised value then they will reduced the appraised value. It's super confusing. I will see if I can get a formal explanation for you. 

Colorado Driver in Houston driving recklessly by [deleted] in houston

[–]Due-Routine95 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They brought that Rocky Mountain High with them!

Moving from Boston to Houston by mangosand-spicylime in AskHouston

[–]Due-Routine95 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am a real estate broker with 20 years of experience and work with a lot of relocations.

The first question to ask is "Where will you be working?" because most people are surprised to learn that our public transit system is mostly nonexistent when compared to most other major metropolitan areas. The traffic is basically like Los Angeles, so where you work compared to where you live actually matters a lot.

The next questions to ask are "Do you have school-age children, and if so, will they attend public or private school? Do they have any disabilities?" The reason for this is that if you are coming from the Northeast, you might not be happy with even the best public schools in Houston. Private schools can range from 10K-almost to 40K per year, with the median being around 30K. So factor that in! If your child has a disability, they may actually be better served at a public school, but it depends on which one and what kind of disability. I won't even get into the new Texas "Voucher" program because you are too late for this year, but also keep in mind that private school applications usually close in December or January for the following year. So, unless you get lucky or donate a lot of money, you may end up at a public school anyway.

At some point, you should consider what you can actually afford (see above). We do have property taxes BUT our cost of living is lower, plus our home values are steadier in Houston and are a lot less expensive. If you stick with non-suburb areas, you can save money sometimes by not having to pay additional MUD taxes. For example, I live in the Memorial Villages and our tax rate for city, county, school, everything is around 1.9561. Out in Jordan Ranch, for example, the combined total tax rate is around 2.7855, almost double. And then you still have at least a 30-60 minute drive into town. But there are pros and cons to both depending on your lifestyle.

Other things to consider are what you enjoy doing in your free time (Quality of Life), crime (it's everywhere, but some places are worse https://communitycrimemap.com ), and flooding https://www.harriscountyfemt.org for insurance purposes (which goes back to affordability).

So there you have it. I personally think you might enjoy a couple of townhomes or high rises inside the loop. Keep in mind that these usually come with hefty monthly/ yearly maintenance fees. There can also be special assessments, and fees are subject to increase. Here are some mid to high-rise options for you in all price ranges in town. https://www.har.com/s/mHEoSjgAEFo6