Ask your county appraiser: What’s your home worth?

By Janna Zepp

For many homeowners, mystery shrouds the determination of their property’s value by county appraisal district.

How did the CAD come up with that number? When did my house get that expensive? Why isn’t it worth what I thought it was? If I sold my home today, would I really get that price at sale? Why do I now owe an additional 10 percent on my tax bill?

It really isn’t a mystery at all, and Bell County Appraisal District’s chief appraiser Billy White explains why.

The Bell County Appraisal District values all properties within the county for ad valorem (Latin for “according to value”) tax purposes, administers all property tax exemptions and special valuations, and maintains parcels, maps and ownership records for all properties within the county.

“In Bell County, as in 109 other counties in the state, we are also contracted by the county and nearly all the taxing entities within the county to provide all tax collections and tax rate calculations,” White said. “In counties where this is not the case, the county tax assessor/collector is generally responsible for the collection and calculation tasks. The appraisal district is a political subdivision of Texas and it is not part of the county.”

The real estate market drives valuations. The Texas Property Tax Code requires that the appraised values be at market value.

“The best way to determine the market value is by looking at sales of properties and trends of what is happening in the county,” White said. “We are merely trying to reflect what is seen in the market.

“Simply put, in the example of neighborhood with similar homes, we will review all sales prices that have happened over the prior year as compared to our appraised values from the prior year,” White said. “We then determine how much higher or lower the sales prices are, and then adjust each property within that neighborhood accordingly.”

White said that in the early part of 2020 in Bell County, the inventory of properties for sale was an all-time low of 2.3 months — well below six months, which is considered the point of equilibrium for a stable market. White said most homes were being sold for close to listing prices. This may not be true when looking at properties with condition issues or unique and rural properties where comparable sales are much harder to find.

“If a homeowner gets an appraisal with which they disagree, there’s a way to protest it, and there are a few different options. It is important to do these well in advance of any listed deadlines on their appraisal notices,” White said.

Those options are:

• Walk-in –BCAD offers a walk-in informal inquiry process at the Belton office. It will accept inquiries from April 6 through May 1 on a first come, first served basis. Owners of multiple properties may be asked to come back at different times so everyone has time to discuss their properties.
• Online – File protest online through the BCAD website at bellcad.org.
• Mail or hand-delivered – Homeowners can mail back the protest form that comes with appraisal notices or hand-deliver to any of the three BCAD offices (Belton, Temple, and Killeen).

White recommends homeowners bring any evidence that they believe demonstrates why their property is not valued at market value. They should bring any sales that they believe are comparable with their property. If there are specific issues with their property, such as condition or disrepair issues, they should bring in as much evidence as possible, including recent photos and repair estimates. If they have bought or refinanced the property, they should bring the settlement statement and the fee appraisal.

When a property owner comes in for their protest, they first meet with an appraiser to review their concerns and any information that they have. The appraiser will discuss how the BCAD valuation was completed for this year. Based on the specific information that the appraiser reviews, he or she can make an offer to the property owner. If, at that point, the appraiser and property owner cannot come to an agreement, the property owner will go before the Appraisal Review Board.

White said the ARB is a decision-making body independent of the appraisal district and appointed by the county’s administrative law judge. Protests that cannot be settled informally are heard by it. It will hear evidence presented by the property owner and the appraisal district and make a determination at the conclusion of the hearing.

If a property owner is not satisfied with the results of the ARB determination, they may appeal further by requesting binding arbitration. This must be done within 60 days of receiving the ARB’s determination results. Once the binding arbitration request has been accepted, the arbitration will be heard by an arbitrator assigned by the Texas State Comptroller. There are limits as to types of properties and what can be appealed to binding arbitration.

The Texas Property Tax Code requires the appraisal district to reappraise every property at least every three years. All properties are reappraised every year in Bell County to keep up with the market and to ensure the appraisal district can pass the property value studies performed by the Texas State Comptroller. The International Association of Assessing Officers set the standard to physically re-inspect every property every six years. This can be by many methods including on-site physical, street-level imagery, and digital imagery with change finder detection. Bell CAD is currently doing these at least every other year.

Building permits also trigger appraisal inspections. White said that during the discovery phase of the appraisal cycle, the appraiser will review all building permits filed with local governments to determine properties that have made changes since the prior year.

“Although you may not always be happy with the taxes you pay, the appraisal district is confined by the Texas Property Tax Code that places many requirements on the job that we do. If you protest, remember that you are protesting the appraisal on the property, and not the taxes, even though the appraisal is a part of the tax calculation,” White said.

He explained that the code requires the appraisal district to be at market value each year, and the appraisal district is tested to ensure that they are within those standards. Failure of these tests could result in loss of funding to the school districts.

To save some on taxes, White also recommends that homeowners ensure they have all possible exemptions for which they may qualify. He said that people may not realize they qualify for a tax exemption that could be providing them some tax relief. The BCAD website has more information on those exemptions.

“At the Tax Appraisal District of Bell County, we are striving to perform quality services as required by the Texas Property Tax Code. We have a great staff here that cares immensely about providing quality customer service and doing a great job,” White said.