Deadline to protest property taxes in North Texas is fast approaching
DALLAS — Some North Texas residents are shocked and surprised to find out their property values and property taxes have sky-rocketed in 2024 compared to 2023.
"I almost cried. I was like, this is crazy," says Dallas County homeowner, Sandra Avalos.
Avalos lives in South Oak Cliff and says her home's value increased by nearly $40,000 and she is now looking to pay $1,000 more in property taxes compared to last year.
"I'm not going to be able to afford this. I still have a kid that has all these needs. So, this is not feasible," Avalos said.
Property values are going up in many counties. Based on preliminary estimates from multiple appraisal districts, Dallas County is seeing a 15-16% increase in homes compared to last year. Collin and Tarrant counties are seeing a 5% increase, and Denton County is staying about the same.
Thankfully, residents like Avalos can fight to lower their property value by filing a "protest" either online or in person at a county tax appraisal office. But the deadline for most county residents to file across the state is coming up this Wednesday, May 15.
"The phones have just been going off the hook," says Will Wiggins, owner and tax consultant for North Texas Property Tax Services.
Wiggins has been busy filing protests for clients across North Texas. He says he can save homeowners thousands of dollars in taxes, but you can also file a protest yourself online. He says if homeowners do file on their own, they need to do research on their home and other homes in their neighborhoods as well to come up with the best value.
"If there's a hole in the roof, or the faucet doesn't work, or something like that, those types of things are important information," Wiggins said. "I think the frustrations for most clients that we see are about the excessive values that are out of place. They need to do their homework sometimes."
Wiggins also advises homeowners to file what's called "a homestead exemption," which locks in a homeowner's tax increase to no more than 10 percent per year if that homeowner has lived in the homes by January 1 of the same year.
"The appraisal districts can do whatever they want with your value. It's their opinion, but your homestead can protect you," Wiggins said.
Avalos took off work and rushed to file her protest on Monday. She says the paperwork and time are worth it if it means big savings.
"It is tedious, time-consuming, and all of the above, but it's worthwhile because you save a couple of thousand dollars a year," Avalos admits.
Tarrant County residents have until May 24 to file protests due to a recent cyber security issue with the website.
