We all know there’s been a paradigm shift (an overworked term but relevant nevertheless) in how information is processed and shared since the birth of the Internet.  Many people don’t realize that it also affects whether or not you’ll pay only your fair share of property taxes.

Appraisal districts now know more than you can imagine (or you can acquire) about the marketplace and about your property.  Their data comes from so many sources that it would be almost impossible for any one taxpayer to replicate and compete .against it.  Their data is constantly being improved; each year we see more efficient data gathering and distribution and the use of that data by the district’s appraisers in one on one negotiating sessions.

It’s difficult for any one taxpayer to compete, especially when you are limited to less than five minutes’ presentation before the Appraisal Review Board.  That’s why many taxpayers hire a competent professional Texas property tax consultant who is worth his or her fee.

The devil is in the adjectives: “competent and professional”.  If your consultant is still doing things the old fashioned way (meaning the way they were done five years ago), then you are likely to be among those who pay more than their fair share.

How to differentiate one consultant from another?  Look for verifiable results (meaning identifiable property addresses) in your property category (residential, commercial, industrial, multi family, etc.) and a web presence that demonstrates competence, professionalism and a targeted approach to obtaining reductions rather than just promoting the firm.  At my firm, Property Tax Protest, we’ll identify the reductions we’ve obtained in your neighborhood and category by street number and name, not by generalities.