SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — If you decide to protest your property value and receive your hearing date and information on how the appraisal district appraised your property, the next step is to start gathering evidence and building a well-informed argument.

“Bring any documentation you have. Perhaps you live in one of those neighborhoods where everyone has remodeled or someone has torn down a home next to you and completely rebuilt brand new. You’re not interested in that, you enjoy your home and the style and the timeframe of when it was bought, bring photos of that,” said Keller Williams realtor, Mimi Clark.

Most of the time there isn’t enough staff for every appraiser to do a detailed appraisal on your home so it’s your job to bring the details and show them what they missed.

“Take pictures of your property, show exactly what condition they are in, for example, cracked foundations, peeling paint off sidings, if your roof needs replacing,” said Tom Green County Judge, Lane Carter.

Don’t be afraid to inquire about other properties. This will help you be aware of what your home’s style, build, and amenities are being compared to.

“If you have proof in your area especially developed areas that might not see raw land value sales or if you have a lot that might have sold recently go and talk to them. See if you can find the comp sales. That will provide data for the appraisal district to show what that value truly is,” said Judge Carter.

Once your appraisal value is set, the appraisal district will figure out your tax bill based on the tax rate.

“Your tax bill is split into two parts. You have the value which is set by the Tom Green County Appraisal District and then the taxing entities which are the school, the county, the city, and a few water districts. Those are the taxing entities that establish the tax rate depending off of the values,” said Judge Carter.

As a community member, you can influence those taxing entities in our county by making your voice heard.

“The next step is to talk to your school board representatives and talk to the city council. Ultimately, they are going to decide how much we are going to be taxed so get involved,” said Clark.