AFFECTED BY HURRICANE HARVEY?
As of August 28, 2017, Governor Abbott has declared the following counties disaster areas: Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Colorado, Comal, DeWitt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kerr, Kleberg, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Live Oak, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Nueces, Polk, Refugio, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Tyler, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, Wharton, Willacy, and Wilson.
KEEP THE COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT INFORMED
Information about the extent of damage will help appraisal districts in any reappraisal effort for tax year 2017 and in appraising the property for future tax years. Without this information, appraisal districts will be left to guess whether damage was sustained and, if so, what the extent may be. It is important that detailed records concerning the damage and cost of repair be kept. These records should track the loss at the specific location corresponding to
the appraisal district’s account number. They need to show the state of the property before and after the disaster, and the actual expenses incurred in remedying the loss. It is particularly important for businesses electing a September 1 inventory appraisal date to be diligent in recording their loss as of that date. Generally, the more specific and detailed the records, the better they will be in supporting a request for reducing the appraised value.
PREPARE TO PROTEST 2018 VALUES
Considering the extent of unprecedented damage caused by Harvey, it is unrealistic to expect appraisal districts to arrive at accurate appraised values for tax year 2018. Property owners should be prepared to protest their 2018 appraised values armed with records detailing the damage sustained and cost of repair. The protest process will allow further time for appraisal districts to work with property owners in reviewing the scope of damage and in adjusting
appraised values accordingly.
If your property was affected by Hurricane Harvey, please CLICK HERE to download our hurricane damage form. You may submit this form by faxing it to 281-556-8110 or via email to buenavistamgmt@msn.com
Buena Vista Management Co. provides professional property tax consulting services for properties throughout the State of Texas. We represent commercial properties such as industrial, retail and office buildings, and multifamily. We also protest residential properties for our clients.
In addition, we offer the following services:
• File the protests on your behalf
• Attend informal and formal hearings on our client's behalf
• Gather evidence
• Market analysis
• File Exemptions for your agricultural, timber, or wildlife, residential or commercial, TCEQ exemptions
• File corrections
• File split out or combine properties
• File business personal property (BPP) Renditions
The evidence we prepare includes photos, ArcGIS Online maps, flood maps and data, sales comparison approach, equity analysis, income approach, and cost approach.
COUNTIES WE SERVE
Currently, we protest for Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Nueces, Refugio, Victoria, Jim Wells, Galveston, Brazoria, Waller, Hays and Bexar.
Remember, when we lower your appraised value by protesting, it will not affect the market value of your property if you decide to sell.
SIGN UP NOW!
DOWNLOAD FORMS:
IMPORTANT DATES:
JANUARY 1 - Kicks off appraisal district's determination of property taxable valuations and exemption status
APRIL 15 - Deadline to file exemptions
APRIL 15 - Deadline to file business personal property (BPP) renditions
MAY 31 - Deadline to file a protest with the Appraisal Review Board
OCTOBER - Tax bills are usually mailed during this month
JANUARY 31 OF FOLLOWING YEAR - Deadline to pay property taxes without penalty and interest.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What are the fees?
There are no set up fees. Our fee is 35% of the tax savings for residential and commercial properties and 50% for vacant lots. Our fees are solely dependent on getting you a tax savings. Fees may vary for counties outside of Harris County.
If we don't get you a tax savings, we don't get paid!
What's the last day to file?
In the State of Texas the last day to protest is May 31st.
How can you reduce my property taxes?
Once appointed as your agent, Buena Vista Management Co. will file a protest on your behalf. Our property tax professionals will gather all evidence and appeal on the informal hearing date. If we are unable to reach a reasonable agreement with the county appraiser we will appeal it in front of the ARB in the formal hearing. Our company will send you a final settlement from the appraisal district showing your tax savings.
What if I've already filed a protest, can I still hire you?
Yes, we will send you an appointment of agent form and service agreement. Once we've received it we will submit it with the appropriate appraisal district. We must have both forms signed and returned before we can represent you.
What if I missed my informal hearing?
We can still help you. We will need an appointment of agent form and service agreement signed before we can represent you. Once received, our property tax professionals will attend the formal hearing on your behalf.
Noteworthy Cases
We've successfully decreased the appraised value by 42% for one of our longtime commercial clients who owns a shopping center in Westchase. Harris County appraised the property value at $1,800,000 and we successfully lowered the value to $1,043,000. By identifying and quantifying functional obsolescence of the center, we saved the owner over $15,000 in 2016 and $19,125 in 2017, plus $20,000 in estimated continued annual savings.