Martin Q. Blank said:
Quote:
3. All that being said, what do I do here - A.) Go in with Pics of the inside of the home to fight the "Very Good" condition with the appraiser. B.) Hire someone to fight it for me - if so, who? C.) Chalk it up as a loss to the condition knowing that I somewhat got an advantage with #1.
The only place to get it changed back is the informal hearing with an appraiser. I'd choose (A). Go in and have them prove to you why it was upgraded. Bring in photos of the inside that show nothing has changed. Exterior paint and landscaping does not change the condition of the house itself.
Which condition did they upgrade? Cond / Desir / Util or Physical Condition?
I've been asking HCAD to "downgrade" the classification of my home for the last 4 years with no luck. My home was renovated a couple years prior to me purchasing and incorrectly classified as a complete gut and buildback, when in reality it was mostly cosmetic. I didn't think to argue it the first few years because the appraised value was about what I paid for it, or even slightly less. However, it skyrocketed the last 3 years at a much higher rate than similarly renovated homes in my area. When I ran a comparison, the only thing different was how my home's renovation was classified.
I've been very successful at getting HCAD to reduce the appraised value down to what it should be every year. However, they still won't change the classification, so I have to continue to fight it every year. During my formal protest last August, they agreed with my assessment and said they "might" send someone to look at my house. Well, the guy happened to show up about an hour ago (7 months later), but we weren't home. I only know he was there because my Ring camera showed a guy wearing a vest that said HCAD Appraiser.
