A letter to Dreamhill Residents from Carlos Resendez
Dear residents of Dreamhill Estates:
Recently, we all received our property assessment values for the next year. Please compare the appraised value from last year with the proposed assessed value for this next year. I am sure that in most cases, you will see that the improvement value was slightly decreased, if at all, and the land value was increased, anywhere from 100% to 125%. Because of the corona virus, there will be no in person meetings, so they recommend that you file a protest online no later than June 29. If you need help in completing the form please send a request to info@dreamhillestates.org. (Don’t wait until the 29th to ask for help!)
Click here to access Bexar County Services Portal
Reasons to protest your assessed values:
1. If you don’t protest, then the value that the Appraisal District has assessed will be the basis for your taxes next year.
Some people say, “I don’t need to protest because my taxes were frozen when I reached 65”.
2. While this is true, the assessed value can still continue to climb but is limited to not more than 10% per year. You don’t worry about it since your taxes were frozen. What people don’t understand is that the reason they froze your taxes is so that they could get you out of their hair. Seniors are the people that vote and they are the ones that protest their taxes. If you freeze taxes for seniors, they will never protest the assessed values, even though the assessed values continue to increase. Suppose you have a $200,000 valuation and the assessed value continues to increase every year from the time you are 65, yes your taxes are frozen and the assessed value cannot increase more than 10% per year. But suppose you live to 80, never protested your assessed value and in your Will, you leave your home to your child, Mary. In the 15 years that the property values were never protested, the assessed values have risen to $400,000. This is not to say that the market value of your property has gone up to $400,000, this only means that for tax purposes, the Appraised value is now $400,000, so Mary is now straddled with having to pay property taxes on an appraised value of $400,000 since you never protested. Was this really a gift to Mary or a terrible tax burden. Mary decides to sell the house because she cannot afford to pay the taxes.
3. There is another reason why you should protest your taxes. If you don’t protest, then the assessed value of your property is taken as a given. Next year your neighbor goes to protest his property, and since the District uses comparable values, they say, well I am sorry, but your neighbor’s house is appraised at a higher number, so your house should be of equal or greater value. So the District is using the fact that you didn’t protest the values against your neighbor, and in fact, against every homeowner in Dreamhill Estates.
So please protest your taxes for the good of all of the residents of Dreamhill Estates. Go online and dispute the assessed value based on 1) Incorrect appraised (market) value AND 2) Value is unequal when compared to other properties.
Thank you.
Carlos Resendez