» Who is O'Connor & Associates – and how can you reduce my property taxes?
» If I hire you, what do I have to do?
» How are my tax savings calculated?
» Do I need to attend the hearing?
» Is there a fee if you don't reduce my taxes?
» How are fees billed for current and future years?
» Can my taxes go up?
» When is the deadline to protest my property value?
» Should I hire you or should I do it myself?
» When do the new tax rates come out?
» If I have an appeal pending do I have to pay my taxes?
» What if the county has my square footage listed incorrectly?
» Will someone come out to inspect my property?
» How do I know O'Connor & Associates is reputable? What about credibility?
Q: Who is O'Connor & Associates – and how can you reduce my property taxes?
A: O'Connor & Associates is a real estate property tax consulting, appraisal and market research firm. We employ over 125 people, including property tax consultants, real estate appraisers, federal tax reduction consultants and a market research team. We have developed an organized process for compiling and analyzing data for each property we represent. This includes researching the public records for the subject property, examining recent sales of similar properties in the vicinity of the subject and performing an assessment comparable analysis (Uniform and Equal analysis).
In 2004, we filed over 33,000 property tax protest hearings, effectively reducing our client's assessed values by over $764 million, saving taxes of over $21.5 million. Our results are based on skilled staff, extensive databases, understanding the property tax process and employing an aggressive approach.
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Q: If I hire you, what do I have to do?
A: We would ask you to discuss your property and objectives with us for a few minutes on the phone. The whole process should take no more than five to ten minutes of your time.
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Q: How are my tax savings calculated?
A: For the tax year in question, subtract the property's final assessed value (after the protest hearing) from its initial noticed value. Then multiply the difference by the previous year's total tax rate. The resulting number equals the amount of tax savings. For example, if the initial assessed value is $100,000 and the final assessed value achieved by O'Connor & Associates is $90,000 and your tax rate is 3%, property taxes saved are $300.
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Q: Do I need to attend the hearing?
A: No, we will attend the hearing for you.
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Q: Is there a fee if you don't reduce my taxes?
A: No!!! There are no hidden fees and absolutely no fees unless we reduce your property taxes. We will not send you an invoice unless we reduce your property taxes.
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Q: How are fees billed for current and future years?
A: If we reduce your taxes, the fee is applicable for the protested year only. Your contract will remain in effect until you cancel it. We will continue protesting each year and send you a bill only if we reduce your property assessment for that year. You may cancel the agreement at any time.
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Q: Can my taxes go up?
A: There is a chance, but it is very rare. Property taxes are raised only about once in every 10,000 property tax protest hearings, usually because of extenuating circumstances.
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Q: When is the deadline to protest my property value?
A: In Texas the deadline to protest property values is May 31 or 30 days after the appraisal district sends notice of the assessed value, whichever is later. The appraisal district is required to send notice if the assessed value is increased by more than $1,000 from the prior year's value. In most cases the deadline in Texas is May 31st. If the 31st falls on a Saturday or Sunday the deadline is the following business day.
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Q: Should I hire you or should I do it myself?
A: The advantage of hiring us is you have a full-time professional armed with vast databases and an understanding of the property tax protest process.
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Q: When do the new tax rates come out?
A: Tax rates for most tax entities in Texas are set in November of the current year just before the tax bills are issued. In some cases, the tax rates are set at a later date.
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Q: If I have an appeal pending do I have to pay my taxes?
A: Yes. To avoid penalties and interest all taxes must be paid by the delinquency date. You will receive a refund if an appeal is later settled in your favor.
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Q: What if the county has my square footage listed incorrectly?
A: You may request the county appraisal district do a field check on the subject property.
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Q: Will someone come out to inspect my property?
A: This is unlikely, due to the fact that most counties handle thousands of protests each year. An O'Connor consultant may need to inspect your property, but only in rare circumstances.
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Q: How do I know O'Connor & Associates is reputable? What about credibility?
A: Since 1983, O'Connor & Associates has been highly respected in the real estate field, and is well known for tracking and publishing real estate trends and activity for apartments, retail, industrial, and office markets. Our president, Patrick C. O'Connor is a licensed Senior Property Tax Consultant and frequently authors articles on how to reduce property taxes. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today and National Real Estate Investor magazine. Pat O'Connor is the author of Cut Your Texas Property Taxes, a book that empowers individuals to challenge the appraisal district to reduce assessed property value.
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