Homes Add 4.8% in Market Value

Market value is what the Nueces County Appraisal District (NCAD) believes a home would sell for on the open market, and this serves as the basis for other values and taxes. In 2026, NCAD estimated that residential real estate grew by 4.8% to $31.30 billion. Most of this value was centered on modest homes, with those being valued under $250,000 accounting for $9.66 billion, while those between $250,000 and $500,000 contributing $11.43 billion. These grew by 2.8% and 4.1%, respectively. Conversely, the two largest categories grew the most, with those worth between $1 million and $1.5 million adding 13% to their market value, while those worth over $1.5 million added 11.2%. When combined, these two categories were responsible for over $4 billion of the total.

When looked at by size, it is clear that small homes make up the majority of value in Nueces County. Adding 3.8%, homes measuring under 2,000 square feet totaled $16.58 billion. Those measuring 2,000 to 3,999 square feet spiked 6.4% to $12.86 billion. The only other category of homes to exceed $1 billion in value was homes measuring 6,000 to 8,999 square feet, which grew by 3.5% to $1.46 billion.

Most counties in Texas experienced a building boom between 2001 and 2020, though this construction blitz was still going strong in most areas. This is certainly true in Nueces County, where 32% of residential value was constructed between 2001 and 2020, totaling $9.86 billion. New construction surged 22.2% to $3.54 billion, roughly 11% of the total. Those built from 1981 to 2000 added 2.2% to reach $7.15 billion. The two oldest categories of homes combined for 34% of all value, around $10.5 billion.

65% of All Homes are Overvalued by NCAD

While the real estate market in Corpus Christi and the surrounding area is hot, there are indicators that NCAD is being overly aggressive with its appraisals. A study of home sales to begin 2026 showed that an estimated 65% of all homes were overappraised, meaning that homeowners were stuck paying higher taxes than they should. Overappraisal is the most common justification for a property tax appeal, and is proven by studying home sales, which should encourage every homeowner to challenge their taxes in the future.

Another study by the San Antonio Board of Realtors (SABOR) showed that the real market value of homes across the area had actually declined by 1.2% to start the year. This was in stark contrast to NCAD’s assertions that values were up 4.8%. This is another indicator that homeowners may be paying too much. Even though the appeal deadline has passed, knowing this can give homeowners a reason to protest in 2027, as that can help mitigate the value increase.

Nueces Businesses Add 2.8% to Market Value

While the real estate market in Corpus Christi and the surrounding area is hot, there are indicators that NCAD may be overly aggressive with its appraisals. A study of home sales to begin 2026 showed that an estimated 65% of all homes were overappraised, meaning that homeowners were paying higher taxes than they should. Overappraisal is a common justification for a property tax appeal, and it is proven by studying home sales, which can encourage every homeowner to challenge their taxes in the future.

The largest type of commercial property in the county was raw land, which was valued at $9.85 billion following an uptick of 1.2%. Apartments were the largest developed property at $3.03 billion, and grew by 4.5%. Offices added 3.6% to reach $1.61 billion, while retail totaled $1.17 billion following a large increase of 6.3%. Warehouses were the fastest-growing business type, adding 7.2% for a final total of $618.76 million.

Like homes, the largest percentage of value was constructed between 2001 and 2020, which totaled $2.93 billion following an uptick of 2%. 1981 to 2000 produced $1.94 billion in market value, after a solid growth rate of 3.4%. New construction soared 34.3% for a final tally of $491.31 million. After a spike of 4.1%, businesses built from 1961 to 1980 totaled $1.39 billion, good enough for third place.

Commercial Value Across the Nation Plummets

Analysis by the Federal Reserve of St. Louis (FRED) has revealed that commercial real estate across the nation has fallen by 7% in the past few years. This certainly disagrees with NCAD’s assessment of 2.6% growth in Nueces County. This certainly has some caveats, as Texas has seen a much better economy than a lot of the nation. In addition, Nueces is a major county, which can skew things. Still, discrepancies like this are why most Texas businesses appeal their values annually.

Apartments jumped 4.5%

Apartments are the most valuable business type in the county, as they are in most urban counties. Multifamily housing spiked 4.5% in 2026 to total $3.03 billion. The construction timeframe pattern stayed consistent, with 41% of all apartment value being built between 2001 and 2020, though this only grew 1.3% in 2026. Those built from 1981 to 2000 accounted for 25%, while those built from 1961 to 1980 were responsible for 22% of all value. New construction soared 37.9%, and reached 8% of all value, around $244.66 million.

Unlike most counties, Nueces used several subtypes of apartments to break down value. The most valuable category was large apartments, which reached $1.60 billion following a jump of 5.4%. Garden apartments were second with $1.34 billion, growing by 3.5%. Senior apartments added 1.2%, while student apartments increased by 5.2%. These combined for less than $100 million.

Offices Jump 3.6% in Market Value

Offices have struggled in recent years, but that has not hurt their value in Nueces County. After adding 3.6%, the overall value for offices reached $1.61 billion. $688.76 million of this came from the construction period of 2001 to 2020, though this only added 0.7%. $484.95 million was built from 1981 to 2000, after an increase of 3.9%. 14% of office value came from those built from 1961 to 1980. New construction jumped by an astounding 16.5%, ending with a final tally of $99.64 million.

NCAD used several subtypes for offices, with most of them being related to the overall condition of the property. Medical offices climbed 2% to total $399.22 million. Most office value came from units in average condition, which added 3.9% to total $722.71 million. Those in good condition contributed $269.59 million, while those in low condition added $91.15 million. Apartments in excellent condition saw a 2.6% reduction in value, for a final total of $126.55 million.

Retail Spikes 6.3%

Retail is the third-largest type of commercial property and grew strongly in 2026, adding 6.3% to market value. 36% of this value was built between 2001 and 2020, translating to roughly $415.34 million. Those from 1981 to 2000 and 1961 to 1980 each accounted for 22% of all retail value. New construction saw a huge jump of 34.5%, for a final sum of $79.22 million.

NCAD broke retail spaces down into several subtypes. The largest of these were single-tenant big box stores, which contributed $407.79 million to the overall total. Strip centers added 9.9% to total $396.17 million, followed by neighborhood shopping centers with $199.26 million. Malls and community shopping centers represented the lowest values and combined for $161 million.

Warehouses Soar 7.2%

Warehouses are the fastest-growing commercial property in Nueces County, adding 7.2% in market value in 2026 to total $618.76 million. 45% of this value was built from 2001 to 2020, equaling $280.20 million. Those from 1981 to 2000 accounted for $139.19 million. Those from 1961 to 1980 saw a staggering increase of 15.3% to total $117.60 million. New construction added 14.8% for a final tally of $35.27 million.

NCAD used only two subtypes of warehouses. Mini warehouses accounted for $314.10 million following a jump of 8.5%. Office warehouses spiked 5.9% to reach $304.67 million.

O’Connor Offers Appeal Hearing Representation

While most taxpayers saw the appeal deadline pass on May 15, they can still get expert assistance with their informal meeting with NCAD or during a formal hearing with the appraisal review board (ARB). If you need an expert to organize your evidence or represent you in hearings, we at O’Connor are here to help. Even after you file, we can still be added to your case and can get you the best results. We have been successfully helping Texans get value reductions for over 50 years. By reducing your market value, you can see lower taxes. Cutting these values will not impact your resale value, as they are only for taxation purposes.

Informal meetings with NCAD will happen soon. While these are typically relaxed, you will need sufficient evidence to prove your case and hopefully land the reduction you need. This evidence needs to match your grounds for appeal, and will vary depending on how you are challenging your values. In addition to photographs, you will need sales records if you are trying to prove overappraisal, while unequal appraisal requires collecting comparable appraisal values from similar nearby properties. No matter the strategy, these comparisons must be in the same location, be of similar size, and be of similar age.

Even if you did not file in 2026, we can get you ready for 2027. When you sign up with us, we will protest your taxes every year, ensuring that you never miss another deadline. You are also given a client success consultant, who will guide you through the process and ensure that you always have a single contact to reach out to. We can also send out a concierge visit to your home or business, letting us see your property firsthand. There is no cost to join, and you will only pay if we can lower your taxes.