Home Protests Pile 1.6% Reduction on Top of Assessed Decrease

In 2024, the Guadalupe Appraisal District (GCAD) assessed residential property as having gained 5.6% in taxable value. This was reversed in 2025 when GCAD declared that home values had dropped 0.2%, though they believed that 52% of all homes were overvalued. Despite the small downturn, many homeowners smartly protested their taxes. This led to an overall decrease of 1.4%, which brought the final total to $21.37 billion. Most value came from homes worth between $250,000 and $500,000, totaling $12.81 billion after a decrease of 1%. While netting an appellant cut of 0.9%, homes worth under $250,000 fell to $3.59 billion. Homes worth between $500,000 and $750,000 were reduced by 2.4% to $2.34 billion. Homes worth over $1.5 million were surprisingly high in both value and in their reduction, dropping 5.3% to $1.05 billion. Clients that used O’Connor for their appeals saw an overall culling of 4.9%.

Guadalupe County homes tend to be a little larger than the Texas average. Homes between 2,000 and 3,999 square feet had a combined value of $11.39 billion, even after being shaved down by 1.5%. Homes under 2,000 square feet were in the No. 2 slot with $8.41 billion after a cut of 1.5%. Those from 4,000 to 5,999 square feet decreased 5.5% to $473.25 million. Matching the previous graph, the largest homes experienced the biggest reduction with 14.4%, which translated into a final tally of $37.62 million.

When looked at by age of construction, Guadalupe County has a strong recency bias. Like most Texas counties, the largest source of value was homes built from 2001 to 2020, totaling $10.16 billion after a drop of 1.3%. $3.77 billion came from homes constructed from 1981 to 2000, which was after a trimming of 1.8%. The key difference was new construction. While most timeframes saw assessed decreases, new construction instead increased 28.2%. While this was eventually slowed by 1.5%, new construction still saw a grand total of $3.59 billion. If it was not for the meteoric rise of new construction, the overall value decrease would have been much higher.

Taxpayers Capitalize on Small Hike with Large Protest Reductions

While commercial properties did not get handed a decrease from GCAD, they did see a small bump of 1.7%, under what most counties had experienced. Business owners used this opportunity to launch solid appeals, bringing in further savings of 4.1%. This resulted in a final total of $6.75 billion. This was most keenly felt by commercial properties worth over $5 million, which dropped 5.6% to $2.22 billion. Only these were not the most valuable business properties. That honor went to real estate worth between $1 million and $5 million, which fell 4.4% to $2.27 billion. Businesses worth less than $250,000 and those assessed at between $500,000 and $1 million were cut 2.1% and 2.5% respectively. We at O’Connor were able to land a bonanza of savings for our business clients, bringing home a total reduction of 13.8%.

The largest reservoir of value in commercial property came from raw land. This is common in counties that are becoming more urban, as land becomes higher in demand. Totaling $4.60 billion, raw land saw a reduction of 2.9% thanks to appeals. Land had previously been assessed as declining by 4%, providing some key savings out of the gate. The initial decline in land swayed the overall total drastically, hiding that most other categories increased 10% or more. Warehouses were the second largest when it came to value, reaching $1.04 billion after a reduction of 5.2%. Apartments were in the No.3 slot with a savings of 9.2% and a total of $454.88 million. Offices and retail fell 6.3% and 7% respectively.

Recent construction had a similar weight in business properties as it did for homes. The “other” category, representing raw land, was No. 1, but actual developed properties followed the previous model. Properties built from 2001 to 2020 accounted for $1.04 billion in value after a significant cut of 7% thanks to appeals. Construction from 1981 to 2000 added $448.44 million following a reduction of 6.8%. New construction once again shot up dramatically, this time jumping 58.4% in value. These new business properties were eventually slashed by 5% to $4.22 million.

Apartments Slice 9.2% from Taxable Value

Apartments were initially handed an assessed increase of 31% from GCAD, though this was quickly countered with a flurry of appeals that managed to slash 9.2% from the total, resulting in a final tally of $454.88 million. Owing to the increasing urbanization of the county, apartments have some of the most pronounced recency bias out of all commercial properties. Apartments built from 2001 to 2020 accounted for 40.6% of all value, which translated to $184.51 million following a reduction of 10%. New construction was responsible for $177.11 million in value, seeing a cut of 6.1%. New construction had previously added 51.3% to its value. We at O’Connor focused hard on apartments, bringing our clients an overall reduction of 27%.

GCAD only categorized apartments into two types. Generic apartments got the lion’s share of value at $447.76 m, which was achieved after a reduction of 9.2%. Garden apartments fell 6.8% to $7.11 million.

Appeals Slow Growth from New Office Construction

GCAD started 2025 by increasing the value of offices by 13.8%, for a grand total of $373.49 million. This was eventually counterbalanced by informal and formal protests, resulting in a cut of 6.3%, creating a new total of $349.89 million. 42.5% of office value was built between 2001 and 2020, accounting for $149.89 million after a solid reduction of 7.5%. Those built between 1981 and 2000 experienced a drop of 6.2%, achieving a total of $74.76 million. Initially adding 35.2%, new construction was stymied somewhat thanks to a reduction of 6.2%. This meant that new offices totaled around $63.10 million. O’Connor clients were able to beat the county average, landing an overall reduction of 8.2%.

There were only two types of offices according to GCAD. Low-rise office buildings managed a reduction of 5.6%, falling to $227.02 million. Medical offices cut 7.7% from their total, going to $122.88 million.

Warehouses Land Key Reductions

Outside of raw land, warehouses were the largest type of commercial property in Guadalupe County. This is common for urban areas outside of major cities. Warehouses originally saw an increase of 11.9%, though this was met with a strong appeal campaign, resulting in a drop of 5.2%. This took the final tally from $1.10 billion to $1.04 billion. The construction pattern closely followed the previous examples, with $511.85 million coming from warehouses built between 2001 and 2020. These warehouses eventually saw a reduction of 5.2%. Those built from 1981 to 2000 decreased 5.8%, falling to $273.83 million. New construction was again a rising star, adding 45.3%, raising its total to $161.84 million. This was eventually cut back 3.5% to $161.84 million. Thanks to their importance, we at O’Connor were laser-focused on warehouses, eventually landing our clients an overall cut of 14.8%.

There were only three types of warehouses according to GCAD. Generic warehouses ruled the roost with a reduction of 5.5%, totaling $844.90 million. Mini warehouses fell 4.5% to $170.47 million, while office warehouses achieved a total of $24.65 million with no reduction.

Guadalupe County Fueled by Recent Construction

The key takeaway from this article may be that Guadalupe County is an area on the rise. A good deal of value now comes from new construction, meaning that the area is vibrant and growing. While certainly good on the surface, it can also represent a sleeping threat. As the community continues to change, the demand for land will increase, leading to higher taxable values. As a major suburb of San Antonio, Guadalupe could follow in the footsteps of Denton or Fort Bend Counties, becoming a red-hot market overnight. If things trend in that direction, then values could skyrocket. This leaves businesses and homeowners holding the bag, as they see their bills go up with little choice in the matter. The lone exception is property tax appeals, which will be vital in the years to come. Currently, relatively few taxpayers actually fight their taxes, with only around 5% doing so in 2023. This number needs to grow and quickly.

If you need help in your protest journey, O’Connor is here to help. For over 50 years, we have been fighting CADs across Texas and the nation. We were able to help over 185,000 clients in 2024 and are looking to expand. We do not just have a national reach but bring local expertise. Based in Houston, we also have a branch office in San Antonio. This means we can draw upon local experts or the resources of a national company. Texas property taxes can be difficult to understand, so using a Texas company is a must. In Guadalupe County, we were able to best the county number in basically all categories, saving our clients a combined $17.07 million in taxable value in 2025 alone. There is no cost to join, and you will only be charged if we can lower your taxes.