By Sateesh Polisetti, Licensed Property Tax Consultant (TDLR #12971) · Company update · 7 min read

Bezit has to run 50,000 property tax protests before May 15, 2027. Last season we ran about 1,500. The back office that does that work is a handful of people in Frisco, Texas, and the plan is not to hire about 150 more.

That's the problem in front of us. It's harder than it sounds, and the reason is the calendar.

Texas has no income tax, so it leans on property taxes instead. Every spring the county appraisal districts mail out new assessed values, and plenty of those values are higher than the house would actually sell for. Homeowners can protest, and most don't, because the process is a wall of paperwork and nobody has the time.

The ones who do protest hit a calendar with no give in it. In the counties we serve, data usually shows up around April 21. The deadline is generally May 15, or 30 days after the notice is delivered if that is later (Texas Tax Code § 41.44). Informal meetings with district appraisers, then formal ARB hearings, run May through July.

Miss the deadline and the homeowner generally pays the higher bill for that year.

The company

Bezit is a property tax consultancy in Frisco, Texas, founded in 2022 by Sateesh Polisetti, a licensed Texas property tax consultant. Last season's 1,500 homeowners were all in Collin and Denton counties. For 2027 we're adding Tarrant and Dallas, so the 50,000 has to come out of four counties where we only have a track record in two.

Roughly 33 times the case volume, in one season, from a team you could fit around one table.

Most companies staring at a gap like that would be drafting a hiring plan. We looked at automation first.

Why hiring doesn't solve it

Protest work arrives as a flood with a date on it.

You can sign a thousand customers in a week in April and almost nobody in October. The standard answer is seasonal staff: hire hard in March, train fast, hope the training sticks, let everyone go in July, then do it again next year.

It's worth writing out what that costs at 50,000.

The back office work on one residential case is a chain of small repetitive tasks. Pull the appraisal district record and the assessment history. Find comparable properties and check them. Build the equity grid. Assemble the evidence packet. File with the county and confirm the county actually took it. Track the hearing date and keep the homeowner in the loop.

Call it an hour a case.

Take the gentler of those two rows. A company our size would have to hire and train about 150 seasonal back office staff, then supervise their accuracy through the worst weeks of the year, then shut the whole operation down again in July. The following March it starts over with a new set of people.

That is a second company bolted onto the first one, staffed by people who have never done the work before, running in the only weeks of the year where a mistake can't be undone.

What the 10 percent does to the math

We charge 10 percent of what we save you, and nothing at all if the protest loses. Homestead exemption filings are free, late ones included. If you bought your house after January 2025, your first protest is free too. Some national firms charge 25 percent of your savings or more. Others bill 1 percent of the reduction in your home's value, which at typical Texas tax rates takes about half of what you actually save.

Homeowners do well out of that arrangement. It leaves us very little room.

The average saving we win for a homeowner is about $600, so a typical won case earns about $60. Out of that $60 comes the evidence work, the filing, the licensed agent sitting in the hearing room, whatever it cost to find the customer, and overhead. An hour of back office labour at any wage a Texas employer actually pays takes roughly half of it before anyone has argued the case. Multiply by 50,000. The free protests for recent buyers cost the same to run and bring in nothing at all.

Our whole position in the market is being much cheaper than the incumbents, and that only holds if serving one more homeowner costs close to nothing. Hours don't work like that.

What makes it worth attempting is that the relationship renews. A Bezit enrollment carries over to the next year automatically until the homeowner cancels, and we put our retention at 99.2 percent. That is the number that lets us spend on a customer now and earn on them for years.

It also means the caseload stacks. Every homeowner signed this spring is a case to run again next spring, on top of whoever signs next. A back office sized by hiring has to grow every year just to stand still.

What we're building with AutomatR

AutomatR is an enterprise agentic automation platform. It is a toolkit for building software agents that take over repetitive back office work, not a replacement for the people who run that work. According to AutomatR, it includes:

• AI Agent Builder for building the agents themselves.
• Workflow Studio, a visual tool for designing and running automated workflows.
• Document Intelligence for pulling data out of forms, invoices and contracts.
• Knowledge Base Search for answers, with citations, across internal documents.

Its documentation lists more than 1,000 ready-made automation activities. We have no results to report yet, because the season has not run.

Here is why it fits our problem. Collin, Denton, Tarrant and Dallas each run their own systems, with their own local habits layered on top, and those systems change. Most of the work happens on county web portals built for people, not software. An agent that can only handle one county, or breaks every time a county redesigns a screen, is useless come April.

We started in August 2026, aimed at this coming season.

Filing is the step where being exact matters most, so here is what the automation does. Every protest starts with a form the homeowner has signed, and those signed forms live on our own internal website. The automation downloads the signed form from there, logs in to the county appraisal district's portal, and submits the protest, working through the same steps a person would. It files the protest itself. It does not prepare the filing for someone else to finish.

It runs in two ways. Sometimes it works through a batch of signed protests in one go. Other times it files a single application, when a member of the Bezit staff gives the go-ahead or asks for it.

We plan to log and timestamp every automated step, which matters here more than it would elsewhere. Texas property tax representation is licensed work, with a signed authorization form behind every case and a consultant of record on the hook for it. When a homeowner asks what happened on their case, or a district does, somebody has to be able to answer.

The hearing room stays human

That part we're not touching.

We are hiring seasonal agents right now: people who sit down across from a district appraiser, read a notice cold, separate land value from improvement value, and argue. Two people in a room, and it should stay that way.

We're building the automations so those hires spend the season in county offices making arguments rather than at a desk pulling comps. Nobody's job disappears.

We'd rather say that plainly than let the "no employees needed" version of this story go out, which is what most pieces like this one claim and almost none of them mean.

What this means if you own a Texas home

If your home is in Collin, Dallas, Denton or Tarrant county, the protest deadline is coming whether or not anyone is ready for it. You can see your appraisal and estimated savings at bezit.co, start with a free homestead exemption, and let us handle the protest. We charge nothing unless we save you money.

Frequently asked questions

How many property tax protests is Bezit planning for 2027?
About 50,000, across Collin, Denton, Tarrant and Dallas counties. Last season we ran about 1,500, all in Collin and Denton.

Why not just hire seasonal staff?
At about an hour of back office work per case, 50,000 cases means roughly 150 full-time staff over an 8-week season, hired, trained and let go within a few months. The work arrives in a flood with a deadline, and mistakes in those weeks can't be undone.

What does Bezit charge for a property tax protest?
We charge 10 percent of what we save the homeowner and nothing if the protest loses. Homestead exemption filings are free, and if you bought your house after January 2025, your first protest is free too.

Will AI argue the protest hearing?
No. Bezit's licensed people still sit across from the district appraiser. Automation takes on the repetitive back office work so those people can spend the season making arguments.

What is AutomatR?
AutomatR is an enterprise agentic automation platform. It combines an AI agent builder, a visual workflow studio, document intelligence and knowledge base search, and Bezit is using it to automate the back office side of property tax protests, including filing.

About AutomatR

AutomatR is an enterprise agentic automation platform for building AI agents and automated workflows. Learn more at docs.automatr.tech. This article was written by Bezit.

About Bezit

Bezit LLC is a Texas property tax firm. We protest residential and commercial appraisals, file homestead exemptions at no charge, and track every client's tax bill so nothing arrives as a surprise. Our fee is a share of what we save, and there is no fee when nothing is saved.

Bezit LLC · (469) 353-3880 · bezit.co

By Khizr Adtani, Licensed Property Tax Consultant, Bezit LLC · Case study · 6 min read

In July, a homeowner in Prosper opened a letter from the Denton Central Appraisal District. His homestead exemption for 2025 had been denied. He had lived in the home since early 2025, his 2026 exemption was approved, and he could not understand why the first year was any different.

By September he had asked us to represent him, and I sat in front of a three-member panel of the Denton County Appraisal Review Board on his behalf. Here is what a denial letter means, how the appeal works, and what I watched decide his case.

What a homestead denial letter tells you

Under Texas Tax Code §11.45(d), the appraisal district has to send the denial in writing within five days of deciding. The notice must do two things:

1. State and fully explain each reason. Read this line twice, because it is the whole hearing. The district cannot offer a different reason at the hearing than the one it put in the notice.
2. Include a brief explanation of how to protest. Most letters also name the exemption and the tax year, and give a date. Check yours for both.

In his case the reason was timing. He closed at the end of January 2025, which is after January 1. That made his 2025 exemption a prorated one, covering only the part of the year he owned the home, and a prorated exemption comes with its own filing deadline.

How long you have to appeal

A protest has to be filed in writing with the Appraisal Review Board. The general rule in Tax Code §41.44 is May 15 or 30 days after the notice reaches you, whichever is later. A denial letter that arrives in the summer leaves you about 30 days, and the letter itself states the date your district is using. Go by the letter.

He filed his protest himself, by email, two days after the letter was dated. That kept the door open, and everything that followed depended on it.

Miss the deadline, and the denial usually stands for that year. The board can still hear a late protest if you show good cause, but only until it approves the appraisal records. Do not count on it.

Getting in front of the review board

Once the protest is in, the review board schedules the hearing and mails the notice. His was set for a September morning.

Three things I now do before every exemption hearing:

1. Make sure the district can see your agent. If a firm represents you, its appointment of agent (Form 50-162) has to show on the account. I have watched a panel wait while the district confirmed an agent's authority from an email chain. Confirm it the week before.
2. Bring the documents the exemption turns on. For a homestead: the signed application (Form 50-114), the deed, a driver's license showing the property address, and a utility bill that proves when you moved in.
3. Leave value out. An exemption hearing is about whether you qualify, not what the house is worth. A value argument, however strong, is not heard.

What the board decided, and why

The panel was a chair and two members, with an appraiser presenting for the district. The district's case rested on two sections of the Tax Code:

• §11.42(f): a buyer who qualifies after January 1 can receive a prorated homestead exemption for that first year, as long as the previous owner did not already have one.
• §11.43(d): that prorated exemption has to be applied for before the first anniversary of the purchase. The chief appraiser can extend the deadline once, by up to 60 days, but only for good cause shown.

His application went in about five weeks after that anniversary, with no good cause request. The panel voted unanimously to uphold the 2025 denial. His 2026 homestead stands and carries forward on its own.

He had argued that Texas lets you file a late homestead up to two years back. That window is real. Tax Code §11.431 lets the chief appraiser accept a late homestead application filed within two years after the tax delinquency date. We asked Denton directly whether it reaches a prorated first year, and here is their response:

"It's not necessarily 3 years, it's 2 years and 1 month."

"If they owned it by January 1st, 2025, then yes, there wouldn't have been any denial. Since they bought it off of that January 1st deadline, then it goes as a prorated exemption."

That is Denton's position, and it is how the panel ruled. Other districts could read it differently, so ask yours in writing before you rely on the late window for a first year.

What happens after the board rules

The board mails a written order. From there, you have two paths:

• Accept it. For a single prorated year, this is usually the right call. The following year's exemption is not affected.
• Appeal to district court. The petition has to be filed within 60 days of receiving the order (Tax Code §42.21). For one partial year of exemption, the cost of a lawsuit rarely makes sense.

Binding arbitration is not an option here. The Comptroller's arbitration program covers value and unequal appraisal protests only, never exemptions.

What to actually do

If you just bought a home, or just opened a denial letter:

• Bought after January 1? Put the anniversary of your closing on your calendar the day you get your keys. That is your prorated homestead deadline, not the usual April 30. The North Texas new homeowner guide walks through the rest of your first year.
• File the day you move in. The prorated exemption is available as soon as you own and live in the home.
• Missed it by weeks, not months? Ask the district, in writing and before the anniversary passes, about the 60-day good cause extension.
• Read the reason on the letter and gather only the documents that answer it.
• Protest inside the deadline on the letter, and keep proof of when it went in. Denton accepted his by email. Check how your district takes protests.
• Check your exemption on the county site every spring, and keep an eye on your tax bill at bezit.co, free.

Homestead denial FAQ

My homestead exemption was denied. What does the letter mean?
It explains the reason for the denial and how to protest. The reason is what the hearing will be about.

How long do I have to protest a homestead denial in Texas?
Generally until May 15 or 30 days after the notice reaches you, whichever is later. The letter states the date your district is using.

How do I get scheduled for the review board?
File a written protest with the Appraisal Review Board. The board sets the hearing and mails you the date. If Bezit is your agent, we file it and attend for you.

I bought my home after January 1. Is my deadline different?
Yes. Your first year is a prorated exemption, due before the first anniversary of your purchase. In the Denton case above, the district and the review board did not apply the two-year late filing window to that first year.

Can I take a homestead denial to arbitration?
No. Binding arbitration in Texas covers value protests only. After the review board rules on an exemption, district court is the only remaining step.

Can Bezit handle my homestead denial?
Yes. We file the appointment of agent and the protest, gather the documents, and represent you at the hearing.

Bezit files homestead exemptions for new homeowners across North Texas at no charge, and we stand with you at the review board if one is denied. Start with your homestead at bezit.co.

About the author

Khizr Adtani is a Licensed Property Tax Consultant on the business development team at Bezit LLC, a Texas property tax firm. He is also a licensed Texas real estate sales agent and holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Analytics from UT Dallas.

Khizr Adtani, Property Tax Consultant, TDLR Registration: 13673
Real Estate Sales Agent, TREC License: 810341, sponsored by Makz Group of Companies, Inc.
Bezit LLC
Direct: 817-862-1638
Bezit: (469) 353-3880
Email: khizr@bezit.co

bezit.co

About Bezit

Bezit LLC is a Texas property tax firm. We protest residential and commercial appraisals, file homestead exemptions at no charge, and track every client's tax bill so nothing arrives as a surprise. Our fee is a share of what we save, and there is no fee when nothing is saved.

Bezit LLC · (469) 353-3880 · bezit.co

A Senior Homeowner's Guide to What Comes Next

You have more good choices for your home in retirement than most people realize. And whichever one you pick, a short property tax checkup can leave more money in your pocket.

Your home, your call

Your home holds decades of memories, routines and neighbors. So when the stairs feel steeper or the yard feels bigger, the real question is rarely “should we move?” It is “what do we want the next 10 or 20 years to look like?”

I’m Ralph Thomas, Broker/Owner of Ramas Real Estate in McKinney. I hold the Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®) designation from the National Association of REALTORS®. Ramas Real Estate specializes in helping senior homeowners and their families work through that question at their own pace.

This guide discusses the choices in front of you, how to help a parent(s) decide which is the best choice and ways to help the cost of home ownership.

The choices in front of you

Most senior homeowners have five realistic options. None is the “right” one for everybody, and you do not have to decide this year.

Why aging in place is the most popular choice

Three out of four adults age 50 and older want to stay in their current home as they age. That is the finding of AARP’s 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey: 75% want to remain in their homes, and 73% want to stay in their communities.

The same survey found that nearly half expect their home will need modifications. Major remodels can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. The good news is that many of the most useful changes are simple and relatively inexpensive.

Staying works best with a plan. How manageable are the stairs and the yard? How would you get to appointments if driving became difficult? Who could help with household tasks? Answering those questions now tells you what to fix today, and what would make you reconsider later.

If you’re helping a parent decide

Helping a parent with a housing decision is as much about listening as it is about logistics. Joy Loverde, author of The Complete Eldercare Planner, offers advice I share with families often.

• Ask what is behind it. When a parent brings up moving, something may be going on. Is the house becomingtoo much? Is driving getting harder?​
• Expect stops and starts. A parent may say “I’m moving,” feel overwhelmed, and stop. It often takes longerthan you think.​
• Put eyes on the paperwork. If they say everything is in a box, open the box.​
• Keep your parent in the driver’s seat. A move means saying goodbye to routines, friends and neighbors. Letthem make as many decisions as possible.​
• Remember it is more than a house move. New doctors, a new neighborhood and a new way of getting aroundall need answers.​

That is the role I aim to fill for your family: organizing the options, preparing questions for community visits, and respecting your parent’s right to decide.​

What a Seniors Real Estate Specialist adds​

An SRES® has completed training from the National Association of REALTORS® on the housing, financial and lifestyle considerations of clients age 50 and older. In practice, that gives you four things:​

My job is not to talk you into a move. Sometimes the right answer is to stay put and make the house work better for you.

Whichever you choose, check your property taxes

If you are retired, every recurring housing cost matters, and property tax is one you can do something about. It isnot the only place to save: insurance, maintenance, utilities and HOA fees belong in the same budget. But it is oneof the simplest to check, and Texas gives senior homeowners real relief. I’ve actually seen some homeowners getpriced out of their homes because of escalating property taxes.​

Three points are easy to miss​

1. Exemptions are not always in place. Your appraisal district record should show a homestead exemption and, once you are 65, the over-65 exemption. If one is missing, ask about filing; late filing may be available.​
2. A ceiling is not a full freeze. It limits school taxes, plus any local taxing units that have adopted their own. The rest of your bill can still rise with your appraised value.​
3. The year you turn 65 matters. You receive the over-65 exemption for the entire year you turn 65, and your ceiling is based on what you pay that year. A fair appraisal that year can pay off for as long as you own the home.
   

How Bezit fits in

I recently joined Bezit as a paid advisor. Bezit is a Frisco-based company that helps Texas homeowners protest their property tax appraisals and file their homestead exemptions.

This year, I presented several hundred homeowners’ cases in person before the appraisal review boards in Collin and Denton counties. Here is how the service works:

Timing matters

You should receive your final tax bill in Oct and your property taxes for 2026 will be due NLT Jan 31, 2027. Then in March/April you will receive a new appraisal value from the county. Protests are generally due by May 15 or 30 days after your appraisal notice is delivered, whichever is later. That window has closed for most 2026 appraisals, which makes fall the right time to check your exemptions and get ready for spring.

A 10-minute property tax checkup

1. Find your latest appraisal notice or tax statement.

2. Confirm the homestead exemption is listed.

3. If you are 65 or older, or turn 65 this year, confirm the over-65 exemption and school tax ceiling are listed too.

4. Compare your appraised value with similar homes nearby. If it looks high, plan to protest when notices arrive in the spring.

5. Thinking about a move? Ask about transferring your tax ceiling before you buy.

Not sure what you are looking at? Bring the statement to me and we will go through it together.

Let’s talk

Whether you plan to stay, are thinking about a move, or are helping a parent decide, I would be glad to sit down with you. Call me for a no-pressure conversation, and bring your property tax statement.

About the author

Ralph is Broker/Owner of Ramas Real Estate. His boutique brokerage team is based in McKinney and serves Buyers, Sellers and Investors across North Texas counties. He holds the GRI, SRES® and HFR credentials and serves as an advisor to Bezit. His approach combines local market knowledge with responsive personal service and straightforward, no-pressure guidance.

Ralph Thomas
Ramas Real Estate
Ph: 214.316.7109
Email: rthomas8001@gmail.com
RalphThomasSellsHomes.net

Picture a Texas investor who bought a small rental property several years ago. The property has been rented since closing. Each year, the tax return takes the purchase price assigned to the building and spreads it over the standard 27.5-year residential rental schedule.

That approach is common. It also treats the building as one object, even though a building contains components that wear out on very different timelines.

The roof structure may last for decades. Carpet, cabinetry, exterior paving, dedicated electrical, and specialty plumbing can have much shorter useful lives. Cost segregation gives qualifying components a closer look so the owner’s depreciation deductions can follow the rules that apply to each part.

The default depreciation schedule

The IRS generally places a commercial building on a 39-year schedule and a residential rental property on a 27.5-year schedule. Under that default treatment, most of the building basis moves into deductions gradually.

For a property owner, that can leave cash tied up in a deduction that arrives slowly. It can also overlook components that qualify for shorter recovery periods when the property is analyzed in detail.

What a cost segregation study does

A cost segregation study is an engineering-based analysis of the property. It separates qualifying components from the building structure and assigns them to the recovery period required by the tax rules.

Depending on the property, the analysis may examine specialty electrical and plumbing connected to equipment, flooring, carpet, millwork, cabinetry, signage, data and security cabling, paving, parking areas, fencing, landscaping, and exterior lighting.

Components that qualify for shorter lives may move to five-, seven-, or 15-year schedules. The study does not create a deduction that the owner never had. It documents how the existing basis should be classified for federal depreciation purposes.

Why acquisition date matters

The tax act signed in July 2025 made 100% bonus depreciation permanent for qualifying property acquired after January 19, 2025. That can make a current-year cost segregation study more valuable for an eligible acquisition.

When a study moves qualifying property into a recovery period of 20 years or less, the property may be eligible for bonus depreciation under the rules in effect for that property and tax year. The actual result depends on the owner’s facts, the placed-in-service date, the property classification, and other tax rules. A CPA should model the deduction before the return is filed.

The practical benefit is timing. A larger deduction sooner can improve current-year cash flow and give an owner more room to fund an acquisition, renovation, or operating need.

A look-back study can still help

Owners often assume cost segregation only works immediately after a purchase or construction project. A study can also review property that has been in service for years.

For a qualifying look-back study, Form 3115 and a Section 481(a) adjustment can allow the accumulated catch-up deduction on the current return. The owner generally does not need to amend prior returns for this accounting method change, and the method change uses automatic consent when the applicable requirements are met.

That makes an older rental, medical office, restaurant, warehouse, or other income-producing property worth reviewing. The owner should bring the question to a CPA and a cost segregation specialist together so the study and the return use the same facts.

Who should ask about a study

The referral conversation is designed for property owners who can answer yes to the following description: the property is not owner-occupied, it produces income or houses the owner’s business, and the owner has not already taken bonus depreciation on it.

That can include short-term and long-term rentals, multifamily property, medical property, warehouses, restaurants, and bars. A primary residence does not fit this referral path.

If you don’t know whether bonus depreciation has already been used, say so. Uncertainty is a useful reason to ask your CPA to review the prior returns and depreciation schedule. The intake question includes an “I don’t know” answer for that reason.

Federal depreciation and Texas property tax use different rules

A cost segregation study changes the timing and classification of depreciation deductions on a federal income tax return. A Texas county appraisal district determines the assessed value used for local property tax. The two systems have separate authorities, calendars, definitions, and evidence.

A cost segregation study does not lower a Texas assessed value. It does not reduce the owner’s Texas property tax bill.

The separation matters most when a property owner is working with both professionals. Federal tax rules classify components under sections 1245 and 1250. Texas property tax law handles real property and business personal property under its own framework, with business personal property rendered and assessed on a separate track in applicable cases.

For that reason, don’t send a federal cost segregation report to the county appraisal district as property tax protest evidence. The component schedule can create confusion about what belongs in the real property assessment and what belongs on a business personal property rendition. In the wrong situation, the same underlying asset can be exposed to an avoidable double-counting problem.

Keep the depreciation file with the federal tax work. Build the property tax file from evidence intended for the appraisal district, such as the appraisal notice, purchase records, comparable properties, income information, operating expenses, and physical details relevant to value.

What to gather before the first conversation

The initial review is easier when the owner can provide the closing statement, purchase agreement, appraisal, construction cost detail, building plans, and current depreciation schedule. For an operating property, rent records and relevant income and expense information can help explain the asset.

At Orion, I use that information to determine whether a study is worth exploring and what additional records may be needed. A short conversation can also uncover whether a look-back study, a current-year study, or a CPA review should come first.

If the local assessed value also deserves attention, Bezit handles that property-tax conversation in its active Texas markets. The two engagements should remain separate so each professional can work from the right evidence.

A sensible next step

Ask your CPA whether accelerated depreciation could apply to the property. Then request a cost segregation assessment from Orion Cost Segregation Solutions, LLC with the property address, placed-in-service date, property type, and current depreciation information.

If you are referred through Bezit’s intake, answer the owner-occupied question and the bonus depreciation question as accurately as you can. A “No” or an “I don’t know” creates a warm handoff for a conversation about fit.

That handoff is simply an introduction. Bezit and Orion remain separate providers, and the owner decides whether to work with either one after discussing the property and the scope of service.

Request a cost segregation assessment →

About the author

Steven Johnson is an M&A advisor, tax strategist and cost segregation specialist at Orion Cost Segregation Solutions, LLC. He has more than 30 years in banking and finance, has lent over $1 billion, and helps property owners cut taxes through cost segregation.

Steven Johnson
Orion CostSeg
Ph: 512-789-5320
Email: Manager@OrionCostSeg.com
https://orioncostseg.com/

The refinance closes, the payment drops, and for a few months everything feels like it worked. Then a bill shows up in the fall with a number on it, and the question I get is always some version of the same one: I thought this was being paid for me. 

It was. And then it wasn't, and the change was buried in a stack of paper on the day you were signing forty other things. 

I've spent my career on the lending side of a home purchase, and the property tax side is where I watch good, careful homeowners get caught. So here's what actually changes, in plain terms. 

The escrow account becomes optional, and that is not always good news 

When you buy with a small down payment, your taxes and insurance get collected inside your monthly payment and held in escrow. The servicer pays the county for you. You never see a deadline. 

Once you have more than about 20 percent equity in the home, that requirement usually goes away on a conventional loan. Waiving escrow is one of the fastest ways to lower a monthly payment, so it gets waived. It's a legitimate choice, and for a disciplined owner it's often the right one, because you keep the money in your own account until the bill is actually due. 

But be clear about what you just agreed to. There's no third option here. Either the servicer pays your property taxes or you do. If you waived escrow, it's you. 

January 31 is the date, and it is not a soft one 

Texas property taxes for the year are due by January 31. On February 1 they're delinquent, and the state doesn't treat that gently: a 6 percent penalty plus 1 percent interest for that month, and the penalty climbs another point every month after that. By summer, an owner who simply forgot is looking at a number that has grown for no reason other than a missed date. 

This is the part that catches first-time direct payers, and it usually has nothing to do with the money. For the last four years a company remembered the date for them. This year nobody did. 

If you've waived escrow, treat January 31 the way you treat your own mortgage due date. Put it somewhere that will interrupt you. Bezit built View My Bill for exactly this gap: it tracks the bill, tells you what's owed and when, sends the reminder, and lets you confirm the payment actually posted. It's free, and you don't have to be a Bezit client to use it. 

I've found View My Bill extremely useful myself. It shows the preliminary tax bill and the certified one, the history from past years, and whether the taxes were actually paid. Though your home is appraised by one county, sometimes homeowners pay taxes to two counties. It's difficult to check all of that in one place, and Bezit solved that problem. I highly encourage every homeowner to check their taxes on Bezit. 

Check your homestead exemption. Do not assume it survived. 

The homestead exemption is a free reduction in the taxable value of your primary residence, and in Texas it also caps how fast that taxable value can climb year over year. It's one of the most valuable things a homeowner has, and one of the easiest to lose track of. 

A straightforward rate-and-term refinance normally doesn't disturb it. But “normally” is doing a lot of work in that sentence. If a name came off the title or went on it, if the property moved into a trust, or if the home is a newer build where the exemption was never filed to begin with, the picture changes. And unlike a late payment, nothing announces this. You find out when the bill is larger than it should be, sometimes a year later. 

Checking takes a few minutes. Look your property up on the county appraisal district's site, or run it through Bezit, which checks exemption status as a matter of course for every homeowner it works with and files homestead applications at no charge. 

No, refinancing does not raise your property taxes 

This is the question I get most on a cash-out, and the answer is no. 

The appraisal done for your loan exists to support the loan. It goes to the lender. Your county appraisal district isn't on that distribution list, and it doesn't use it. 

The county sets its own value on your property as of January 1 each year, using its own mass appraisal of your area. Different organization, different number, produced for a completely different reason. Pulling equity out of your home doesn't move it. 

What does move it is the county's own opinion of what your home is worth this year, and that resets every January whether you refinance or not. That's a different problem, and it's the one Bezit exists to argue about. 

Keep that appraisal report. It is the best evidence you will ever get for free. 

Here's the part almost nobody is told. 

When you refinance, a licensed appraiser walks your home and writes a report. You paid for it. It's dated, it's independent, and it's about your house rather than your zip code. Then it goes in a drawer and stays there. 

Now picture the following January. The county mails your appraisal notice, and its number is higher than the appraiser's was.

Say the refinance appraisal came back at $900,000 and the county's notice says $1,100,000. You are not stuck with the county's number. You have a recent, professional opinion of value that disagrees with it by $200,000, and you can protest on exactly that basis. 

And it matters more after a refinance than almost any other time. If you waived escrow, the full tax bill now lands on you directly instead of hiding inside a monthly payment. If it's your homestead, the value you settle on this year is the base the county's 10 percent cap grows from next year, so a number you let stand carries forward. A value you don't protest is a value you've accepted. 

Three numbers decide how much you can save. Line all three up before you file, and you know whether you have a case before you spend a minute on it.

That last number is the one most homeowners can't produce on their own, which is where Bezit comes in. If you refinanced in the last twelve months, send Bezit the appraisal report. They validate it, compare it against the county's value and their own comparable-sales work, and if there is a case they run the protest for you at no charge. Bezit doesn't charge for a new homeowner's first protest either, and on everything else its residential fee is 10 percent of what it saves you, billed only when it wins. 

Don't throw the report away. Twelve months is a long window, and it costs you nothing to keep it. 

What to actually do 

If you refinanced this year, or you're about to, five minutes covers it: 

• Find out whether you still have an escrow account. Your servicer's statement will say. If you don't, the tax bill is yours. 
• Save the appraisal report from your refinance somewhere you'll find it next spring. 
• Put January 31 on your calendar with a reminder in early January, not late January. 
• Confirm your homestead exemption is on file for this tax year. 
• Set up a way to be told, rather than a way to remember. That's what View My Bill does. 
• Look at the county's value on your home, not just the tax amount. The bill is the county's value multiplied by rates you can't negotiate. The value is the part that can be challenged. 
• If the county comes in above your refinance appraisal, protest it. Send the report to Bezit. They'll tell you whether there's a case and run the protest for you. 

None of this is complicated. It's just that nobody is assigned to tell you, and the systems that used to catch it for you stopped when you signed.

About the author 

Renuka Samudrala is the CEO of PureLend Mortgage LLC, a direct lender based in Lewisville, Texas. Purelend works with homeowners on purchase, refinance and cash-out loans and is licensed for residential lending in AR, CA, CO, FL, GA, MI, MD, MN, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, TX and VA.  

Renuka Samudrala, 
NMLS: 1487363 
Purelend Mortgage LLC 
Company NMLS: 1718537 
Ph: 214-529-5351 
Fax: 972-525-7152 
Email: renuka@purelendmortgage.com 
purelendmortgage.com 
Address: 2681 MacArthur Blvd, Suite 206, Lewisville TX 75067

I have sat across the table at a lot of closings. The buyers are usually keyed up and ready for the keys. The stack is thick, the pen keeps moving, and by the time we get near the end of the title company paperwork most people have stopped reading and started thinking about the drive over to the house.

Then we reach the Tax Proration Agreement.

For a buyer of a brand new construction home, that page deserves more attention than it usually gets. Most buyers assume the tax figure they see at closing is roughly what they will pay from then on. On a new build it usually is not close.

The questions below are real ones. Homeowners asked them of our escrow officers at Destination Title Group, or of our partners at Bezit, whose work protesting property values for homeowners makes them a useful second set of eyes when this comes up. The questions tend to arrive a few months after closing, once the first tax bill shows up or the escrow payment changes. And in most cases the answer traces back to something we covered at the closing table on a day when nobody had the bandwidth for it.

Why First-Year Tax Bills on New Build Homes Triple

"The county website says the taxes on this address were about four thousand dollars last year. Why is everyone telling me to budget three times that?"

Because last year there was no house there.

If the home was not finished on January 1, the appraisal district cannot appraise a house that was not standing. It appraises the lot. So the prior year figure in county records for that address might read $2,000, or $3,000, or $4,500. That is a land number, accurate for what was on the ground at the time and useless as a forecast once a finished house sits on it.

At closing, when the current year's bill has not been issued yet, we prorate off the best information available. Sometimes that is last year's certified figure. Sometimes, later in the year, it is the district's market value multiplied by last year's rates. On a home brand new to the tax roll there is often no clean historical number at all, and our escrow team is doing that math by hand.

Then the next January 1 arrives, the house is standing, the district appraises the improvement, and the taxable value goes from a lot to a home.

Here is what that split looks like in practice. On one real North Texas account, numbers rounded, the land line came in around $125,000 and the improvement, meaning the house itself, came in around $400,000. The lot accounted for less than a quarter of the taxable value.

The year a house like that lands on the roll, the bill roughly quadruples, and it happens in a single January.

"My land value went down and my improvement value went up, and I have not touched the house."

We hear this one constantly, and it is not an error.

Those are two separate schedules and they move independently. Land is set on a neighborhood schedule, so when the district reworks a neighborhood the land line moves for everybody at once. The improvement line is about the structure itself.

"The same model two doors down is appraised thirty-six thousand lower than mine. Same builder, same floor plan."

This is my favorite one, because the answer teaches you to read your own notice.

Your appraised value is two numbers added together: land plus improvement. On the pair of homes behind that exact question, the improvement lines were about $9,000 apart. The other $27,000 of the gap was land, a neighborhood schedule difference that existed before either owner did anything.

So compare improvement lines with your neighbor. Totals bury the land difference, which is why people come to us convinced the district made a mistake on an account where nothing is wrong.

What to do about it, and it takes ten minutes. Before you close, look up two or three finished homes of a similar size in the same neighborhood, ideally ones completed a year or two ahead of yours, and see what they are actually taxed on. Your county appraisal district's site will show you, and so will a free lookup at bezit.co. Those numbers are your preview.

Most standard Texas contracts also let both parties settle up between themselves if the prorated amount used at closing differs from the actual bill. Read that paragraph rather than assuming it is boilerplate.

How to File a Free Texas Homestead Exemption (And Save)

This is the one that costs people the most money for the least reason.

The residence homestead exemption takes $140,000 off your home's value for school district taxes, and school taxes are the biggest line on a North Texas bill. Your city, county and college district may add local exemptions on top of that.

"Somebody offered to file my homestead for me. Is a fee normal for that?"

No. Filing the application with your appraisal district costs nothing. Not twenty five dollars, not two hundred fifty. It is a form you can submit yourself in about fifteen minutes.

If you would rather have someone handle it, that is fine. Bezit files them at no charge, and so do others. But the right price is zero, and any service quoting you a fee is charging you for a form the district gives away.

"I closed in June. Do I have to wait until next year?"

You do not. If you buy after January 1, you can receive the general residence homestead exemption for the applicable portion of that tax year as soon as you own the home and live in it, provided the previous owner did not already have the same exemption for that year.

File it when you move in. Do not sit on it until spring.

"I have owned this house three years and never filed. Is it too late?"

No, and this is worth real money.

April 30 is the deadline for the current tax year. Miss it and Texas still lets you file late and claim up to two prior years, measured from when those taxes became delinquent or from when you began occupying the property. The appraisal district recalculates those years and issues any refund that comes out of it.

The catch is that the prior years only come back if you list them on the application. There is a line on the form asking whether you are filing late and which years you want it applied to. Fill it in.

"Does it renew? I got a letter from the appraisal district asking me to confirm I still live here."

It renews on its own as long as the house stays your primary residence. But do not treat that letter as junk mail.

Texas now requires appraisal districts to verify residence homestead exemptions at least every five years. Exemptions do get removed for no reason other than a homeowner not replying. Answer it.

One more thing that almost nobody knows in year one. People hear that their value can only go up 10% a year and they relax. That limitation takes effect on January 1 of the tax year following the year you qualify. Your first year has no cap on it, and on a new build the first year is also the year the value moves the most. That is a rough combination to walk into unprepared.

How Mortgage Escrow Hides Texas Property Tax Increases

If your taxes are paid out of escrow, which is how most first time buyers are set up, you never write a check to the county and you never see the bill. That is convenient. It is also the reason the increase can reach you months after you could have done anything about it.

"I pay through escrow. Will my mortgage company just handle the new amount, or do I have to tell them?"

You do not have to tell them. The servicer pays the bill out of the account, runs an escrow analysis, usually in the spring, and adjusts your monthly payment based on what actually got paid. It gets handled without you. You also learn about it months after the fact.

"Will I see this reflected in this year's bill?"

Usually not. This is the question I most wish people asked earlier.

Here is how the calendar actually runs:

April: the appraisal district mails your Notice of Appraised Value. This is the only moment in the year when you can still do something about the number.

May 15: the deadline to protest that value, or 30 days after your notice was mailed, whichever is later.

Fall: tax bills go out.

January 31: taxes are due, and your servicer pays them from escrow.

Around March: the servicer runs its annual escrow analysis and finds the account was funded on an estimate that is now far too low.

Spring: your monthly payment goes up, twice over in effect. Once to cover last year's shortage, and again to fund the higher amount going forward.

That spring increase is the first time most homeowners learn their taxes went up. By then the protest window on the value that caused it closed roughly ten months earlier.

"My value went down and my payment still went up. How?"

That is the tax rate moving.

Your ISD, county, city and MUD each set their own rate. A protest can move your value. Nobody moves a rate, not a consultant, not us, not the appraisal district. So in a year when the rates climb, you can win a real reduction on your value and still end up with a higher bill than last year. Both things are true at once, and it makes for a frustrating phone call.

If you build one habit out of this article, make it this one: open the Notice of Appraised Value when it lands in April. It is the only piece of tax mail with a deadline attached, and the only one you can still act on.

Does Refinancing Cancel Your Texas Homestead Exemption?

"I refinanced and lost my homestead exemption."

This is the most persistent myth in my business.

Refinancing by itself does not remove it. The exemption is tied to who owns the home and who lives in it. Your lender has nothing to do with it, so change lenders all you like.

What can disturb it is a change to how title is held, which sometimes rides along with a refinance without anyone stopping to think about it. Adding or removing a spouse from the deed will do it. So will altering the vesting language, or moving the property into a trust or an LLC. When ownership on the deed changes, the district's system can treat it as a new owner and reset the exemptions on the account. A qualifying revocable trust is usually fine. An LLC generally is not, because the homestead exemption belongs to a person.

Two things to do after any refinance, both quick:

1. Pull up your account on your county appraisal district's website and confirm the exemption is still showing. Do it a few weeks after closing rather than the same afternoon.
2. Check what tax figure your new escrow account was set up with. A new servicer starts fresh, and if it based the account on a stale number you have quietly re-created the shortage described above.

What to Do Next

Managing your North Texas property taxes doesn't require becoming an expert—it just takes ten minutes at two key moments:

• Before You Sign at Closing: Look up two or three finished homes of a similar size in your neighborhood on your county appraisal district site or via bezit.co. Their actual tax bills are your best preview of what is coming once your completed home hits the tax roll.
• When April Mail Arrives: Open your Notice of Appraised Value the day it lands. Check that your homestead exemption is listed and review the proposed value immediately. May 15 is your deadline to protest - once that window closes, your escrow servicer will simply pass the full bill along to you next spring.

About the author

Stephanie Witt-Overton serves as President of Destination Title Group, a title and escrow company headquartered in Prosper, Texas. She and her escrow officers handle residential closings, title insurance, and escrow across North Texas, with in-house attorneys managing each transaction.

Stephanie Witt-Overton
NMLS: 2194028
Destination Title Group
Company NMLS: 3287953
Office: 469-941-9884
Direct: 469-941-9830
Cell: 469-404-5957
Fax: 213-426-0811
Email: stephanie@destinationtitlegroup.com
www.destinationtitlegroup.com
Address: 130 N. Preston Rd., Ste 331, Prosper, TX 75078

Reviewed by Khizr Adtani, Licensed Property Tax Consultant, TDLR #13673.

There is a reason the band at J.J. Pearce High School is not simply the Pearce band. It is the Mighty Mustang Band, and titles like that are not assigned by anyone. They accumulate.

A program earns a name like that over years of students who did the work when it was tedious, directors who held a standard nobody made them hold, and parents who kept the entire operation moving in the background. Every freshman who picks up an instrument in August inherits all of it, usually long before understanding what they have been handed.

Bezit is a proud sponsor of the Mighty Mustang Band for the 2026-27 season. We are glad to put our name next to one that already means something in Richardson.

Public School Arts, Assessed Honestly

Music programs hold an odd position in public education. Nearly everyone agrees they matter. Almost nobody can point to the single line item that guarantees they survive a hard budget year.

A competitive marching band is not cheap to run. It requires:

• Long-term equipment: Instruments built to outlast a decade of student use and daily transport.
• Uniforms & fittings: Tailoring and care for garments that change hands every single season.
• Logistics & staffing: Transportation for regional events, custom drill arrangements, and specialized instruction for sectionals.
• Unbudgeted operational needs: The hundreds of unexpected maintenance needs that surface between August camp and November finals.

Districts like Richardson ISD fund a portion. Families fund a portion. In every program that stays strong for a long stretch, another portion comes from the surrounding community deciding, repeatedly, that it is worth paying for.

Sponsorship is that decision made in public, in dollars, rather than in a vague comment about how important the arts are.

What Students Take With Them

Directors tend to describe their programs in terms of people rather than performances. After enough of those conversations, the reason becomes obvious. A student in a serious band learns to:

• Master deliberate practice: Practicing something they are bad at until they are no longer bad at it - a habit many adults never acquire.
• Distinguish attendance from readiness: Understanding the difference between simply showing up and being prepared to perform.
• Treat feedback as data: Absorbing a public correction in front of forty peers and treating it as constructive information rather than an insult.
• Practice silent accountability: Trusting that a group can be better than the sum of its parts, but only when everyone executes their role when nobody is checking.

Very little of that is left behind at graduation. Most of these students will never march again after their senior year. Nearly all of them will keep the habits and apply them in professional environments that have nothing to do with music.

Why Bezit Is Involved

We work with homeowners throughout the DFW metroplex, Richardson included, so this is not an unfamiliar community for us. The families sitting in those stands are the exact same property owners we talk to every year about lower assessment values and property tax appeals.

Supporting a program that shapes its students this directly was an easy call. Local businesses are frequently asked what they are giving back to the places that support them. This is one straightforward answer: putting dollars directly into a public school arts program in the district where our customers live, for a season that will run whether or not anyone helps pay for it.

Cheering From Here

The Mighty Mustang Band takes the field on Saturday, August 15. If you are anywhere near Richardson, it is well worth your morning.

To the students, the directors, and the booster families about to surrender their weekends until November: enjoy it. It moves faster than anyone expects. Go Mustangs.

Bezit helps homeowners across North Texas reduce their annual property tax bills through simple, effective protest services. Start lowering your taxes today at bezit.co or learn more about our Richardson property tax services.

Bezit's office is right here in Frisco. So is Reedy High School.

That proximity is the entire reason this sponsorship came together the way it did. We are not a national brand writing checks into a market we have only seen on a map. We are a local Frisco business supporting a Frisco school, and the people we work with every week live in the very neighborhoods that fill its classrooms.

Bezit is a proud sponsor of the Reedy High School Marching Band for the 2026-27 season.

What We Like About This Program

Marching band asks something unusual of teenagers. It asks them to be technically precise and physically exhausted at the same time, outdoors, in Texas heat, while keeping count.

There is no way to fake any of it. Either you know the drill or the form shows the hole where you were supposed to be. Either you practiced the phrase or it falls apart in front of everyone. It is one of the most honest feedback loops a young person will ever stand inside, and the Frisco ISD music directors running it treat that responsibility carefully.

We also like that it is creative work. Most of what school measures rewards arriving at a single correct answer. A marching show has no single correct answer. It is an artistic interpretation, and students spend an entire fall living inside someone's creative vision, learning to serve it rather than override it. That is a completely different muscle.

Discipline and creativity in the same activity is rare. Programs that manage both are worth putting real support behind.

Sponsoring as a Neighbor, Not a Brand

There is a real difference between marketing to a community and actually being part of one.

What Bezit does for people around here is specific and pretty unglamorous: we help local property owners with their annual property tax bills. Many of our customers live a short drive from our office, and when a Frisco family keeps more of their hard-earned money, that money stays right here in Frisco. Sponsoring a local high school band is that exact same idea moving in the other direction.

The amount involved is small against a full school district budget. But it is not small at all to a band program that needs:

• A instrument or sousaphone repaired in the second week of October
• A set of custom props built before a big competition
• A participation fee quietly covered for a student whose family is having a tight year

That is usually what community sponsorship actually buys. Not just a banner on a fence—a real problem solved in the middle of a season.

A Word to the Band Parents

Anyone who has done this job knows what it involves:

• The 6:00 a.m. drop-offs and the evening pickups that always run late
• Quick meals eaten standing up in a high school parking lot
• Saturdays that start at a school field and end there fourteen hours later
• Cooler hauling, pit crew shifts, and emergency uniform repairs at midnight

Marching band programs run on that parent labor just as much as on any funding. If you are one of those parents this fall, the season simply does not happen without you.

To the Lions

Band camp is behind you. The season is straight ahead, starting Saturday, August 15.

Somewhere between now and November, the show is going to click—probably at a practice session nobody came to watch—and it will be worth every early morning that got you there.

Have a great fall, Reedy. We will be watching from the stands. Go Lions.

Bezit is a Frisco company helping North Texas homeowners pay less in property taxes with fast, effective appeal services. Learn how we support local property owners at bezit.co or check out our Frisco property tax services.

Most high schools offer a leadership class. Very few offer anything that tests leadership the way a marching band does.

Think about what a section leader handles in an average week. They run sectionals for peers who did not elect them and cannot be made to listen. They correct a friend's technique without damaging the friendship. They spot the freshman who is half a step behind everyone and have to decide, in about two seconds, whether that student needs pushing or encouraging. Nobody hands them a script for any of it. They are sixteen years old.

Bezit has signed on as a official sponsor of the Flower Mound High School Jaguar Band for the 2026-27 season. The music is the visible product. The leadership structure underneath it is the part we think is genuinely worth backing.

What Does a Sponsorship Actually Pay For?

It is a fair question, and the answer is a lot less romantic than the show itself. Running a competitive high school marching band requires substantial operating capital:

• Equipment maintenance: Instrument repair, plus reeds, drumsticks, and mallets that wear out or disappear at an alarming rate.
• Uniforms & care: Professional cleaning, routine tailoring, and seasonal replacements.
• Instructional design: Custom drill writing, visual choreography, and music arrangement fees.
• Logistics & transport: Props, equipment trailers, and charter buses to Saturday regional competitions.
• Student nutrition: On-site meals for event days that begin at six in the morning and extend past midnight.

School districts like Lewisville ISD cover a portion of these costs. Booster clubs raise a large share of the remainder through fundraisers that parents organize on top of full-time jobs. Community sponsorship closes the financial gap neither of those quite reaches. It is one of the few ways a local business can put money into a program's actual operating reality instead of into an abstraction about supporting education.

There is a quieter benefit, too: the healthier a program's outside funding, the less likely it is that an individual family's ability to pay decides whether their student marches.

Why Lewisville ISD, and Why Now?

Bezit is a North Texas company. We work with homeowners throughout the DFW metroplex, and Flower Mound families are a vital part of that community. This is not a sponsorship in a city we have never set foot in, these are the same neighborhood streets where we help property owners appeal their annual assessments.

There is also a timing argument worth making plainly. Arts programs are usually among the first line items examined when a school district budget tightens, and they are rarely the first restored when it loosens again. Steady local support during comfortable years is what keeps a program stable through the difficult ones. A sponsorship that appears once is a gesture. One that appears every season starts to function as community infrastructure.

We would like to be in that second category, and this season is where that starts.

Go Jaguars

School spirit often gets treated as a soft thing - a pleasant atmospheric extra. Anyone who has stood in a stadium while a band nails the final set of a show they have drilled since July heat knows better. It is the sound of a few hundred people getting something exactly right at the same moment, which is not a common experience at any age.

The Flower Mound High School Jaguar Band takes the field on Saturday, August 15. Go watch them.

To the students, the directors, and the booster parents who will spend more Saturdays in a stadium this fall than at home: we are glad to be behind you. Have a great season. Go Jaguars.

Bezit works with North Texas homeowners to lower their annual property tax burden through simple, stress-free protest services. Learn how our team serves property owners at bezit.co or check out our Flower Mound property tax appeal services.

The parking lot at Coppell High School fills up before most of the city is awake. Instrument cases come out of back seats. Somebody is already running scales against the side of a building. A drum major climbs the podium, and by the time the sun clears the tree line, the field is full of students counting off a set they will run again, and again, and again, until the spacing is finally right.

That is an ordinary Tuesday for a marching band. It is also one of the most demanding commitments a high school student can voluntarily sign up for, and almost all of it happens with nobody watching. The crowd sees a few polished minutes under the Friday night lights. The students lived the ninety-plus hours of grueling practice that produced them.

Bezit is a proud Band Sponsor of the Coppell High School Marching Band for the 2026-27 season—and that gap, between what the stands see and what the work actually costs, is a large part of why.

What Marching Band Actually Teaches

Ask a band director what their program produces and you will rarely get a list of trophies first. You will hear about habits, and those habits are the whole point:

• Non-negotiable punctuality: Being on time every single morning, because dozens of peers on the field are directly relying on your position.
• Taking public correction: Getting constructive feedback in front of your peers, then returning the next morning ready to execute it correctly.
• A higher standard of "clean": Learning that "good enough" and truly "clean" execution are two completely different benchmarks.
• Shared accountability: A flawless individual performance is worth very little if the collective visual formation around you collapses.

That last lesson is a hard idea to teach in a standard classroom setting, yet the Coppell ISD music staff teaches it every single fall. None of it stays on the practice field, either. Punctuality, taking feedback without flinching, and carrying your share of a group's workload are the exact same traits that surface years later in a first job, a college program, and a professional career.

Why a Property Tax Company Sponsors a Band

Bezit works with homeowners across the DFW metroplex, and Coppell is one of the primary communities we serve. The families whose students march are the same homeowners we sit down with every spring to help lower their residential property tax burden. Supporting this program is less a marketing decision than a matter of showing up properly in a community we are already a dedicated part of.

Public school arts programs operate on a combination of school district funding, booster club drives, and local business sponsorships:

1. Equipment & Maintenance: Uniforms wear out, and instruments require specialized repair in the middle of a competitive season.
2. Travel & Logistics: Transporting hundreds of students, props, and heavy percussion equipment to regional competitions requires significant charter bus and freight funding.
3. Student Accessibility: Local sponsorship dollars help bridge financial gaps, ensuring that students who cannot cover individual participation fees still get to march.

Sponsorship money is unglamorous and enormously useful. We would much rather attach our name to an initiative that gives North Texas youth a reason to be at school before dawn than to another advertisement nobody asked to see.

Come Out on Saturday, August 15

The best thing you can do for a marching band costs nothing at all: show up and support them.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 15. If you have never watched a full marching band performance from the opening note to the final drill set, this is the perfect season to change that.

To the Coppell High School band members, directors, and the parent volunteers hauling water coolers and pit equipment across hot asphalt in the August heat - enjoy the season. Go Cowboys.

Bezit helps North Texas homeowners lower their property tax bills with simple, stress-free protest services. Learn more about how we serve local property owners at bezit.co or explore our Coppell property tax services.

Many homeowners don’t realise that they can protest property taxes for each property they own - not just their primary residence. When valuations increase across multiple homes, even small inaccuracies can add up to a much higher overall tax liability.

This case study shows how a multi-property owner reduced the assessed values of three homes in North Texas using Bezit’s property tax service, achieving a combined reduction of $132,342 and an estimated annual saving of $2,285.

What Is a Property Tax Protest for Multiple Properties?

A property tax protest in Texas is a formal legal process that allows homeowners to challenge the assessed value assigned by the County Appraisal District (CAD). Under the Texas Property Tax Code, every property owner has the right to protest if they believe their appraisal is inaccurate or unequal compared to similar properties.

When working with a property tax protest service, the process usually involves:

• Evaluating each property individually
• Identifying overvaluation using comparable sales data
• Supporting a lower valuation with structured analysis

This ensures that each property reflects its true market value.

The Problem: Rising Property Tax Assessments Across Properties

In Texas, property taxes are calculated based on the assessed value of each property.

When you own multiple properties, valuation increases can have a compounding effect:

• Each property is assessed independently by its respective CAD
• Increases across properties raise the total tax burden
• Overvaluation in even one property can cost thousands per year over time

Without review, this can result in consistently higher property tax payments over time.

Real Case Study: Reducing Assessed Value Across Multiple Properties

A multi-property owner with three residential homes in North Texas saw a sharp increase in assessed values across all properties. As valuations rose in Frisco and Little Elm, the total property tax burden increased across the portfolio.

The homeowner used Bezit to review and challenge the valuations across all three properties to better manage rising costs.

The Strategy: Building a Property Tax Protest Case

Step 1 — Property-by-Property Evaluation

Bezit reviewed each property individually to identify the gap between the CAD’s assessed value and the likely true market value. For multi-property owners, this is done across the entire portfolio at once, so no property is missed.

Step 2. Comparable Property Analysis

For each property, Bezit builds  a structured comparable Property analysis to determine accurate valuations.

Note: Under Texas law, an appraisal that is unequal compared to similar properties is a valid ground for reduction, even if the value is arguably at market. This unequal appraisal argument is often more powerful than a pure market value argument.

Step 3. Building a Consolidated Case

With Bezit’s help, the homeowner built a clear, evidence-based case across all properties, using comparable data to support lower valuations and filed the protest.

Step 4 . Outcome and Savings

Once the protest is successful, the CAD issues a corrected Notice of Appraised Value. The reduced value is used to calculate the property’s tax bill for that year. 

Bezit’s fee comprises a fixed, non-refundable fee and a contingency-based component, where you pay only if you achieve savings.

The Result: Reduced Assessed Value Across Properties

Total Reduction Across All Properties: $132,342. These reductions were accepted by the Denton and Collin County Appraisal Districts in 2025.

Estimated Property Tax Savings

Frisco Property (Homestead Property)

Reduction: $97,769
Tax Rate: 1.64%
Estimated Annual Savings ≈ $1,603 per year

This property qualifies for a Homestead Exemption in Texas, which means the reduced value becomes the capped base value, helping limit future property tax increases.

Little Elm Property

Reduction: $21,280Tax Rate: 1.973%

Estimated Annual Savings ≈ $420 per year

Second Little Elm Property

Reduction: $13,293Tax Rate: 1.973%

Estimated Annual Savings ≈ $262 per year

Combined Financial Impact

Estimated Annual Property Tax Savings ≈ $2,285 per year

Estimated 5-Year Savings ≈ $11,400+

(Actual savings depend on local tax rates and future property values.)

Final Takeaway

For multi-property owners, managing property tax assessments in Texas is critical to controlling long-term costs.

By working with a property tax protest company like Bezit, homeowners can identify overvaluation, correct assessed values, and reduce their overall tax burden.

Bezit supports this process end-to-end, helping homeowners build strong, data-backed cases across all their properties.

CTA

Own multiple properties? Work with a trusted property tax protest company like Bezit to review your properties and reduce your tax burden.No upfront cost. You only pay if you save.

FAQs

1. Can I file a property tax protest for multiple properties? Yes. In Texas, every property is assessed and taxed separately, and every property owner has the right to protest each one independently.  There is no limit on the number of properties you can protest in a given year. Services like Bezit manage the full portfolio at once, so multi-property owners do not need to run separate processes for each address.

2. What is the deadline to protest property taxes in Texas?

The standard protest deadline in Texas is May 15, or 30 days after the date your Notice of Appraised Value is mailed, whichever is later. Notices are usually mailed in April. It is important to watch for your notice and act quickly, especially if your notice arrives late in the season.

2. How does owning multiple properties affect property taxes and my total property tax bill?Each property is assessed independently, so increases across properties can significantly raise your total tax burden.

3. What data is used in a property tax protest? The primary evidence used in a Texas property tax protest is comparable properties data — records of recent sales of similar homes in the same area. This is used to evaluate whether a property is overvalued and argue either that the market value of your home is lower than assessed, or that your home is assessed unequally compared to similar neighbouring properties.

Additional evidence can include independent appraisals, cost-of-repair estimates, or evidence of functional or economic obsolescence.

4. Does homestead exemption apply to all properties? No. The Texas Homestead Exemption applies only to your primary residence

5. How much can I save by protesting multiple properties? Savings vary depending on how aggressively each property was assessed and how strong the comparable sales evidence is. The best way to estimate your potential savings is to request a free review from Bezit before the protest deadline.

7. Is there a fee to use Bezit’s property tax protest service?

Bezit operates on a fee model that includes a fixed fee and a contingency-based component. The fixed fee covers the initial work, while the contingency fee applies only if Bezit successfully reduces your assessed value. If no reduction is achieved, you do not pay the contingency fee, ensuring strong alignment of incentives.

Initial assessed value : $668,775

Final assessed value : $650,000

Total reduction : $18,775

Est. 5-year savings : $1,735+ 

If your home requires repairs or is not in the same condition as similar properties in your area, your property tax assessment in Texas may not reflect its true market value.

In Texas, property taxes are based on county appraisals, where homes in the same neighbourhood are compared using a mass appraisal system. When differences in condition are not taken into account, homeowners often end up overpaying.

This case study shows how a homeowner in Prosper, Texas, filed a property tax protest and reduced their assessed value using property condition documentation through Bezit.

Case Study: Reducing Assessed Value Through a Tax Protest

A homeowner received a property tax assessment that did not reflect the actual condition of the home. The valuation was conducted using recently updated comparable properties, even though the home required repairs.

The homeowner filed a property tax protest through Bezit, focusing on how the property’s condition affected its market value.

The Problem: Property Condition Was Overlooked in the Assessed Value

In Texas, property taxes are based on a county’s estimate of market value.

That estimate relies on comparable properties, but these comparisons do not always account for differences in home condition.

This creates a common issue:

● Properties requiring repairs are compared to updated homes

● The assessed value becomes inflated

● Homeowners overpay property taxes

If repairs are not factored in, the valuation may not reflect what the home would sell for in the market.

Texas law gives homeowners two independent ways to challenge this.

Two ways to challenge your assessed value in Texas

Under the Texas Tax Code, homeowners can challenge assessed value on two independent grounds, and using both simultaneously strengthens your case significantly:

●       Market value: Your home is assessed higher than what it would actually sell for, based on comparable sales adjusted for condition differences.

●       Unequal appraisal: Your home is assessed at a higher ratio than comparable properties nearby, meaning you are being taxed unequally relative to your neighbors.

Most homeowners only argue about market value. Filing both grounds, as Bezit does, creates two independent paths to a reduction.

 The Strategy: Team Bezit Building a Property Tax Protest Case

1. Documenting the Property Condition as of Jan 1st

Using Bezit’s web platform, the homeowner shared supporting photos and detailed inputs to show the areas that required repair as of January first. The Jan 1st deadline is important; otherwise, this protest is not admissible.

 2. Leveraging Comparable Property Analysis

The Bezit team conducted a structured comparable sales analysis and adjusted values based on differences in condition to arrive at a more accurate market value.

 3. Building a Clear, Evidence-Based Case

The Bezit team built a clear, evidence-based case using repair photos, supporting documentation, and comparable data to justify a lower valuation. This resulted in a strong evidence-based submission.

 4. File before the deadline, protest, and win wth Bezit!

The homeowner filed before the deadline after receiving the appraisal notice and won with the help of Bezit.

 The Result – Texas Property Tax Reduction

Initial Appraised Value: $668,775
Final CAD Value: $650,000
Total Reduction: $18,775

Estimated Property Tax Savings

Reduction: $18,775
Tax Rate: 1.85%
Estimated Annual Savings ≈ $347 per year
Estimated 5-Year Savings ≈ $1,735+
(Actual savings depend on local tax rates.)

The Homestead Exemption Compounding Benefit

Because this Prosper property qualifies for a Homestead Exemption in Texas, the reduced value of $650,000 becomes the capped base value for future years. Under Texas Tax Code §23.23, a homestead's appraised value cannot increase by more than 10% per year.

Thus, lowering the value today helps reduce future property tax increases.

That difference compounds annually, meaning total savings over five-plus years significantly exceed the $1,735 estimated from the tax rate alone.

Final Takeaway

If your home needs work, don’t assume the county has considered it.

A property tax protest in Texas can help correct overvaluation by showing the real condition of your home and comparing it properly.

If your home needs repairs and your county assessment doesn't reflect that, Bezit can build a condition-adjusted case using photos and hearing representation, with no upfront cost. Our team handles the process end-to-end, making it easier to file and win a stronger case.

Contact our team today to learn how Bezit handles condition protests.

 FAQs for approval

1. Can I protest property taxes in Texas based on repairs?

Yes. If your home requires repairs and the county did not account for it, you can use photos and documentation to prove that your property tax assessment is too high. Under Texas law, a home needing significant repairs is not worth the same as an updated comparable property, and that difference should be reflected in the assessed value. The more specific and well-documented your evidence, the stronger your case at the ARB hearing.

2. What documents help win a property condition protest?

The most effective documents are:

1. Property photographs
2. Receipts or estimates for repairs
3. Comparable sales adjusted for condition differences
4. Property surveys or inspection report if available.

Property tax companies like Bezit handle the comparable analysis and adjustments for you.

3. How much can I save on property taxes?

Savings vary, but even small reductions can significantly lower long-term property tax payments.

4. How much can I save by protesting property taxes based on repairs in Texas?

Savings depend on the severity of repairs needed, your local tax rate, and the gap between your current assessed value and a condition-accurate market value. In this Prosper case study, using Bezit, the homeowner saved $347 per year ($1,735+ over five years) on an $18,775 reduction at a 1.85% rate. For homestead properties, a lower base value today also limits future annual increases under the 10% cap, compounding your savings further.

 5. Do homeowners have access to comparable sales data?

Not easily. Property tax protest companies like Bezit help identify and analyze the right data.

 How Do Repair Estimates Affect Your Assessed Value in Texas?

In Texas, if your property requires repairs as of January 1st, a licensed contractor’s written estimate can be used as supporting evidence to challenge your assessed value. If your home needs significant work, these costs can help justify a lower market value during a property tax protest.

For example, if your house requires $25,000 in repairs, you can present this as a basis for arguing that the assessed value should be reduced accordingly, especially if the appraisal does not reflect the property’s true condition.

To strengthen your case before the Appraisal Review Board (ARB), gather detailed and credible estimates, such as:

●      Repair quotes from licensed contractors
●      Roof replacement estimates
●      Plumbing or electrical upgrade costs
●      Structural repair estimates supported by photos

The more specific, documented, and well-supported your evidence is, the stronger your case for a valuation adjustment during the ARB hearing.

If you recently purchased a home, filing a property tax protest in Texas in your first year helps ensure your property is not overvalued by the county and prevents you from overpaying over time.

This real case study from Denton County property tax protest experience, based on a homeowner in Aubrey, Texas, shows how a simple, well-documented protest corrected an inflated valuation and reduced long-term tax burden.

Case Study: New Homeowner Cuts Value Using Purchase Documents

A new homeowner in Aubrey, Texas, received their first property tax assessment and noticed an issue. The county-assessed value was significantly higher than the purchase price of the home.

Instead of accepting it, the homeowner filed a property tax protest using verified purchase documents through Bezit’s platform.

The Problem: Assessed Value Didn’t Match Purchase Price

In Texas, property taxes are based on county assessments, not the purchase price.
This often creates a common issue for first-time homebuyers in Texas:

• The county valuation exceeds the actual purchase price
• Overpayment begins from the first year
• The inflated value becomes the baseline for future increases

To understand this better:

• Appraised value is the county’s estimate of market value
• Assessed value is the number used to calculate property taxes

If these do not reflect the actual transaction, these are strong grounds to protest property taxes in Texas.

The Strategy: Using Verified Purchase Documents as Evidence

Here is the approach used in this case and what works best for new homeowners in Texas:
1. Use Verified Purchase Documents
The Closing Disclosure (HUD statement) is the strongest piece of evidence in a first-year property tax protest. It proves the actual purchase price of the property.

2. Support with Comparable Data
Nearby property comparisons help validate that the purchase price reflects true market value.

3. Use a Structured Property Tax Protest Process
Instead of navigating the system manually, the homeowner used Bezit’s property tax protest platform.

The only step required was uploading the Closing Disclosure. From there:

• Bezit identified key evidence
• Built a structured case based on county requirements
• Reviewed and submitted the tax protest on the homeowner’s behalf

The process required minimal effort from the homeowner as Bezit handles the entire process end-to-end for them.

What is a Closing Disclosure?

A Closing Disclosure is the final document issued during a real estate transaction. It includes:

• Final purchase price
• Loan details
• Transaction costs

In a property tax protest, it serves as critical evidence, especially when the county valuation exceeds the actual purchase price.

The Result - Texas Property Tax Protest

Initial Assessed Value: $758,393
Final Assessed Value: $684,000
Total Reduction: $74,393

Estimated Tax Reduction

Reduction: $74,393
Tax Rate: 2.28%
Estimated Annual Savings
$74,393 × 2.28% ≈ $1,696 per year
Estimated 5-Year Savings ≈ $8,480+ (Actual savings depend on local tax rates.)

Why First-Year Protests Matter

The first year as a homeowner is the most important opportunity to correct property tax valuation errors.

If no action is taken:

• A higher tax baseline is established
• Future increases build on that value
• Overpayment continues over time

Final Takeaway

If you have recently bought a home in Texas, do not assume your property tax assessment is correct. The first year is the best opportunity to correct it.

Using documents like the Closing Disclosure, along with data-backed analysis, helps build a strong case. Bezit manages this property tax protest process end-to-end, including strategy, filing, and follow-through on behalf of homeowners.

Many first-time homeowners in Texas are not aware of available homestead exemptions. Identifying and applying these can unlock additional reductions beyond the protest itself.

CTA: Learn how Bezit can help you reduce your property taxes. 

Read More.

1. View Your Property Tax Bill
2. Denton County Property Tax Guide 2026: Essential Deadlines, Procedures, and Exemption Insights
3. Assessed value vs market value

FAQs

1. What documents do I need for a property tax protest in Texas?
You typically need your Closing Disclosure, comparable sales data, and supporting valuation evidence. Comparable sales data isn’t easily accessible to homeowners. Bezit can help you find the right comparable properties and build a strong case. 

2. What is a Closing Disclosure, and can I use it for a property tax protest?
A Closing Disclosure is the final document issued during a home purchase. It is one of the strongest forms of proof in a first-year property tax protest because it reflects the actual purchase price.

3. How much can I save by protesting property taxes in Texas?
Savings vary, but even a modest reduction in assessed value can result in significant long-term property tax savings.

4. What is the deadline to protest property taxes in Texas?
The deadline is usually May 15 or 30 days after the notice is delivered, depending on the county, whichever is later.

5. Can I protest property taxes if I just bought a home?
Yes. The first year is often the most effective time to protest property taxes in Texas.

When you plan to buy a house, paying a fair value for the property will be your top priority. This fair value, or fair market value, as it’s known in real estate terms, is determined from the evaluation of the property. Many factors dictate this value, such as the area, amenities, and the value of similar properties in your neighborhood.

For example, if you’re buying a house in Louisiana, you need to check if Louisiana is a non-disclosure state. A non-disclosure state is one where the selling prices of properties are not legally required to be made public.

This is to protect the privacy of buyers and sellers. However, this affects the assessed market value of a property and the property taxes associated with it. This is why it’s important to know whether the state you’re buying property in is a disclosure or a non-disclosure state in the USA so that you only pay what's fair.

What are Non-Disclosure States?

In the United States, there are 12 states declared as non-disclosure states. In non-disclosure states, property owners are not required to publicly disclose selling prices, neither public records of sale prices are maintained.  

Limited data is available to the general public in these 12 states, limiting transparency in real estate transactions. While the intention is to protect the privacy of buyers and sellers, it is a little hard to determine fair market value or appeal property tax assessments.

Key Features of Non-Disclosure States:

1. Privacy Focus: Sale prices are kept confidential and are typically shared only between the buyer, seller, and their respective parties (e.g., agents, lenders).
2. Impact on Tax Assessment: Property tax assessments in these states rely on indirect methods, as the sale prices aren't publicly accessible.

Role of MLS: Access to real estate market data often depends on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which is available to licensed real estate professionals.

Which States in the US are Non-Disclosure?

There are 12 non-disclosure states as of 2026. Here are some details about each:

Alaska

Alaska is fully non-disclosure. If you’re investing in property here, check property taxes and assessments. However, Alaska requires sellers to disclose the condition of the property unless both the seller and buyer agree to waive this.

Idaho

In Idaho, sale prices of properties are not disclosed, but the property condition must be. The decision to disclose prices rests with the buyer and seller.

Kansas

Investing in Kansas means contacting a real estate agent with access to the MLS to understand property market values. Kansas has 12 local realtor boards, or you can seek information from the assessor’s office.

Louisiana

Although a non-disclosure state, Louisiana has 10 local realtor boards. Agents with MLS access can guide you with your purchase.

Mississippi

Sales prices in Mississippi are not disclosed, and realtor boards don’t publish market research. Deeds typically list a token $10 as a consideration amount. Local realtors are essential for market insights.

Missouri (Partial)

Some counties in Missouri are non-disclosure, but areas like St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and Jackson County mandate sales price disclosures.

Montana

In Montana, sales prices are not public. Research can involve the assessor’s office or MLS access through real estate professionals.

New Mexico

This is strictly non-disclosure. Property prices are disclosed only to the registered property owner.

North Dakota

North Dakota’s sales prices are not public. Engaging with a realtor with MLS access is crucial for market research.

Texas

While Texas is non-disclosure, the MLS can provide property details. To save more on your property taxes, reach out to Bezit.

Utah

Utah is strictly non-disclosure and goes further to ensure sales prices aren’t available, even on the MLS. Property owners can pay $500 to keep their sales price private.

Wyoming

Though non-disclosure, sales information is accessible via MLS, simplifying market research.

What Does This Mean for Homeowners?

As a prospective homeowner, buying property in a non-disclosure state like Texas means sales prices aren’t publicly accessible. This can complicate determining fair market value or challenging property tax assessments.

If you disagree with your property assessment in Texas, filing a protest requires comparable sales data. Without public access to sales prices, your protest case may lack substance and be less successful.

Tips for Gathering Proof for a Protest

Although sales prices aren’t disclosed, you can take the following steps to support your protest:

1. Contact a Real Estate Professional: Many agents have MLS access and can provide valuable insights into market conditions.
2. Leverage Agent Relationships: Trusted agents may help you access necessary data.
3. Consult Public Records: Local government or county offices may have partial information for your case.

How Can a Property Tax Protest Company Help?

Yes, property tax protest experts, like Bezit, provide detailed market research for free to strengthen your case. In non-disclosure states, their expertise ensures you pay fair property taxes or potentially secure a reduction.

Conclusion

Living in a non-disclosure state like Texas comes with challenges, especially regarding property tax protests. However, with the help of our real estate professionals, property tax experts, and available public resources, the process can be navigated effectively.

The plan aims to allocate $12 billion to lower property tax rates for homeowners and businesses, along with increasing the homestead exemption. Additionally, a pilot program is proposed to reduce taxes on specific residential and commercial properties. We anticipate the legislation to be approved later this week.

Finally, after months of back and forth among Texas' top Republicans, state GOP lawmakers managed to reach an agreement on Monday regarding the reduction of property taxes for Texans.

The Texas House and Senate recently reached a $18 billion compromise, aiming to provide property tax relief for homeowners and establish temporary caps on appraisal increases for certain non-homesteaded properties. This move is set to benefit around 5.7 million homeowners across the state.

It will also decrease franchise taxes for small businesses and allocate billions of dollars to school districts, enabling them to reduce taxes for everyone. However, the legislation filed by state budget leaders on Monday specifies that none of that money will be allocated for additional public education funding.

The proposal needs to go through both chambers first before it goes to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. Abbott mentioned he's excited about approving it. After that, we'll have a constitutional election in November to see if voters pass the plan. If the deal gets approval from voters, the tax cuts will kick off in the 2023 tax year.

“I promised during my campaign that the state would return to property taxpayers at least half of the largest budget surplus we have ever had,” Abbott said in a statement after Monday’s announcement. “Today’s agreement between the House and the Senate is a step toward delivering on that promise. I look forward to this legislation reaching my desk, so I can sign into law the largest property tax cut in Texas history.”

Last week Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, along with members from both chambers, had negotiations. Dan Patrick went on to say of the meetings “made a difference.”

“It has been a long road, but this is a great day for all property owners,” Patrick said. “It may have taken overtime, but the process has produced a great bill for homeowners and businesses.”

The new legislation, which is likely to pass this week, sets aside around $12.6 billion to decrease the school property tax rate by 10.7 cents per $100 valuation for both homeowners and businesses. On top of that, it also increases the state's homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000, costing an estimated $5.3 billion. Plus, seniors and property owners with disabilities can expect a little extra relief, averaging an additional $170 per year.

According to state Senator Paul Bettencourt from Houston, the bill would save the average homeowner around 41.5% on property taxes per year, which amounts to roughly $1,300 annually.

“Taxpayers WIN! All residential and commercial real property WIN! 5.72 million homesteaders WIN!” Bettencourt said in a written statement.

Here's another part of the plan: it's kinda like bringing back a contentious idea the House already suggested. It's gonna put a cap on appraisal increases for commercial and non-homesteaded properties valued at $5 million or less, for three years - like a 20% limit. Oh, and the comptroller might adjust that number each year for inflation.

On Monday, leaders called that section of the bill a "circuit breaker" program, but it's a bit of a misnomer. Unlike similar programs elsewhere, the Texas proposal doesn't take into account a person's income or ability to pay property taxes, nor does it specifically aim to help lower-income taxpayers.

Phelan expressed his satisfaction with the agreement, highlighting the positive impacts it will have on Texans. “Reducing property taxes, providing relief to small-business owners, and reforming our appraisal system will ensure economic growth and prosperity, and this agreement is a significant victory for all Texans,” Phelan said in a statement.

On Monday, we filed the new property tax relief bill, a franchise tax relief bill, and the constitutional amendment needed to enact the cuts.

After nearly seven months of arguments among the state's top Republicans, the deal finally brings an end to the stalemate over how to distribute the $12.3 billion in new tax breaks that lawmakers budgeted earlier this year.

This year, the Republicans arrived in Austin with an impressive surplus of around $33 billion. They made big promises to deliver tax relief to Texas property owners, who endure some of the highest property taxes in the nation. However, for the majority of the year, the House and Senate leaders, Phelan and Patrick, couldn't agree on the best approach to achieve this.

Here's the deal: the big debate was whether those who own homes or businesses should get a larger tax break. Phelan and the folks in the House were all about sending that fresh $12.3 billion to school districts to lower their tax rates - they called it "tax rate compression." That means everyone's property tax would go down, but the ones who would really reap the rewards are the business owners.

Abbott and the conservative tax-cut warriors saw the proposal as a way to speed up the process of eventually getting rid of the school maintenance and operations tax. This tax, which makes up the bulk of the school property tax, covers day-to-day school expenses such as teacher salaries. However, as time went on, Abbott's support for a compression-only tax-cut proposal seemed to fade. He urged House and Senate leaders to reach an agreement and send him a bill.

Patrick and the tax-cut writers in the Senate reached an agreement with the House to allocate $12.3 billion for property tax cuts. However, they planned to use only 70% of that amount for tax rate compression. The remaining funds would be used to enhance the state's school district homestead exemption, which protects a portion of a home's value from being taxed for public schools. Patrick and Bettencourt, Patrick's lieutenant on the tax-cut issue, advocated for increasing the exemption from $40,000 to $100,000.

Temporary Appraisal Cap Proposal

The House had a previous proposal that aimed to limit how much taxable property values can increase each year, referred to as an appraisal cap. However, this proposal didn't make it to the final deal.

In Texas right now, home valuations are only allowed to rise by a maximum of 10% per year. But that rule only applies to homeowners, not businesses or other properties. The proposal from the House was to make that limit even smaller, at 5%, and extend it to cover all properties. This idea got a lot of backlash from tax-policy advocates, no matter their political leaning.

The new plan introduced on Monday suggests a pilot program to set limits on appraisals for non-homesteaded properties with lower values. This program would be a completely fresh addition to the tax code, but let's be clear, it's not your typical circuit-breaker program, despite what the leaders are saying.

Circuit breaker programs got their name because they function like electrical circuit breakers, stopping property taxes from causing financial harm to taxpayers. These programs offer specific assistance to residents in certain situations, such as seniors or renters, when their tax burdens become excessive. Each state administers these programs differently, with some incorporating them into income or property tax systems, while others provide rebates. This analysis comes from Every Texan, a progressive think tank based in Austin.

In Texas, for a successful income-based program, it would probably make sense to have a rebate-style system. Since Texas doesn't have a statewide property tax or income tax, this approach would facilitate income verification and simplify program administration, as noted by the analysis from Every Texan. Back in the 1990s, a similar program in Texas failed due to the significant administrative expenses that arose from the lack of an income tax, as reported by Every Texan.

Monday's deal seems to avoid those complications by focusing on lower-valued property instead of taxpayer income. However, advocates for lower-income residents are concerned that renters and lower-income property owners may not benefit from this approach.

The Texas program will expire on December 31, 2026, unless lawmakers choose to renew it or make it a permanent later on.

The previous proposals from both chambers didn't include any specific tax relief for the state's 3.7 million renter households. Last week, House Democrats presented their own tax-cut plan, which would provide tenants with a cash refund of up to 10% of their previous year's rent. However, Republicans didn't include anything similar in the package released on Monday.

Some Republicans and tax policy experts claim that renters will benefit from the tax-cut package's compression component. They argue that landlords will pass on fewer property taxes to their tenants, leading to smaller rent increases. However, others argue that rent increases in recent years are mainly driven by the high demand and lack of supply in the state's rental market, rather than property taxes.

Last year's real estate market was exceptional, but most properties will likely not be affected by this provision. Even if taxes on rental properties are constrained by the proposed cap, there's no guarantee that landlords will pass on the savings to their renters. That's just the reality of the situation, as explained by Dick Lavine, a tax policy expert at Every Texan.

However, previous House plans have faced criticism for favoring wealthy homeowners and businesses over lower-income Texans. The introduction of the temporary new cap seems to be the most unique addition to Monday's deal.

And it's basically the best the House can hope for in the deal, where they get the whole homestead exemption the Senate wanted, but only 60% of the compression that the House and Abbott were pushing for in the first special legislative session of the year.

Considering the pushback on previous proposals to limit appraisals, it's surprising to see this concession made during the early stages of negotiations.

Throughout this year, Phelan and state Rep. Morgan Meyer, a Dallas Republican and the House's main tax-cut writer, worked hard to strengthen the state's appraisal cap for homeowners and expand the advantage to business owners. This effort was a response to the concerns expressed by residential and commercial property owners who experienced significant increases in their property values due to the state's thriving housing market and booming economy.

Experts in housing and tax policy cautioned that this proposal would have numerous negative consequences without actually reducing tax bills. It was immediately dismissed by Patrick and the Senate Republicans.

Want to pay your fair share of property taxes? Let Bezit help you save money! Our property tax specialists will analyze your home's fair value, present your evidence, and coordinate all necessary documentation and filings for you. We can help you potentially save thousands of dollars. Contact us today to start saving! Go to Bezit.co