Dallas teacher Melody Townsel loves the Cedars neighborhood, where she’s owned a condo she shares with her daughter since 2017.
But there are some downsides — among them, heavy construction, poor sidewalks and crime. So Townsel, 60, said she’s confused as to why the market value of her property went up more than 36% this year.
Most of it is attributed to improvements to her home itself, but she said her condo hasn’t seen much improvement at all compared to other units and buildings nearby.
That’s why Townsel's written up eight pages of a document complete with pictures and descriptions that she hopes will prove to Dallas County appraisers that she should pay less in taxes on her home than they say.
“I think most of us are trying to figure out, like, where are these very high values in the Cedars coming from given the state of play in that neighborhood?” she said.
Since DCAD began sending out appraisal notices to Dallas County homeowners last week, residents like Townsel have been shocked to see what they say are larger than normal increases in their property’s market value.
KERA News has reviewed documents showing appraisals that have jumped as high as 60%. Whether it's Facebook groups or threads on Reddit and X, it seems more homeowners are blasting DCAD appraisals than usual.
A DCAD spokesperson said last week the district has not yet received a higher number of complaints than normal, but declined to comment further.
Homeowners may find relief through a homestead exemption, which makes part of a home's value exempt from taxation and caps the increase in appraised value at 10% each year. Exemptions are also available for those 65 or older, disabled homeowners and veterans.
That means after all is said and done, Townsel probably won’t be paying taxes on her full market value amount. But homestead exemptions only apply to an owner's primary residence, not the rental homes they may own. So when property taxes go up, renters may have to foot the bill.
Kimber Fox, a realtor with Texas Pride Realty Group, said that's led to investors who buy rentals pricing nearby residents out of their homes in lower-income neighborhoods over the years, pushing people to sell their homes rather than pursue other options.
“As a realtor, I want people to stay in their home as long as possible,” they said. “Don't sell your home, because that's your biggest asset.”
Fox said to protest DCAD’s appraisal of your home every year — even if you feel like you don’t need to. It’s as simple as providing the district with a written document that details dissatisfaction with the appraisal. In 2023, an official said DCAD’s appraisal review board received the second-highest number of protests it’s ever gotten.
MacKenzie McCarver and her husband have been successful in protesting the property value of their North Dallas home before. They file a protest through an outside company that receives a percentage of the money they may save on property taxes.
But having the means to do that is a privilege, she said.
“A lot of the tools that you need to be able to protest property taxes are real estate tools,” she said. “So, you need somebody to go in and look at the (comparable homes) that were sold in your neighborhood. Those things aren't public information. They're not readily available.”
The deadline to protest your property value in Dallas County is May 15 or 30 days after the appraisal district delivered your notice, whichever is later. DCAD outlines that process on its website.
The Tarrant and Denton appraisal districts also set a May 15 protest deadline. Collin County's deadline is May 31.
The deadline to apply for a homestead exemption is April 30, but the exemption will only apply Jan. 1 of the year after you qualify.
“It's not too late even now to file it,” Fox said. “It could take 90 days for them to reflect that it's showing, but your homestead exemption is going to reduce your assessed property tax rate and what you have to pay on that.”
Got a tip? Email Toluwani Osibamowo at tosibamowo@kera.org. You can follow Toluwani on X @tosibamowo.
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