In 2009 we attended a review hearing with the Parker County Tax Appraisal District in order to contest the actual value of our house. The Review Board received our evidence and unanimously agreed to reduce the amount of the improvements. However, due to a lack of information available at that time, they stated that were not able to reduce the amount as much as they would have liked to. The Review Board made sure that our rights were preserved and that we understood those rights to pursue the matter further in arbitration.
An arbitration hearing was held a couple of months later. During the arbitration hearing the county appraisal district offered no evidence or verbal argument to refute ours. The end result was a quick ruling by the arbitrator in which she concluded that the improvements to the property (a.k.a. house) had a $0 market value. It should be noted that the arbitrator was also a licensed Realtor.
At the time of the initial hearing and arbitration, we were unaware of our ability to contest the land value as well. Following a professional appraisal being done in preparation for trial, and subsequent testimony provided during trial; we decided to proceed with another hearing before the Review Board.
Today the Appraisal District's Review Board considered the professional appraisal and additional testimony by Mike regarding the estimated value of the land. Not knowing exactly how to handle this animal; and admittedly not having any comps to compare our property against; could not conceive of land having now value. However, the board clearly understood that the structure had no value and that the land can not be used commercially since it is located within a private association. Moreover, the structures would need to be torn down; and then there is the issue of the entire property being located in Flood Hazard Zone A.
The appraiser shrugged his shoulders looking over at the Review Board, not knowing how to handle this value because he admittedly has no comps with the same characteristics as ours; in that he has no land located in an association with a designated drainage easement; the property completely located in Flood Hazard Zone A. The Review Board also had pause as they turned and looked at one another perplexed, until one of them decided to pull a number out of his hat. That's right, no comps or official data to back up his recommendation, just a number that wasn't "ZERO" $0.
The Review Board decided to ignore the appraiser's professional report and follow the "alpha" of the group; arbitrarily using some random number, reducing the appraised market value from $75,000 ($15,000 per acre) to a value of $25,000 ($5,000 per acre).
Towards the end of the hearing the one gentleman who came up with the random property value, scoffed at us with this sarcastic smile, asking something to the effect: "How do we know you won't get all this money from your lawsuit after we do this and just split?" It hurt so deeply when he said that to us; all I could think was, if he only knew we are just weeks away from being homeless. All I could get out with tears rolling down my face was: "You have no idea how badly we wish we were in a normal home paying normal taxes, our lives back."
It was a pretty difficult morning for us both. My head was throbbing, chest hurting; at one point it felt like the room began moving. Neither one of us are handling stress very well these days physically. We are just exhausted. We just keep crying out to God for mercy, and His grace.
Today the Appraisal District's Review Board considered the professional appraisal and additional testimony by Mike regarding the estimated value of the land. Not knowing exactly how to handle this animal; and admittedly not having any comps to compare our property against; could not conceive of land having now value. However, the board clearly understood that the structure had no value and that the land can not be used commercially since it is located within a private association. Moreover, the structures would need to be torn down; and then there is the issue of the entire property being located in Flood Hazard Zone A.
The appraiser shrugged his shoulders looking over at the Review Board, not knowing how to handle this value because he admittedly has no comps with the same characteristics as ours; in that he has no land located in an association with a designated drainage easement; the property completely located in Flood Hazard Zone A. The Review Board also had pause as they turned and looked at one another perplexed, until one of them decided to pull a number out of his hat. That's right, no comps or official data to back up his recommendation, just a number that wasn't "ZERO" $0.
The Review Board decided to ignore the appraiser's professional report and follow the "alpha" of the group; arbitrarily using some random number, reducing the appraised market value from $75,000 ($15,000 per acre) to a value of $25,000 ($5,000 per acre).
Towards the end of the hearing the one gentleman who came up with the random property value, scoffed at us with this sarcastic smile, asking something to the effect: "How do we know you won't get all this money from your lawsuit after we do this and just split?" It hurt so deeply when he said that to us; all I could think was, if he only knew we are just weeks away from being homeless. All I could get out with tears rolling down my face was: "You have no idea how badly we wish we were in a normal home paying normal taxes, our lives back."
It was a pretty difficult morning for us both. My head was throbbing, chest hurting; at one point it felt like the room began moving. Neither one of us are handling stress very well these days physically. We are just exhausted. We just keep crying out to God for mercy, and His grace.
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| ARBITRATION RULING - HOUSE APPRAISED VALUE "ZERO" $0 |
