You sign once. We look after it for as long as you own the house.
Here's the whole thing, in the order it happens, with the real dates.
You · two minutes, today
You tell us your address.
We pull your county record, show you what the appraisal district has you at, and tell you what we think it should be. Then you sign Form 50-162, which is what lets us talk to the county on your behalf. That form stays on file until you cancel it, so you never have to do this again.
Us · by April 30
We file your homestead exemption.
Free. If the address on your driver's license doesn't match the property yet, we'll tell you and hold it until it does. This is separate from the protest and it happens whether or not the protest goes anywhere.
The county · April
Your notice of appraised value arrives.
The county mails you their number for the year. You don't need to do anything with it. We get the same information and we're already working.
Us · April
We look at your number and decide.
We review what the district has you at against comparable sales, similar homes, and your property's actual condition. If we think we can bring it down, we file. If we don't, we tell you why and we don't file, a protest we can't win wastes your time and puts nothing in your pocket.
Us · by May 15
We build your file and protest.
Comparable sales, a like-for-like comparison against similar homes, and a summary of your property's actual condition. That last part is what most protests don't have.
Us · May to July
We settle it with the district.
Most protests in Texas are resolved in an informal conference without a hearing. If yours needs to go to the appraisal review board, we go. You don't have to be there.
You · summer
You find out what you saved.
We email you the outcome and it's in your account. If we didn't win, that's the end of it and you owe nothing.
Us · late in the year
We bill you, once, after the savings are real.
40% of what came off your bill. We show you the arithmetic and tell you the charge date in advance. Then we review your number again next spring, without asking you for anything.
How you'll see it
Usually as a smaller mortgage payment.
Most people with a mortgage never see a tax bill. Your lender collects property tax and insurance monthly, holds it in escrow, and pays the county for you. When we bring your value down, the lender re-runs that escrow once a year, so the saving reaches you as a lower monthly payment or an escrow refund rather than a check from the county. If you pay the county directly, you will see it on the bill itself.