Contesting Taxes in Texas

What do you do if you disagree with the county appraisal district’s (CAD’s) appraisal of your property? The following information may help you.

If you disagree with the CAD’s appraisal of your property, you must file a written protest each year to the county's appraisal review board (ARB). The ARB is an independent body that settles disputes between property owners and the appraisal district. You must file the protest before June 1 or no later than 30 days after the appraisal district sends you a notice of your appraised value.

When you present your protest to the ARB, you may appear in person, send someone to present the protest for you, or send a sworn affidavit (notarized statement) containing the evidence to support your protest. You should submit the affidavit to the ARB before the hearing begins. It is very important that ARB receives your affidavit before the date of your hearing or you may not get to present your evidence. Submitting your evidence by affidavit, although perfectly legal, may not be as effective as actually being present at the protest hearing.

For your ARB hearing, you may want to bring photographs of your property. If there are defects in the property, bring a notarized statement from a repair company or independent appraiser. You should also gather sales of similar properties in your area. Sales that occurred closest to January 1 are the best to use. Ask the CAD for sales it used to appraise your property. Obtaining a notarized statement from a realtor giving an opinion of your property’s value is also good evidence to present to the ARB.

Believe it or not, the law says that for most protests the CAD has the burden of proving the property is correctly appraised. They must do so by a preponderance of the evidence presented at the ARB hearing. The CAD also has the burden of showing the property is appraised equally with similar properties. If the CAD fails to meet that standard, the law says that the ARB should make a determination in the property owner’s favor.

In 2008, the law changes and in certain protests places an even higher burden on the CAD to prove the property is correctly appraised. Beginning in 2008, in a protest on a property with a market or appraised value of $1 million or less, the appraisal district has the burden of establishing the value of the property by clear and convincing evidence — as opposed to the weight or preponderance of the evidence — presented at the hearing when the property owner delivers an appraisal to the CAD at least 14 days before the hearing and the independent appraisal was performed within 180 days of the hearing date.

You have the right to appeal ARB’s decision to district court or in some cases seek binding arbitration. You have 45 days after receiving the board’s written order to file a petition for review with the court or seek resolution through binding arbitration. Property owners should talk with an attorney before deciding to file suit against the CAD.

For more information about protesting your taxes, the Texas StateComptroller's Property Tax Division publishes the Appraisal Review BoardManual. The manual not only explains in great detail the protest systembut it serves as the textbook for the state-training of appraisal reviewboard members.Agents and property owners who have questions about
the property tax laws may also call the staff at the Property Tax Division at 1-800-252-9121.

A. K. A. J. H.
Austin Homes
Circle C

Central Texas Growth

Central Texas Growth

Austin didn't change much for many years but look at it now. It was a slow start but Austin is spreading in every direction. If you look to the west there are homes high up in the hills and if you look east there are homes in the cotton fields. To the north is Pflugerville and Round Rock, Georgetown, barely a gap in between. To the south is Buda and Kyle, barely a gap here either. If you look downtown, not only are there high rise office buildings but condos and offices going up as well. There are toll roads going from north to south and west to east, with proposals for more. There will be a commuter rail from Leander to downtown with more coming.

We were talking in the office about the rock in Round Rock, when someone asked if there really was a round rock there. Yes, there is, in the creek, you used to be able to see it from I 35. I was driving north on Bagdad Road in Leander, when someone who has lived here many years told me this was the old turkey trail from Liberty Hill. If you look at ads for homes or apartments around South Congress, they say in the SOCO area.
Bergstrom is no longer a military air force base but is Austin Bergstrom International Airport. Mueller Airport is now homes, a hospital, shopping, and much more.

Hutto is the fastest growing city in the state of Texas and will continue to grow at an astronomical rate. To give the 17,000 residents the much needed shopping, entertainment and hotels, the city has decided to give developer incentives worth approximately $52 million dollars for a mixed use development on 466 acres located along Texas Toll road 130. This incentive is the largest monies given to a developer in the history of Hutto. Hutto once was a one horse, one stop light town. Now, it is thriving with a new Lowes, Home Depot, hotel, many restaurants and more.

Coming soon this new development called The Crossing of Carmel Creek will break ground. It is estimated that it will generate over $110 million in sales tax revenue and as much as $30 million in hotel occupancy revenue all beginning in 2010. With Williamson County, TX being one of the fastest growing counties in the US, you can see that there is something for everyone. Whether you are a first time homebuyer or a last time or somewhere in between, Williamson County can accommodate your needs.
Most of the larger towns in this County are easily accessible to major roads and employers. Tons of amenities are available including 3 new hospitals that have just opened or will in the next quarter. Shopping includes: J C Penney’s, Ikea, Outlet Mall between Round Rock & Georgetown, La Frontera, Sam’s, Super Walmart, Super Targets and more.

Austin in Transition

Austin Texas is undergoing some rather large changes. Austin is experiencing massive downtown development, new roads opening, and new mass-transit services. Google announced the opening of an office in Austin, and that does not surprise me on bit. I can imagine when they looked at Austin they probably saw many great reasons to move here. The downtown area is just fun with all of the restaurants, Zilker Park and hike and bike trails around Lady Bird Lake. For those who want to live and work in downtown Austin, they will have plenty of new condos and office space to choose from. The skyline is populated with high rise cranes. As people look into the burbs for housing they are finding homes that are reasonably priced and not to far from all that downtown has to offer. For those who are willing to commute to Georgetown, Leander, Round Rock and other outlying towns, the new toll roads seem to help those people get where they are going. And for those willing to move to Liberty Hill and Leander, well those folks will have the luxury of a passenger rail station in the town of Leander. We are also seeing more and more commercial developments that cater to shoppers who want to make a day of it in malls like the new Galleria and The Domain. All in all Austin is undergoing change from one side to the other and seems to offer new experiences for all types of activity, indoor and out. Austin just keeps getting better. We love helping people buy their piece of Austin Real Estate.

Lakeway TX Listings 11-19-07

Here are a few of the home listings, listed over the last couple of weeks. These are not all of the new listings, just a few. These were listed by various REALTORS in the Austin Texas area. If you do not find what you are looking for, please visit our website to learn more about Lakeway Real Estate



111 SENDERA BONITA, LAKEWAY, TX 78734
SAVE
$1,250,000 5 Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms 5,359 Est. Sq. Ft.
Photo Tour

Listing # 8149044


1407 SLEDGE DRIVE, LAKEWAY, TX 78734
SAVE
$799,900 3 Bedrooms 3 Full 1 Partial Bathrooms 3,511 Est. Sq. Ft.
Photo Tour

Listing # 8531130


40 COTTONDALE ROAD, LAKEWAY, TX 78738
SAVE
$722,900 4 Bedrooms 3 Full 1 Partial Bathrooms 4,196 Est. Sq. Ft.
Photo Tour

Listing # 7676204


1002 PORPOISE ST, LAKEWAY, TX 78734
SAVE
$655,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full 1 Partial Bathrooms 3,430 Est. Sq. Ft.
Photo Tour

Listing # 5501017


106 FIREBIRD COVE, LAKEWAY, TX 78734
SAVE
$469,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full 1 Partial Bathrooms 3,099 Est. Sq. Ft.
Virtual Tour Photo Tour

Listing # 9551434


609 ROLLING GREEN DR, LAKEWAY, TX 78734
SAVE
$425,000 3 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 3,004 Est. Sq. Ft.
Photo Tour

Listing # 3251411


1414 SLEDGE DR, LAKEWAY, TX 78734
SAVE
$405,000 4 Bedrooms 2 Full 1 Partial Bathrooms 2,558 Est. Sq. Ft.
Photo Tour

Listing # 3201066


1012 CHALLENGER, LAKEWAY, TX 78734
SAVE
$399,000 3 Bedrooms 2 Full 1 Partial Bathrooms 2,526 Est. Sq. Ft.
Photo Tour

Listing # 5744762


546 BROOKS HOLLOW RD, LAKEWAY, TX 78734
SAVE
$398,000 4 Bedrooms 2 Full 1 Partial Bathrooms 2,826 Est. Sq. Ft.
Virtual Tour Photo Tour

Listing # 9087045


702 LAKEWAY DR, LAKEWAY, TX 78734
SAVE
$324,900 3 Bedrooms 2 Full 1 Partial Bathrooms 2,341 Est. Sq. Ft.
Photo Tour

Listing # 8999208
© 2007 Austin Board of Realtors/ACTRIS MLS. All rights reserved.Information Deemed Reliable but Not Guaranteed. The information being provided is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.Updated on November 12, 2007
Austin Real Estate
IDX solution by iHOMEFINDER.com © 2007.

Web Traffic

Two years ago we started optimizing our website Austin Texas Real Estate. we only showed up on msn and generated 3 leads a day will a small payed position account. We all over google and yahoo now a do not see much more traffic. I is clear to me that searches are down over all over last year. However we have started to see an increase over the past few weeks, it is a welcome change.

Lakeway TX Real Estate

How to use delicious

From the Tech Corner at Sky Realty

Todays new product is http://delicious.com this website is free and easy. To summarize its purpose is to simply say that it is an online bookmarking service. Instead of having your favorites attached to one computer, with this service you can access your favorite sites from anywhere. I recommend you dowload the small button that attaches to your browser bar. this will have a button that says (TAG). When you are on a site you like, just move your cursor and click the (TAG). A page will pull up and ask you to give the site a breif description. you now have a favorite saved online.

Try it withour site Austin Real Estate

Sky Realty Offers New Web Page

We are announcing the newest page to the Sky Web Site. This page will help buyers and sellers learn about Austin Texas Real Estate. The new page will offer information on things to do around Austin as well a information about the Austin real estate market.

Sky Realty Can Help You

Real Estate in Austin TX with Sky Realty

Thank you for visiting the Sky Realty Austin, the place to start your Austin Home Search or You may learn about real estate in Austin, Lakeway, Lake Austin, Lake Travis, West Lake Hills, Bee Caves, Round Rock, Georgetown, Lago Vista, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, Steiner Ranch, Hutto, Dripping Springs and just about any place in central Texas. Our REALTORS® are experienced in listing and selling real estate as well as offering buyer's representation. We are a full service brokerage; we do not just list real estate, we list to sell. We have people who specialize in new homes, resale, pre-foreclosure, short-sale, farm and ranch, Lake Austin waterfront, Lake Travis Waterfront and luxury homes. Yes we are members of the Austin MLS. Time to sell your real estate click here Sell Real Estate. Congratulations on making your decision to invest in, or sell a piece of real estate. If you need help finding an agent, call us we can help.

Here is a page that can offer you more information about the major projects in the Downtown Austin TX area

Buy Home in Austin Texas

When buying a home in Austin Texas, one should do some basic homework first. As an agent I can help with these things or find someone in my office to help you. The first thing you should do is see if you are credit worthy. Many people move forward in the home buying process with taking this factor very seriously. It goes both ways, some people realize they cannot afford what they are looking at and others realize later that they can purchase much more. The only way to know exactly is to talk to a lender, and get reproved, not prequalified. Yes there is a big difference. I know several lenders and would be happy to give some names and numbers. It is also good to use a REALTOR who knows the first time home buyer programs as well as down payment assistance. I think with all of the new about mortgages people think they cannot buy right now. I am here to say that I bet a lot more people can buy than realize. I know the Austin TX Real Estate Market, and what it takes to get home buyers into a home. Click here to buy a home in Austin Texas

Lakeway Texas

Lakeway is a thriving small town on the East edge of Lake Travis. Lakeway offers many things to do for those with a busy life style or a simple lifestyle. One can wake up and chose to golf, play tennis, swim at the local pool get in a boat cruise Lake Travis, or just about anything you can imagine. Lakeway is in th heart of the Lake Travis School District and offer many well planned communities for families to chose from. Real estate in Lake TX is diverse in style and and has a wide range of prices. When looking for Lakeway TX real estate a Sky Realty agent can help. We have agents who live and work in the area and know the inventory well. Thank you and enjoy lakeway TX.

Lake Travis

Having grown up in Lago Vista and living in a community on Lake Travis, I know the lake well. With approximately 66 mile of shoreline Lake Travis seems to go on forever. I spent many evening sailing the lake and never had a problem finding a cove to anchor in. these private coves are going away with the development of the towns on the lake. Development or not Lake Travis is and always will be beautiful, especially with sunset behind it.

Round Rock Texas

Round rock Texas is just north of Pflugerville which is just north of Austin. Home to Dell Computer and the Round Rock Rock Express Round Rock is town of character. There is plenty of rich history and things to do. I recommend catching a game at the Dell Diamond with the family and having hot dogs. With its proximity to Austin and the towns north of Austin Round Rock is convenient to a great deal of jobs and shopping.

Pflugerville Texas

Pflugerville, Texas
Once thought of as that exit between Austin and Round Rock, Pflugerville is quickly becoming a bustling metropolis of its own. Officially 15 miles north of Austin, the city limits of the two cities are actually almost back to back.
With shopping, theaters, schools, parks, and recreation areas, Pflugerville has developed into a city where people want to live and raise their families. With the new SH 45 and SH 130 toll ways, travel from both sides of IH 35 into and out of Pflugerville is a breeze. New home developments are going in and with that comes additional businesses and growth. Pflugerville even has a new lake! Lake Pflugerville is a 180 acre reservoir built to provide drinking water, but in the summer it is a recreational oasis. The city is planning a 14 acre park on the north side of the lake which will include picnic sites, a boat launch, pavillion, rest rooms and a beach area.

Downtown Austin Texas Projects

Downtown Austin is just going crazy. When you drive through downtown Austin it not hard to see how much the skyline is changing. The city of Austin came out with a project list of all major projects under construction ro about to start. I posted the city list of Downtown Austin TX projects on the main page of our website. Click on the Downtown Austin TX link for the posting

Looking for Experienced REALTORS in Austin TX

Sky Realty is on the move when it come to Real Estate in Austin Texas. We are growing stronger everyday, and with our ever-increasing knowledge about technology our future is bright. If you are experienced and work in the Austin market, we want to talk to you. I will be glad to explain to you our vision and goals and show you how it actually includes our agents individual success. We don't just say we care about our agents, we mean it. For a confidential tour contact me through my site about Austin Real Estate and go to the contact me page.
Regards

Curtis

We are Looking For Experienced REALTORS in Austin TX

Sky Realty is on the move when it come to Real Estate in Austin Texas. We are growing stronger everyday, and with our ever-increasing knowledge about technology our future is bright. If you are experienced and work in the Austin market, we want to talk to you. I will be glad to explain to you our vision and goals and show you how it actually includes our agents individual success. We don't just say we care about our agents, we mean it. For a confidential tour contact me through my site about Austin Real Estate and go to the contact me page.
Regards

Curtis

What Makes Us Better

I get compliments all the time about what a great job I am doing. I have a hard time saying thank you when the real performance in our office comes from the REALTOR base our office offers. When someone looks at our company they see talent that our office is fortunate to have. We have agents that specialize in different markets and price ranges. Some agents have a specialized area such as Julie who's primary focus is on Cedar Park Real Estate. Few agents in this town can say they know the Cedar Park and Leander area like she does. Robert knows the Lago Vista Real Estate Market, and lives there. He can help you buy a home on Lake Travis or in the lake areas, and introduce you to the community. Eric knows the South Austin Real Estate Market and lives in the community as well. Janie is a country girl that can help with South East Austin as well as Bastrop Real Estate. She particularly like the flat farm land parts of Central Texas. When shopping for Hutto Real Estate, Angela is your best bet. She know the market, the history and her way around town like no body's business. If a golf course home is what you want, Don knows the courses around town and maybe a bit too well. He can help you negotiate your sell or purchase and then play a mean 18 holes. When looking for Austin Luxury HomesDotti has it all covered, specializing in Lake Austin, West Austin, Lakeway and Lake Travis. Deeann can help you with new homes, and she knows what she is doing. Deeann know the Austin new home market as well as anyone I know. Jennifer has studied and learn the Circle C, and Dripping Springs Real Estate Markets. she can help you with community and new home information. Laura like to work the Round Rock Real EstateMarket as well as Leander and Cedar Park. This is just a few of our Austin REALTOR line up. I owe a debt of gratitude to the agents for helping make Sky Realty a success in the Austin Texas Real Estate Market.

Curtis Reddehase
President
Sky Realty

Austin Real Estate is Strange

When you read the real estate stats for sales in the Austin area this year, it just does not make sense. The Austin American Statesman produced an article that showed sales down from last year. This is alone is not strange if you take away the fact that jobs in Austin Texas Grew during the same time. We see the sub prime concerns opening up inventory, builders are developers are still going. Lago Vista Real Estate for example is going to see some real changes with all of the new communities coming in, and I mean large subdivisions relative to the size of the town. I am not sure if Builders and Developers are ready for something I do not see or are they over eager. When we look at the growth plan for Austin real estate over the next couple decades it seems that we need the developments, but how can we expect so many people. Well, Austin is a beautiful town. When I go to other cities I can see why people like it so much, it's sometimes hard to remember that all places are not this pretty. People move here for the great lake activity and the two major lakes for the Austin area Lake Travis and Lake Austin. Cedar Park Texas was just written up in Family Circle a great place to live, and has plenty of room for growth. Round Rock Real Estate doesn't make the new the way it used to all though Round Rock is a fantastic town with lots to do. Austin in general is a great place to live despite some of the current pre-foreclosure and short sale concerns. Consumers have lots of choices from fixer uppers to nice Lake Austin waterfront and Austin Luxury Home.

Austin Texas Water

What I like about Austin is infinite. Most of all I enjoy all the places to swim around Austin such as Barton Springs, Lake Austin, Lake Travis and all of the other great swimming holes. Lake Austin is great for Water Sports such a wake boarding and skiing. Lake Travis on the other hand is great for those as well as sailing. Lago Vista TX and Lakeway TX are two great towns on each side of Lake Travis. Windy Point is quite often populated by wind surfers and scuba divers. For a list of other great things to do in Austin Texas visit my site and Click on Austin TX

Add to Technorati Favorites

Lakeway Tx Active Listing Statistics 7/27/2007

Below is the active Listing inventory listed by Austin REALTORS from the Austin MLS for the last six months. Statistics for Lakeway TX Real Estate, for single Family homes only.

	List Price	Square Feet	$/SF	Bedrooms	Full Baths	Living Areas	Year Built	Sales Price	LP:SP%	CDOM
Min	$ 185,000	1342	$94.83	2	2	1	1966	$ 0		1
Avg	$ 626,339	3249	$181.59	3	2	2	1996	$ 0		129
Max	$ 3,390,000	8000	$543.01	6	7	7	2008	$ 0		664

Curtis Reddehase

REALTOR

Teach Your Self and Use an SEO

Optimizing your site can be critical to your sales volume. If you are going to think about optimizing your website, you to do two thing: One hire an expert. A good SEO will help keep you on track and prevent you from amking mistakes. Mistakes can be costly to your rank. The second thing you need to do is learn the basics. You will need to write content that relates to you area. This is something you should be able to do better than your SEO, becaus you know the area. So get abook, and get a pro and good luck. I learned many thing the hard way trying to optimize my companys site all about Austin Texas Real Estate and my site that is more towards Lakeway Real Estate, a group in office found success in our site about Lake Austin.Over the last couple of years I hired SEOs for small tasks to help me with my sites. I may have found one that is truly worth the two waite. I hope to know soon.

Curtis

Good Time to Buy a Home

I see great opportunity for people looking to buy a home. The sub prime market is not gone and there are still government loans and down payment assistance programs for Austin Texas Real Estate. I grew my business by helping people who did not think they could even buy a home. I know write contracts that use down payment assistance programs and lenders who know how to utilize them as well. Follow my link to contact me if you want to buy Austin Texas Real Estate.
Curtis

Using the Internet to Sell Real Estate

An increasing number of people are using the internet to find homes. Many people think that it easy to sell a home with out a REALTOR using the internet, when actually Austin REALTORS offer their listings an astounding amout of web exposure. So when shopping for an agent my suggestion is that you find one who is net savvy. A net savy agnet is going to the MLS and the other components that go with it to gain visibilty for the process to sell real estate on the web. Our agents are web savvy, I peronally know Lakeway Texas Real Estate and Austin Texas Real Estate. We also formed a group of agent to help the specialized market for Lake Austin. Good luck in selling your home, If you would like to know how I or someone in our office would market your home go to my site and contact me Curtis Reddehase, click here Contact Me
Regards

Good News About Real Estate

O.K. so foreclosures are up. I know it is tough for some sellers. Banks are allowing short sales and it's not every sector that is is hurting. Not all Sub prime loans are gone, just the one that allowed people to get too easy. We still have FHA, sub prime and down payment assistance programs at our disposal. I think prospective buyers and REALTORS should consider their approach to the situation. So we may to work a bit harder to get peoples credit in order and people may have to save a little money. Are these not good habits to start for people who getting into a home for the first time. Owning a home is costly and requires responsibility, I think its best if people are prepared. The Austin Texas Real Estate market has many of the same concerns as the rest of the nation. The approach here is the same as anywhere else. I see good news for many people, and I encourage you to see the same.

Curtis Reddehase

REALTOR

Sky Realty