Episode Summary:

Welcome to The REAL in Real Estate Podcast, your essential guide to navigating the dynamic world of real estate! In this insightful episode, we're joined by Roland Atlinger from the Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD), who shares expert advice and insider tips to empower every homeowner, buyer, and seller. The goal is simple: to get the facts out to the public about how property appraisals and taxes really work.

Roland Atlinger, with an incredible 40 years in real estate and 36 years at HCAD, provides a masterclass on the largest appraisal district in Texas. Learn the inner workings of the organization that appraises nearly 1.9 million properties annually.

In this episode, you will learn:

✔️ The Protest Process Demystified: Discover why the May 15th deadline is critical, what you are actually protesting (hint: it's not your taxes), and how you can easily file a protest online from home using tools like "I-settle."

✔️ Unlocking Homestead Exemption Savings: Learn how the homestead exemption can slash a tax bill from $12,000 down to $5,500. We cover the new law that lets you file any day of the year and how the school tax exemption has increased to $100,000, saving you more money than ever.

✔️ How Your Property Value is Actually Determined: Bust the myth of the automatic 10% increase. Roland explains how the 10% homestead cap works and why over 40% of properties in Harris County saw a decrease in value in 2024.

✔️ Critical Exemptions You Can't Afford to Miss: Get the details on other vital exemptions, including those for homeowners over 65, disabled veterans, and the essential Temporary Disaster Exemption for properties damaged in natural disasters.

Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of property appraisals, exemptions, and the protest process directly from an HCAD expert!

For more information and forms:

• Visit the Harris County Appraisal District at hcad.org

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