Wednesday marks the deadline to appeal the appraised values on Nueces County homes and businesses that the county mailed-out in early April. The Nueces County Appraisal District expects more than 20,000 home and business owners to file such protests.
“You may think we pull numbers out of the air,” Chief Appraiser Ramiro “Ronnie” Canales said. “We don’t.”
When it comes to your home, Canales said the county’s “mass appraisals” are based largely on the price for which other homes in your neighborhood sell. Appraisers can also get a good look at the outside of homes before formulating a value, but that’s not the case for the inside of a home.
“If for some reason or another you have a lot of interior problems with the property then you need to call us,” he said.
Maricela Mock has now called and visited the appraisal district. The house she owns on Elvira Street is in the middle of renovations. The exterior has a fresh coat of paint and looks nice, but the inside has a number of problems including mold remaining from Hurricane Harvey.
“The house is in shambles,” Mock said. “How can they assess $90,000 [appraisal value] on a property that is not even livable?”
The appeal-process is now underway for Mock and hundreds of others. Even more are expected Wednesday as the clock runs out on the appeal-period. You must appeal in person at the appraisal district by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow or send in the form that was mailed out with your appraisal. If you plan to come by the office, Canales encourages you to bring pictures of damage to your home that you think diminishes its value or even a list of needed-repairs that a contractor put together for you.
“The best thing you can do is to not just come into the office and just say, ‘My property is not worth this,’ Canales said. “You need to tell us why.”
