What is the Estimated Property Tax shown on HAR listings?

They are full tax bills without exemptions. That being said, the listing agent can change it so don't assume anything. I would double check with the county appraisal district and pull up the home's records. You will see the accessed value and the taxes being paid based on exemptions if any are filled. Good luck.

Mark McNitt
832-567-4357
www.MarkKnowsHouston.com
Bernstein Realty

Hi!

Property tax amounts for the previous year as well as the particular area's tax rate are shown on each listing on HAR.

The tax amount shown on the listing are total property taxes without exemptions. There are a variety of exemptions that can be applied (homestead, over 65, VA to name a few).

It's important to reiterate that this number is last year's tax amount and each county reserves the right to reassess taxes the next year (if you have a homestead exemption then your tax increase is capped at 10% each year, if you do not have a homestead exemption, there is no cap). I emphasize this point because even though Texas is a non-disclosure state as it relates to the final sales price of a property, I still see counties reassessing when a home was sold. For many properties, the county assessment is actually less than the actual market value of the property. When a property sells at a higher price than the county's assessed value, the property is reassessed and the value goes up (meaning taxes increase). There are times when the property is valued too high and I have clients that protest taxes the next year based on the actual sales price of the property.

When you purchase a home the property taxes are handled differently depending on the time of year. For example, if you close before the official taxes are released in October, the Buyer will receive a credit (and Seller a debit) for the amount of time the Seller owned the property for the year. The remaining part of the year will be the Buyer's responsibility and the entire amount is due from you at the end of the year. Many people have an escrow account that handles payment (reserve taken at closing and monthly amount goes into this reserve each month) or you set money aside each month for taxes. If the property closes after taxes come out, the opposite scenario occurs (Buyer debit / Seller credit, taxes paid at closing).

Hope this helps!

Darby Grimmett / KW / darby@darbygrimmett.com / 936-827-9217

They represent the tax from the previous year without exemptions. There are many tax exemptions that reduce your tax: homestead, veteran, disabled, over 65. The number on HAR is a ceiling, your tax will not be higher than that. You need to figure out your eligibility to exemptions to determine the exact tax amount.
francois@cozy-homes.com

Great question. The estimated property taxes are BEFORE any exemptions. They are also based on the past tax year - in this case 2015. If the property you are looking to purchase will be your residence and if the current homeowner also claimed homestead exemption, the amount of property taxes you will be paying will be somewhat less. Likewise if you will have an over 65 exemption or disabled military it will also affect what you will be paying in property taxes. For a better "guess" at what that number would be in your particular circumstance, you can directly contact the taxing authority where the property is located.