If your property tax bill came in higher than expected this year, you're not imagining it. Across the country, homeowners are paying more than ever, and most of them are paying more than they should. We found that 9 in 10 U.S. homeowners are concerned about rising property tax costs. The question isn't whether your assessment is too high. It's what you're going to do about it.
You have two options: Challenge it yourself or hire a professional service like Ownwell to handle the process for you. Both paths can lead to savings, but they differ dramatically in time, evidence quality, success rates, and long-term financial impact.
This guide breaks down the real costs of each approach, using proprietary research data and worked examples to help you make an informed decision.
Key Takeaways
74% of U.S. homeowners have never appealed their property taxes, and the cost of inaction compounds year over year.
require 5-15+ hours of research, evidence gathering, and hearing attendance with no guarantee of results.
Professional services like Ownwell operate on a contingency basis: you pay nothing if they don't reduce your bill.
In Texas alone, homeowners who didn't protest left $722 million in potential savings on the table in 2024.
Most Homeowners Never Appeal, and It's Costing Them
Here's a number that should stop you in your tracks: 74% of U.S. homeowners have never challenged their property tax assessment, and 57% didn't even know they had the right, according to our 2026 National Homeowner Survey.
And yet, 76% of those same homeowners say their property taxes exceeded their budget last year, a 10-percentage-point increase from the prior year. Given that median property tax bills vary significantly by state, even modest overassessments can mean hundreds or thousands of dollars in lost annual savings.
The pattern holds at the local level, too.
Our Long Island homeowner survey revealed that 39% of homeowners had never filed a grievance (New York's term for a property tax appeal). Among those who hadn't filed, 35% didn't know they could, and 43% assumed they wouldn't qualify. In Texas, 54% have never filed, and of those, 37% didn't know they could.
The gap here is a mixture of ignorance and willingness. Both have a cost, and it compounds. Every year you skip a challenge, your assessed value (the dollar amount your county assigns to your property for tax purposes) stays inflated.
Next year's assessment starts from that higher baseline, and the gap between what you're paying and what you should be paying widens.
How Much Are You Over Paying?
What a DIY Property Tax Appeal Actually Looks Like
If you decide to handle your property tax appeal on your own, here's what the process typically entails. The exact steps and names vary by state, but the core workflow is consistent.
Research your assessed value:
Log in to your county appraisal district's website and pull your property's current appraised market value. Compare it to recent sales of similar homes in your neighborhood.
Gather comparable sales data:
You'll need at least three to five recent sales of properties similar to yours in size, age, condition, and location. After reviewing over a million appeals, we've found that the difference between a successful and unsuccessful case usually comes down to the quality of these comparables.
Prepare your evidence packet: Organize your comparable sales, photos of any property defects or condition issues, and any documentation supporting a lower value. Some states require specific forms.
In Texas, you file with your County Appraisal District(CAD). In New York, you file a grievance with the Assessment Review Commission (ARC) or Board of Assessment Review (BAR).
File your paperwork before the deadline: Deadlines are strict and vary by state. Miss yours, and you wait another full year. In Texas, you have your legal right to protest by May 15 or 30 days after your Notice of Appraised Value is mailed to you, whichever is later.
Attend the hearing: In most states, you'll present your evidence in person or virtually to a review board. You'll need to make a case for why your home's assessed value should be lower.
For a detailed walkthrough, see our guide on how to file a property tax appeal. The time commitment for a thorough DIY appeal typically ranges from 5 to 15+ hours, spread across research, document preparation, and the hearing itself.
Worked Example: Texas Home DIY Protest
Let's put real numbers on this. Say you own a home in Colorado with a current assessed value of $400,000, and you believe the actual market value is closer to $350,000 based on recent sales in your neighborhood.
Before Protest | After Successful Protest | |
|---|---|---|
Assessed Value | $400,000 | $350,000 |
Tax Rate | 2.2% | 2.2% |
Annual Tax Bill | $8,800 | $7,700 |
Annual Property Tax Savings | $1,100 |
That $1,100 covers roughly three months of average utility bills, and it recurs every year you maintain the lower assessment. But getting there on your own requires the research, evidence, filing, and hearing attendance described above.
Where DIY Appeals Fall Short
Even motivated homeowners face structural disadvantages when filing on their own. The issue isn't effort, it's often data access!
Limited comparable sales data:
County websites and free real estate tools show you a handful of recent sales. Professional firms like Ownwell access bulk comparable sales databases with granular details on property condition, lot-size adjustments, and time-adjusted sale prices.
When we build a case, we're pulling from thousands of data points, not a few listings on a public website or from what a local realtor can pull via the MLS.
No established relationships:
County appraisal districts process thousands of cases each year. Professional representatives who appear regularly develop working relationships with appraisers and review boards.
Those relationships don't guarantee outcomes, but they do mean the process runs more efficiently, and cases are presented in formats the boards expect and are familiar with.
No hearing experience:
If you've never presented evidence to an Appraisal Review Board or Assessment Review Commission, the hearing itself can be intimidating. Knowing what to emphasize, what to concede, and how to structure your argument is a skill built from handling thousands of cases. Too often we've seen DIY appealers with egg on their face due to insufficient evidence or misunderstanding of appraisals.
The complexities of property taxes could also lead you to make a mistake. Common errors, such as providing incomplete evidence or missing the submission deadline, often result in a failed appeal.
The biggest mistake in DIY appeals is homeowners using unadjusted sales comps from realtors, whose evidence often gets ignored because the appraisal district's evaluation differs. Without proper adjustments, their evidence is often ignored, and their appeal does not get the attention or consideration it deserves.
That's how we can help by knowing precisely what the appraisal district or appraiser is looking for and having a deep understanding of how to pick apart their evidence to make the best case. — Kyle Breazeale, Property Tax Consulting Manager at Ownwell
As one of our customers explains, working with Ownwell relieves these concerns from your shoulders:
Last year was the first time we have ever appealed property tax, and it was a breeze to work with Ownwell. It probably took me 10 minutes to fill out the questionnaire, and Ownwell took care of the rest.
Compare with my friend's DIY experience where she had to collect evidence, communicate with [the] tax bureau, and attend the hearing, I personally think the 25% fee Ownwell charged on the tax savings was pretty reasonable. — Sophia
Want to Try What Made Ownwell Famous?
DIY vs. Professional: Side-by-Side Comparison
Factor | DIY Appeal | Professional Service (Ownwell) |
|---|---|---|
Time Investment | 5-15+ hours | Under 5 minutes to sign up |
Evidence Quality | Public sales data, limited comps | Bulk comparable sales, AI-powered analysis |
Hearing Representation | You attend and present | Ownwell handles hearings on your behalf |
Success Rate | Varies widely | 88% success rate (Ownwell customers) |
Cost Structure | $0 fees, your time | Contingency: pay only if you save |
Annual Monitoring | You must refile each year | Ownwell monitors and refiles annually |
Compounding Benefit | Only if you file every year | Built into the annual service |
Do Professionals Actually Deliver Better Outcomes?
Our property tax consultants are local and knowledgeable about tax appeals for both residential and commercial properties. As a result, customers save both time and money. These client testimonials underscore the value of working with our professional tax consultants:
Ownwell's service is incredibly client-friendly. I simply plugged in my information, and they took care of everything. — Allen J., who saved $2,660
Working with Ownwell was like having a property tax superhero on speed dial! They slashed my warehouse's assessed value from a staggering $6.47 million to just under $2 million, saving me $65,000. — Jon T.
How Much Are You Over Paying?
What a Professional Service Like Ownwell Does Differently
When you submit your address to Ownwell, the team runs a comparative market analysis using real-time sales data, local market expertise, and proprietary AI. This isn't a surface-level comparison against two or three nearby sales.
It's a deep analysis using bulk comparable sales access that most homeowners and realtors can't often replicate on their own.
If the analysis shows your property is overassessed, Ownwell builds a full evidence packet tailored to your county's requirements. That includes
Comparable sales documentation
Condition adjustments
Any market-trend data that supports a lower valuation
From there, Ownwell handles the filing, attends hearings on your behalf, and negotiates directly with your county's appraisal district or assessment board. You don't have to take time off work, prepare a presentation, or learn the procedural rules for your local review board.
The pricing model is contingency pricing: there's no upfront cost. You pay a percentage of your first-year savings only if Ownwell successfully reduces your tax bill. If they don't save you money, you pay nothing.
Ownwell's Annual Monitoring
The difference that compounds most over time is annual monitoring. Ownwell tracks your property's assessment year over year and refiles when there's an opportunity to further reduce your bill. This is where the compounding benefit becomes powerful. Instead of starting from scratch each year, you're building on prior reductions.
Homeowners are increasingly open to this approach. In Ownwell's 2026 National Homeowner Survey, 73% of respondents said they would trust a third-party service to handle their property tax appeal. Among the 27% who said they wouldn't, only 20% cited doubts about the outcome. The rest pointed to privacy preferences or a desire to handle it themselves.
We maintain a 4.7-star rating across more than 3,000 Google reviews and an 88% success rate, with Ownwell customers saving an average of $774 per year. Ready to see what you could save? Start your property tax appeal in under five minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my property taxes go up if I appeal? In most states, no. Filing an appeal or protest cannot result in a higher assessment. Georgia and Washington are notable exceptions: an appeal can trigger a reassessment that raises your taxable value. Ownwell reviews market data before filing in Georgia and Washington and may recommend against filing if there's a risk of an increase.
How much does Ownwell charge? Ownwell charges a contingency fee, which is a percentage of your first-year tax savings. You pay nothing up front, and if Ownwell doesn't reduce your bill, you owe nothing.
Is it worth hiring a professional for a lower-value home? Yes. Even modest savings add up over time. If a professional service reduces your annual tax bill by $500, that's $2,500 in savings over five years (assuming you get the same reduction each year), with zero upfront cost and minimal time invested on your part.
What evidence do I need for a DIY appeal? You'll typically need comparable sales data (recent sales of similar nearby homes), photos documenting your property's condition, and any documentation supporting a lower market value. Requirements vary by state and county.
How long does the process take? From filing to resolution, most property tax appeals take two to six months. Timelines depend on your state, county backlog, and whether the case requires a formal hearing.
