Lavaca County homeowners overpay $650/year due to assessment errors. We fix that.
✔ 100% Done-for-You - We handle everything
✔ Licensed Tax Pros - Texas experts
✔ Only Pay If We Win - 25% contingency
If you just opened your property tax statement and felt that familiar punch to the gut, you're not alone. Across Hallettsville, Shiner, and Schulenburg, homeowners are staring at bills that jumped $300, $500, even $800 from last year. Your first instinct is probably right - something feels off about your assessment. The truth is, Lavaca County's rapid growth has created a perfect storm of over-assessments, and the Central Appraisal District simply can't keep up with accurate valuations for every property.
Here's what most homeowners don't realize: your property tax is based on what the CAD thinks your home is worth, not what you paid or what it's actually worth today. In neighborhoods like those near Hallettsville High School or along Highway 77, we regularly see homes assessed $15,000-$40,000 above market value. That's not pocket change - on a $200,000 home, being over-assessed by just $20,000 costs you an extra $278 per year. Every year. Until someone fixes it.
Most Lavaca County homeowners assume fighting their assessment is too complicated or expensive. Meanwhile, they're hemorrhaging money. A typical over-assessment of $25,000 costs you $347 annually in unnecessary taxes. Over five years, that's $1,735 you'll never see again. The homeowners who protest? They keep that money. The ones who don't? They fund everyone else's tax breaks.
Your assessment likely jumped because the CAD used outdated comparisons, missed property defects, or applied incorrect square footage. We see this constantly in older Shiner neighborhoods where homes have foundation issues, or in rural areas where the CAD overestimated land values. They're not trying to cheat you - they're just processing thousands of properties with limited time and imperfect data.
You have exactly two choices: spend your evenings researching comparable sales, learning CAD procedures, and preparing for a hearing you've never done before - or let our licensed professionals handle everything while you go about your life. We've protested hundreds of Lavaca County properties and know exactly what evidence convinces the review board. More importantly, we know what doesn't work, so we don't waste time on weak arguments.
Here's your entire workload: answer a few questions about your property, sign one form, then wait for us to report your savings. We pull comparable sales, photograph your property, research market trends, prepare your case file, attend the hearing, and negotiate with the review board. You literally do nothing else. Most clients forget they even filed until we call with their good news.
Yes, we keep 25% of your first-year savings - but only if we win. No savings means no fee, period. Here's why this works in your favor: if we save you $1,000 annually, you pay us $250 once and keep $750 every year going forward. After year one, you pocket the full $1,000 annually. Compare that to doing nothing and losing $1,000 every year forever. The math isn't even close.
Texas law gives you exactly 30 days from when your notice was mailed to file your protest. Miss it by one day, and you're stuck with this year's assessment no matter how wrong it is. We're already seeing notices arrive in mailboxes across Lavaca County, which means the clock is ticking. The homeowners who act this week get our full attention. The ones who wait until the last minute compete with everyone else who procrastinated.
Signup to have TaxDrop take care of your assessment protest for you. It takes less than 3 minutes to enroll and there is no fee if we don't win.
The deadline to file a property tax protest in Lavaca County is May 15th or 30 days after your appraisal notice is mailed, whichever is later. Missing this deadline means you forfeit your right to challenge your property's valuation for that tax year. Property owners who act quickly can potentially save hundreds of dollars annually through successful protests.
Visit lavacacad.com and use their property search tool to enter your address and view your current market and assessed values. This information shows whether your property may be overvalued compared to similar homes in Hallettsville and surrounding areas. Checking your appraisal is the first step toward determining if a protest could reduce your tax bill.
Property tax protests in Lavaca County typically save homeowners $300-800 annually, with some achieving even higher reductions. With Lavaca County's median effective tax rate of 1.39% and median home value of $161,748, even a 10% assessment reduction saves $225 per year. Professional protest services often achieve larger reductions than DIY attempts.
A successful protest reduces your property's assessed value, directly lowering your annual tax bill for that year and potentially future years. The savings compound annually, meaning a $500 reduction this year could save thousands over time. Many Lavaca County homeowners see immediate relief on their next tax statement.
Professional protest services typically achieve 60-80% higher reductions than DIY attempts and handle all paperwork, deadlines, and hearings. Most services work on contingency with no upfront costs, meaning you only pay if they save you money. For busy homeowners in Hallettsville and surrounding areas, professional help often maximizes savings while minimizing effort.
Your property may be overassessed if similar homes in your neighborhood sold for 10-15% less than your appraised value within the past year. Compare your assessment to recent sales in Hallettsville, Yoakum, and Moulton using online tools or recent MLS data. Properties with outdated information, declining market conditions, or unique issues are often prime candidates for protests.
Approximately 40-60% of property tax protests in Lavaca County result in some reduction, with professional services achieving higher success rates. The Lavaca County Appraisal Review Board considers evidence-based cases more favorably than emotional appeals. Success depends heavily on presenting comparable sales data and identifying assessment errors.
Yes, TaxDrop's licensed Texas property tax professionals manage everything from filing deadlines to representing you at Appraisal Review Board hearings. You don't need to attend meetings or prepare evidence packages - experts handle all aspects of your Lavaca County protest. This full-service approach typically achieves better results than self-representation.
The property tax protest process in Lavaca County typically takes 2-4 months from filing to final resolution. Most cases are resolved through informal negotiations before reaching formal ARB hearings, which can expedite the timeline. Professional services often resolve cases faster due to established relationships with local appraisal districts.
Yes, any property owner in Lavaca County can file a protest, including landlords, business owners, and commercial property investors. Commercial properties often have higher protest success rates due to more complex valuation methods and greater potential savings. Investment properties in Hallettsville and surrounding areas frequently benefit from professional protest services.
Start by visiting app.taxdrop.com to enter your property address and see your potential savings estimate instantly. Professional services handle all paperwork, deadlines, and representation at no upfront cost. Most Lavaca County homeowners can complete the initial process in under 5 minutes and receive expert handling of their entire case.