A Collaborative Approach Between Property Owners and Professionals Achieves More Reductions
A Collaborative Approach Between Property Owners and Professionals Achieves More Reductions
O'Connor discusses how a collaborative approach between property owners and professionals achieves more reductions.
HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, April 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ --The deadline for property tax appeals is fast approaching, and taxpayers across the Lone Star State are starting to get their notices of appraised value. Inside these oft-overlooked documents are key pieces of information that help taxpayers understand how their local CAD views the worth of their home or property. All of this data needs to be correct, and the values must be fair, otherwise a taxpayer has the right to appeal.
As both property values and taxes are increasing across Texas, more and more Texans are appealing their property values. The process can be confusing and time-consuming. One of the best ways to help with this process is to engage with a professional firm, which can give guidance and do most of the work. However, not all firms are created equal. O’Connor offers a full-service experience with a personal touch that most firms cannot match, which gives owners a practical advantage when it comes to winning a protest and reducing their taxes.
Why Representation Matters
No matter what firm or representative owners are engaged with, having experts can help immensely when it comes to getting a reduction on a property taxes. While proving and fixing errors like the wrong owner, incorrect square footage, or the wrong classification are easy to rectify, proving unequal appraisal or excessive assessment requires much more evidence. This includes doing appraisal comparisons, gathering sales records of homes across a neighborhood, taking photographs of damage or deferred maintenance, and gathering other documents. Having a partner can save extensive amounts of time and can help locate the most important evidence.
When it comes to hearings, many taxpayers who represent themselves focus on the wrong evidence or the wrong grounds for appeal. For instance, many will focus on taxes being too high when appeals do not address tax rates directly. Instead, protests lower the taxable value. The complexity of evidence and arguments is why a low percentage of pro se appellants achieve reductions. In 2025, only around 9% of taxpayers who represented themselves in a hearing got a reduction. In comparison, those who used O’Connor saw a reduction 83% of the time.
What Separates O’Connor from Other Firms?
O’Connor offers a full-service experience for their clients. To give clients the biggest advantages possible, and to make for a comfortable experience, O'Connor ensures that every client gets a personalized service. O'Connor clients know their home or business like no one else, so working hand-in-hand leads to the best evidence. By putting working together, O'Connor and their clients can discover issues that need to be addressed or details that would have gone unnoticed without a collaborative effort.
Client Success Consultant
When owners sign up with O’Connor, they are assigned a client success consultant. Rather than being shunted to a corporate mailbox or an AI chatbot, owners will have a single person managing their entire journey, from beginning to reduction. This gives them a name to depend on and a single point of contact that can be held accountable for your case. The consultant understands you and the needs of the property, and can advocate for owners with hearing representatives, analysts, attorneys, and more. This means that their appeal is tailored to the owner and their home or business.
The client success consultant will be able to answer any questions about the case and can provide updates. Having a single, accountable person to talk to means that they know their property and case and can answer any questions they have about hearing results or exemptions. Additionally, they can provide information about valuation changes or data on appraisal notices. Having one person also allows for fast and accurate communication, which benefits both the owner and their case. The consultant will also monitor the account and act proactively where needed.
Concierge Services
One of the chief errors in the Texas appraisal system is that many properties are never seen by a professional, but are assessed through mass appraisals or other estimates. This allows details to fall through the cracks, including those related to location, deferred maintenance, or damage. The only way to get a complete picture of a property is to see it physically. Meanwhile, owners are the best experts on their home or business, and know aspects that no computer model ever could.
O’Connor takes advantage of this with their concierge program. Through this, O'Connor sends out experts directly to the owners. The concierge personnel will come to their home or business, not just to meet the owner, but to understand their property. This gives them a face-to-face meeting, rather than depending on an anonymous mailbox. While meeting an actual person can seem like a rarity these days, a concierge visit also has many benefits that will help land the owner a reduction in the long run.
The On-Site Visit
O'Connor's concierge consultant takes the time to get to know the owner and their property. Using their own expertise with their home or business as a starting point, the concierge will examine the property for any issues or evidence that can help prove value in their case. While they will start by looking at any issues that you know about, they will examine the property for things the owner might have missed. As even small details can have big impacts on a hearing, discovering unknown damage or incorrect measurements can prove extremely valuable down the line. This hands-on experience also gives the concierge insight into the full story of your real estate. This includes factors stemming from the location, recent market changes, and how the property compares to neighbors. Owners should be sure to discuss any recent changes to the property that could have an impact and address any concerns about damage or wear and tear.
Accurate Evidence Pays Dividends
Thanks to this personal approach, the evidence gathered will be more accurate, with hidden issues exposed and unknown errors fixed. Quite often, many issues are missed when taxpayers go it alone, while other firms will overlook problems to rush for a settlement. With evidence collected and issues documented, the case will be ready for appeal. Hearing specialists will use the gathered information to show that their appraisal district has overassessed the property or has appraised it inaccurately compared to the neighbors. The case will not simply stop at the first informal stage, however, and will be moved to the highest appropriate level. For homeowners, this often means a formal hearing with the appraisal review board (ARB), while businesses or large homes could even go to binding arbitration or judicial appeals. Optimal evidence leads to optimal outcomes.
About O'Connor:
O’Connor is one of the largest property tax consulting firms, representing 185,000 clients in 49 states and Canada, handling about 295,000 protests in 2024, with residential property tax reduction services in Texas, Illinois, Georgia, and New York. O’Connor’s possesses the resources and market expertise in the areas of property tax, cost segregation, commercial and residential real estate appraisals. The firm was founded in 1974 and employs a team of 1,000 worldwide. O’Connor’s core focus is enriching the lives of property owners through cost effective tax reduction.
Property owners interested in assistance appealing their assessment can enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program ™. There is no upfront fee, or any fee unless we reduce your property taxes, and easy online enrollment only takes 2 to 3 minutes.
Patrick O'Connor, President
O'Connor
+1 713-375-4128
email us here
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