Using Comparable Properties to Protest Your Travis County Assessment
Comparable properties help explain whether your Travis County assessment is supported by similar homes. The useful comparison depends on whether you are challenging market value or unequal appraisal.
Keep sales and appraisals separate
A sale is a transaction at a particular date. A TCAD appraisal is an estimate for a tax year. Use verified sales to support a market-value argument; use appropriately adjusted appraisals of comparable properties for unequal appraisal. Do not label an assessed value as a sale price.
Choose homes that compete with yours
Begin in the same neighborhood or a similar nearby area. Austin neighborhoods, suburban subdivisions, and Lake Travis properties can have very different land and amenity values. Check living area, building age, quality, condition, lot size, and features such as waterfront access before comparing prices.
Use the TCAD record to verify each home’s account and characteristics. Compare values from the same tax year. Review the underlying documents when a property has additions, multiple improvements, or an unusual transaction.
Use price per square foot as a screening tool
Dividing total value by living area makes a first comparison easier, but it does not adjust for land, condition, age, or amenities. A smaller home can have a higher value per square foot without being over-appraised. Explain material differences and how they affect the requested value.
Document sales carefully
Texas does not require public disclosure of every sale price. Available listings and public sales coverage can be incomplete. Verify the closing date and transaction details, distinguish closed sales from asking prices, and explain relevance to January 1 of the appraisal year.
Turn the comparison into a packet
Include each address and account, the source and date, the value or sale price, key physical characteristics, and an explanation of adjustments. Add evidence for your own property’s condition and state a supported requested value. The tool’s examples are candidates to review, not a guarantee that TCAD or the ARB will accept a particular value.
Look up your Travis County property or prepare your hearing presentation.
Sources and evidence for Travis County
Prepared by Travis Value. Filing resources checked September 4, 2026.
Start with the Travis Central Appraisal District property record and your current notice. Our property pages organize imported public assessment records and available comparable evidence. Check the tax year and data dates shown on each page: a prior-year record is useful history, but does not establish the value on a new notice.
Comparable homes are candidates for review. Verify their size, age, condition, location, and sale details before using them. Value per square foot helps screen candidates; it does not account for every difference. Estimated savings depend on the final assessment, exemptions, assessment limits, and applicable tax rates.
Texas filing and valuation checks
For 2026, the ordinary May 15 filing date has passed. A notice mailed later can have a later deadline. Confirm the date on your notice and the TCAD filing instructions. Review Texas Comptroller protest guidance for procedures and owner rights.
Separate a market-value argument from unequal appraisal, and compare the same tax year. A homestead cap or exemption can make taxable value differ from market value; lowering market value may not change the bill immediately. Texas sales coverage is incomplete because sale prices are not universally disclosed.
Check the source before filing
Travis Value is an independent research tool. Verify the current procedure with Travis Central Appraisal District, save a copy of your evidence, and retain your filing confirmation. The appraisal authority or review board decides the outcome.