~$144 million down to ~$120 million — won on an equity argument, because the market argument would not have made sense for this property.
notice to final
single tax year
The Situation
A luxury high-rise in Dallas County carried rents well above its comparison set and had recently traded at a price that worked against the owner. On paper this looked like a hard case. The usual move — arguing that market value is lower than the district’s number — would have put the purchase price at the centre of the record, but it didn’t make sense once we looked further.
What We Found
The district’s model had grouped the property with assets that were not really its peers. When we pulled the assessments of genuinely comparable properties and looked at value per unit rather than headline value, the property was carrying a materially heavier assessment than buildings in its actual class. The market-value story was weak. The equity story was not.
The Solution
We built the case on equal and uniform grounds under the Texas Tax Code rather than on “market” value, assembled a board record strong enough to stand on its own, and preserved the appeal rather than settling at the first offer. Keeping the matter open also let comparable values in the surrounding market settle before the number was fixed.
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Results
A $24.2 million value reduction that produced roughly $540,000+ in tax savings for the year.
Why It Mattered for the Owners
When the purchase price hurts, the best case may be an equity case rather than a market case. Choosing the wrong theory does not just weaken an argument — it can put the district’s strongest evidence into your own record.
Results vary based on many variables. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; every matter is decided on its own facts.