The tax assessment or tax appraisal district offices can be a valuable source of property information for real estate investors, developers, appraisers, and lenders. Typical assessment records include information about the site, improvements, and ownership history. Some assessment offices even include a footprint of the improvements and photographs. Assessors also keep detailed maps that can be very help in researching areas.
Obtaining this information require a trip to the county assessment office in the past. Today, assessment records often available on-line and Internet accessible. Some progressive tax districts even provide the complete tax records in a downloadable file and ready for analysis in a Geographic Information System (GIS). The Tarrant County Appraisal District website is www.tad.org and the Dallas County Appraisal District is www.dcad.org.
When using assessment records, please remember that assessment offices/tax appraisal districts are required to keep track of all properties and usually with very limited resources. Therefore, assessment records should be used with care and caution. Assessment records may not be up-to-date and they are not always reliable. For example, do not rely on assessment records for a precise measure of a site’s size. In stead, go directly to the property’s legal description (this is what a judge will do in mediating any dispute!).
Google Assignment:
STEP 1 Find your own County assessment office or tax appraisal district on the Internet. In a Google search line, type your county name they either ‘assessment office’ or ‘tax appraisal district.’
STEP2 Once you find your assessment office, explore the site to figure out how to download or view individual property assessment records. Most, but not all, assessment offices have posted assessment records on-line. These records are usually searchable by property address, owners name, and parcel identification number.
STEP 3 Using a property address or other search, find an assessment record for a property that you are familiar with (your own or property of other family or friend).
STEP 4 Check the accuracy of the assessment record. Does the information appear to be accurate? Check the number of bathrooms, site size, building size, owner’s name, etc.
STEP 5 Check the assessment value history. What is the trend in the assessed value for this property? What percentage of the total assessed value is land value? Most assessment offices divide the total assessed value into land and building (improvement) value.
STEP 6 Find an assessment record for someone famous in your area. A local sports star or politician for example. Check out their crib.
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