The Travis Central Appraisal District has begun releasing 2026 property value appraisals to Travis County homeowners.
While the county’s single-family home market values slightly decreased, homeowners may want to consider protesting their appraisal if they believe it is too high, said Taylor Smith, deputy director of government affairs for the Austin Board of Realtors, in an interview with Community Impact.
“Take a moment, look at your notice of appraised value that you received, confirm that your exemptions were applied correctly, and then consider protesting so that you can lower that even further for future savings down the line,” Smith said.
What you need to know
TCAD began mailing appraisal notices to more than 427,000 property owners in late March, according to TCAD information. These notices include a property’s assigned market value as of Jan. 1 along with the taxable value based on exemptions and information about the protest process.
If a property owner believes their appraisal is incorrect, they may file a protest through the TCAD's online portal by the May 15 deadline or 30 days after the notice was mailed—whichever falls later. By lowering a property’s appraised value, homeowners can see property tax savings this year and in future fiscal years, Smith said.
Under Texas law, the appraised value of a homestead property cannot increase by more than 10% over the previous year’s appraised value. Additionally, the appraised value cannot exceed the current market value of the home.
“Just because your property appraisal went down or you saw a decrease compared to last year, there's still an opportunity to try and get that even lower,” Smith said.
Zooming out
In 2026, the median market value for a residential homestead property in the county is $493,449, while the median taxable value was $384,747, according to TCAD data. Overall, the average market value of single-family homes in Travis County decreased by 1.8%, according to TCAD information.
This decline reflects the restabilizing of the area’s housing market after years of high sales prices amid the COVID-19 pandemic that were not sustainable, Smith said. The area now has a greater inventory of homes, resulting in a healthier, more balanced housing market, he said.
The approach
Appraised values can differ greatly based on the individual property, Smith said. Some factors impacting appraised value include the location and age of the home as well as how many homes are being sold in the area.
The appraisal district compares homes to peer properties with a similar age, number of bedrooms and square footage, he said.
Upon receiving an appraisal notice, homeowners should verify their tax exemptions are applied correctly, Smith said. If a homeowner believes their appraisal is too high, Smith said he recommended reaching out to a professional agent who can help determine a more accurate valuation.
Homeowners may informally protest their appraisal by meeting virtually with a TCAD appraisal and presenting evidence for why the appraisal should be lowered. Homeowners may reference recent home sales in the area or highlight any inaccurate information, such as incorrect square footage figures, as well as outstanding maintenance issues, Smith said.
The appraisal district may then offer homeowners a settlement. If a homeowner does not accept this settlement, the protest advances to a formal review by the Travis Appraisal Review Board—an independent board of citizens.
“You shouldn't be afraid of the protest process because you can't end up with a higher valuation than what is listed on your notice of appraised value,” Smith said. “The worst that can happen is that you end up with the exact same appraisal value that was on your notice of appraised value.”
