Why Did My Property Appraisal Go Up?

How mass appraisal works

Appraisal districts value hundreds of thousands of properties at once. Texas law requires a reappraisal plan and reappraisal activity at least every three years (Tax Code §25.18), and districts must consider the cost, income, and sales approaches (§23.0101). In practice, large districts appraise every property every year as of January 1.

Travis CAD, for example, values most homes with a "market-modified cost approach": the land value plus the depreciated cost of the house, multiplied by a neighborhood market factor set from sales studies. It also uses automated sales-comparison models for some areas. Physical inspections happen on a cycle, triggered by building permits, reported changes, and neighborhoods where values drift from sales.

The Comptroller checks each district's accuracy with ratio studies that compare appraised values to sale prices (Tax Code §5.10). Those studies measure the whole district, not your house.

Common reasons a value goes up

• Your neighborhood's model changed. If sales in your area rose, the market factor applied to every home there rises too, whether or not your home kept pace.
• The district updated your record. New square footage from a permit, an added bathroom, a pool, or a revised condition rating from imagery or an inspection.
• New improvements. Additions and new construction are added on top of the homestead cap. Ordinary repairs and maintenance are not "new improvements" (Tax Code §23.23(e)).
• The homestead cap ended or reset. The 10% cap belongs to the owner who qualified for it. When a home sells, the cap ends, and a new owner's cap starts the year after they qualify (§23.23(c)). A recent buyer's first-year value can jump to market value.
• An exemption was removed or reduced. That changes your taxable value even if the appraised value didn't move, and it triggers a notice (§25.19(a)). Districts audit homestead exemptions periodically.
• A data error. Wrong square footage, a condition rating that's too high, or a feature your home doesn't have.

Starting with 2027 notices, the notice must also show the percentage change in your appraised value compared with five years earlier (Tax Code §25.19(b-1)).

What happened in Travis County

Values don't only go up. TCAD reported that average single-family market values fell 3.4% in 2025 and 1.8% in 2026, and that the median homestead market value was $493,449 in 2026. Even in a falling market, an individual home's value can rise because of a record update, the end of a homestead cap, or a neighborhood that moved differently from the county as a whole. TCAD has not published a forecast for 2027.

Appraisal vs. your tax bill

Your tax bill is your taxable value times the tax rates set by each taxing unit (school district, city, county, and others). When values rise, Texas's truth-in-taxation rules calculate a "no-new-revenue" rate that would raise the same revenue from the same properties as last year, and a "voter-approval" rate above which an election is required (Tax Code §26.04). Taxing units adopt rates in late summer or early fall, after appraisals are certified. That's why your notice says the Legislature doesn't set your local taxes.

A protest is about your value and exemptions. To change tax rates, the venue is your local taxing units' rate hearings.

What you can do

1. Read your notice and check your record. See how to read your notice.
2. Make sure your exemptions are in place. See the homestead exemption guide.
3. If the value looks high, gather evidence. See the evidence checklist.
4. File by the deadline. Use the deadline calculator.