It's understandable why property taxes are a matter of buyer concern. Almost every buyer we encounter has heard someone complain that Texas real estate taxes are confusing.
Basically, it's not easy to answer property tax inquiries without doing some detailed research.
Why?
In addition to San Antonio, the largest city in Bexar (pronounced exactly like "bear") County, there are 20 smaller cities located in the county. In addition to the cities, there are many other types of Bexar County taxing units, including, but not limited to, 11 independent school districts, 1 metropolitan utility district, a university health system, a community college district, the San Antonio River Authority, and two emergency service districts.
So, here's why a seemingly simple property tax question get complicated.
In Bexar County, it's not unusual to have a residential property fall within the jurisdiction of one set of taxing units while a neighboring property falls within the jurisdiction of a slightly, or even significantly different, set of taxing units. It's simply an issue of property location and taxing jurisdiction boundaries.
So, if you are a San Antonio/Bexar County home buyer, how do you go about determining the property tax rate for a particular area or for a specific property?
You might use a factor of 2.2% of appraised value. That's the median property tax rate; but, be prepared to be disappointed with that factor, first, because the rates are so variable around the county and, second, you'll need to know a property's appraised value if you want to know about the tax bill for a specific property.
If you know the address of a property located in your area of interest, you can go to the
Bexar County Appraisal District website and do a free search for tax information about the property. The results will show the property's taxing jurisdictions and the aggregate property tax percentage rate.
Be prepared to experience some frustration with the site because you have to have the property's address just right or else the program won't find it.
If you don't want to do the research yourself, ask a Realtor® to do it for you. Realtors® are expert property tax investigators, for both geographic areas and individual properties.
We will happy to answer your Bexar County/San Antonio property tax questions. Just call or send an email.
We’re Stephanie and Randy Kelley, Realtors® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions, need San Antonio realty or mortgage loan advice or assistance, or just want to chat a bit about the wonderful Alamo City, please call us at (210) 863-2661 or (210) 867-8743, or email us at swkrealtor@aol.com or kelleybus@aol.com. Our SanAntonioHomeQuest.com Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs.
We love to answer questions about San Antonio residential property taxes.
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