205 North Travis, Sherman Texas 75090-5922
Phone: (903) 893-9673
Fax: (903) 892-3835

 

Grayson Central Appraisal District

 

Site Last Updated
Friday, May 09, 2008 09:29:14 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions that might help Tax Payers answer some questions about your Tax bill.

Q: How can I change my mailing address? Can you change my mailing address by phone?
A: Please send us something in writing indicating the correct address for your property and daytime phone number where you can be reached, in case we have any questions.  In order to protect the interest of the property owner, it is GCAD's policy not to make permanent address changes over the telephone.

Q: How often does the Grayson Central Appraisal District value my property?
A: The appraisal district must repeat the appraisal process for each property in the county at least once every three years.

Q: Why did my value change?
A: When an area is selected for reappraisal, value changes may occur for several reasons:

  1. the correction of the data base, such as a change in square footage, a pool not previously accounted for or a correction of property characteristics;

  2. a value may be changed for equalization purposes;

    3. sales information may indicate the current appraised value is lower/higher than fair market value.    

Q: Why are you inspecting my property?
A: In order to make accurate appraisals on every property in our jurisdiction, we have to visit them periodically to ensure that the data used in making the appraisal is still correct. For instance, since we last visited your home:

  1. The condition of the structure could have changed.

  2. The appraisal district could have received a copy of a building permit indicating that a room was being added, the house was being remodeled, or some amenity such as a pool or detached garage was being added to or removed from the property.

Q: What is an improvement?
A: Improvement means:

  1. a building, structure, fixture, or fence erected on or affixed to land; or

  2. a transportable structure that is designed to be occupied for residential or business purposes, whether or not it is affixed to land, if the owner of the structure owns the land on which it is located, unless the structure is unoccupied and held for sale or normally is located at a particular place only temporarily.

Q:What is the low income housing cap rate for the current year?
A: The low income housing cap rate is 8.5% for 2006.

Q:What is a homestead cap value?
A: Cap value applies to residential homesteads only.  If this property is your residence homestead, the apprised value may not exceed the lesser of:

  • The market value of the property, or

  • The sum of:

    • 10 percent of the appraised value of the property for the last year in which the property was appraised for taxation times the number of years since the property was last appraised;

    • The appraised value of the property for the last year in which the property was appraised; and

    • The market value of all new improvements to the property.

Q:What is fair market value?
A: Fair market value means the price at which a property would transfer for cash or its equivalent under prevailing market conditions if:

  1. exposed for sale in the open market with a reasonable time for the seller to find a purchaser;

  2. both the seller and the purchaser know of all the uses and purposes to which the property is adapted and for which it is capable of being used and of the enforceable restrictions on its use; and

  3. both the seller and purchaser seek to maximize their gains and neither is in a position to take advantage of the exigencies of the other.

Q: How did the Grayson Central Appraisal District arrive at my value?
A: Utilizing comparable sales, income and/or cost data, a GCAD appraiser applied generally accepted appraisal techniques to derive a value for your property.

Q: What exemptions are available?
A: General Residential Homestead, Over-65, Disability, Over-55 Surviving Spouse, DP or Over-65 Tax Deferral, Religious, Agricultural Appraisal, and Freeport Exemptions are available. For details on each of these topics, see the Exemptions page on this site.

Q: How do I apply for exemptions??
A: Exemption applications are available through the GCAD Customer Service office and can be picked up between 8:30 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Our address is 205 North Travis, Sherman Texas 75090-5922. You may also have an application mailed to you by calling our office at (903) 893-9673. An exemption application can be found on the Forms Section.

Q: Do I apply for homestead exemptions annually?
A: Only a one-time application is required. However, a new application is required when a property owner's residence homestead is changed or requested by the Appraisal District to update their records.
Q: Is it true that once I become 65 years of age, I will not have to pay any more taxes?
A: No, that is not necessarily true. The amount of the exemptions that are granted by each taxing entity is subtracted from the market value of your residence and the taxes are calculated on that "lower value." In addition, when you turn 65, your taxes for the school district in which you reside are frozen at the level established during the first year of qualification for the senior citizen exemption.

Q: What is a rendition?
A: A rendition is a statement listing taxable property and the name and address of the owner. The statement should also contain an owner's estimate of the property's value. The deadline for filing a rendition is April 15. Be sure to identify your property and attach any documentation that you may have such as closing statements, appraisals or sales of similar properties in your neighborhood.

Q: Why did I not receive a Notice of Appraised Value this year?
A: You will only receive a Notice of Appraised Value if you rendered your property, if there was a value increase of $1000.00 or more, if the account is new for that year.

Q: How do I protest my value?
A:To protest an appraisal value set by GCAD, a taxpayer must notify the appraisal district by May 31 or 30 days from the date of the Notice of Appraised Value. If no Notice of Appraised Value was generated by the appraisal district, a protest may still be filed. The Notice of Protest need not be an official form; however, the appraisal district can send you a Notice of Protest form to complete and submit. You can submit a letter stating the protesting property owner's name, identifying the subject property and indicating an apparent dissatisfaction with some determination of the appraisal district.

Q:What is the Appraisal Review Board?
A:The Appraisal Review Board or ARB is a group of private citizens authorized by state law to review the appraisal district's work and resolve protest disputes with taxpayers. An ARB is established for each appraisal district in the State of Texas.

Q:Can anyone attend an ARB hearing?
Yes. They are open to the public and a schedule is posted daily at the GCAD.

Q:Can someone come look at my property?
A: The appraisal district will look at your property at your request under certain restrictions. If an on-site inspection is required, the appointment will be during normal working hours. An inspection request during the Appraisal Review Board process would be difficult because of time and staffing constraints.

Q:What is the Grayson Central Appraisal District's role in the tax system?
A:There are three main parts to the property tax system in Texas:

  1. An appraisal district in each county sets the value of property each year;

  2. An Appraisal Review Board settles disagreements between property owners and the appraisal district about property values and exemptions; they also make determinations on challenges initiated by taxing units;

  3. Local taxing units, which include the county, city, school district, and other special districts, decide how much money they will spend. This, in turn, determines the total amount of taxes that property owners must pay.

Q: Who sets the tax rates?
A: The governing body (city council, school board, county commissioners) of each taxing entity sets the rates for their jurisdiction. The taxing units decide what services they will provide in the coming year and how much money they will need to provide those services. Each taxing unit adopts a tax rate that will raise the needed tax dollars.

Q: What are the taxes on this property? How much are my taxes?
A: The GCAD does not levy taxes, set the tax rate or collect any taxes. The Appraisal district does not capture the amount of taxes on each property. You must call your appropriate tax office for that information.

Q: Who are the Board of Directors?
A: The Board of Directors is comprised of five members and one "ex officio" member who govern the operation of the appraisal district by setting policies, adopting a budget, approving contracts, etc. The County Tax Assessor/Collector, by law, serves as the ex officio member of the Board. The remaining five members must meet eligibility requirements. To be eligible to serve on the Board of Directors, the individuals must be a resident of the district and resided in the district for at least two years immediately preceding the date the individuals take office. Board members serve two-year terms beginning on January 1 of even numbered years.