A record number of Collin County homeowners say they won't sit by as home values rise. Tens of thousands are fighting what the county says their property is worth.
Not much has changed about John Helmer's property since he bought it in October. So he isn't sure why the county appraised it at $12,000 more than what he paid.
"They didn't really tell me why it was assessed higher than our purchase price," said Helmer.
To find out, he gathered his paperwork and went to the Collin Central Appraisal District, which is now processing boxes full of protests from homeowners with similar concerns.
The deadline for homeowners to file a protest was midnight.
"We're expecting about 40,000 protests in total once we finish processing all the mail," said chief appraiser Bo Daffin.
Daffin said that's about 4,000 more protests than last year. While increased value may sound like a good thing, it will likely lead to higher property taxes for homeowners, like Helmer.
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"I guess the bad thing from a homeowner's perspective is the appraised value is following that market trend upward," said Daffin.
In Collin County, Daffin says of the 244,534 homes appraised, 234,000 increased in value, with 74,000 by more than 5 percent and 125,000 by more than 10 percent.
Daffin said new home construction in Helmer's neighborhood may have been a reason for the higher assessed value. Recent homes sales in the area may have a factor, too.
Either way, Helmer said he's satisfied with the outcome of his meeting with the appraisal district.
"Go down there, visit with an appraiser, tell the story, ask the questions," said Helmer.
His assessed value dropped below what he paid for his property, a fight more homeowners are willing to take on as more people look to call Collin County home.
