IndexAppeal: Making Property Tax Appeals Accessible
A System That Works Against Homeowners
Property taxes are one of the largest recurring expenses for homeowners, and in states like Texas, where there's no state income tax, they're especially high. Counties assess property values annually, and that assessed value determines what you owe.
Here's the problem: the majority of homeowners never question their assessment. They accept the county's number, pay the bill, and move on. Meanwhile, the data shows that a significant percentage of those who do protest get a reduction. The system allows you to challenge your assessment. It just doesn't make it easy.
The alternative is hiring a tax consultant, but they typically take 25-50% of whatever they save you. For many homeowners, that doesn't feel worth it for a process they could technically do themselves, if they had the data and knew how.
What IndexAppeal Does
IndexAppeal pulls official public records from county appraisal districts (currently covering Harris, Dallas, and Collin counties in Texas) and lets homeowners search their address to see how their property compares to similar homes nearby.
The process takes about 10 minutes:
1. Search your address: we pull your property record instantly from official county data
2. See your comparables: similar homes nearby, showing whether you're paying more per square foot
3. Get your appeal report: a professional evidence PDF with comparable analysis and filing instructions specific to your county
The homeowner keeps 100% of any savings. No percentage cuts, no contingency fees.
The Data Challenge
The core technical challenge is data quality. County appraisal districts publish property records, but the formats vary, the data isn't always clean, and linking comparable properties requires more than just matching square footage.
The system considers location, lot size, year built, condition, and recent sales data to surface genuinely comparable properties. The same kind of analysis a tax consultant would do manually, but automated and instant.
Why This Matters
Property tax appeals aren't complicated. The process is straightforward: you file a protest, present evidence that your property is over-assessed relative to comparables, and the appraisal review board makes a decision. The barrier has always been access to organized, relevant data.
IndexAppeal removes that barrier. The homeowner gets the same evidence a professional would prepare, formatted for their specific county, with clear instructions on how to file.
The worst case if you protest? Your assessment stays the same. There's zero risk to filing, and potential savings that repeat every year your value stays lower.
The Stack
The platform is built on Next.js with a data pipeline that ingests and normalizes records from multiple county appraisal districts. Search is designed to return results instantly. Homeowners shouldn't have to wait to find out if they have a case.
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Data-driven platforms that make complex processes accessible. That's the work I keep coming back to. [Reach out](/contact) if you're building something in this space.