Ownwell Evaluate 2025: Can A Property Tax Enchantment Service Save You Cash?

How a lot are your property taxes?

In our county in Maryland, we pay a complete of $1.442 per $100 of assessed worth.

1.442% doesn’t sound like quite a bit, however the median residence value in my county is round $580,000.

That’s $8,400 a yr.

After I obtained my property tax evaluation final yr, it included a big improve in assessed worth. We renovated a piece of the home, so a part of that was justified, however it appeared just like the bounce was too excessive.

I made a decision to contest my property taxes myself and gained. The method, which you’ll examine within the linked article, took a number of hours unfold throughout a number of weeks. And I used to be “fortunate” in that I used to be given a superb consequence on the first stage (simply filling out a type), so I accepted it.

In the event that they rejected my declare and required me to plead my case to a dwell panel, I’m undecided I’d be as comfy doing that.

Thankfully, there are companies on the market that may do it for you.

A type of known as Ownwell.

At A Look

• Ownwell will enchantment your property taxes in your behalf
• Screens for tax exemptions based mostly in your particular person property
• No upfront charges – pay solely upon profitable discount of property taxes
• Pay 25% or 35% of financial savings, relying in your state
• Accessible in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Texas, and Washington. (however increasing on a regular basis so verify your state)
• Common financial savings is $1,148

Who Ought to Use Ownwell

Owners and Actual Property buyers who need to guarantee they aren’t overpaying their property taxes ought to think about Ownwell. They are going to enchantment your property taxes for no upfront prices and also you pay a share of your financial savings in case your enchantment is profitable. So there isn’t a danger and no leg give you the results you want.

Desk of Contents

1. At A Look
2. Who Ought to Use Ownwell
3. Who Is Ownwell?
4. In Which States Does Ownwell Function?
5. When Can I Enchantment My Property Taxes?
6. How Does Ownwell Work?
7. Discovering Exemptions and Claiming Refunds
8. Automated Annual Re-enrollment
9. Is Ownwell Legit?
10. Ownwell Charges
11. What are Ownwell Alternate options?
12. Is Ownwell Price It?
13. FAQs
14. Abstract

Who Is Ownwell?

Ownwell is a service that may contest your property tax assessments along with your taxing authority so you may pay much less in property taxes. They may even discover exemptions and different tax financial savings chances are you’ll not learn about or have ignored.

Ownwell was based by Colton Tempo and Joseph Noor in 2020. Tempo’s background in investing and asset administration gave him publicity to the assorted instruments utilized by actual property buyers, and he wished to convey them to common householders. The result’s Ownwell, a service to contest property taxes.

Ownwell doesn’t function in each state (but).

In Which States Does Ownwell Function?

Ownwell isn’t in each state and for a number of the states they do function in, they aren’t in each single county.

As of Might 2025, they’re in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Texas, and Washington. It’s important to double verify that your county is included (it’s not possible to record each county right here although, California has 58 counties and Texas as 254!).

They’re including counties on a regular basis, so the easiest way to know is to go to Ownwell and enter your deal with.

When Can I Enchantment My Property Taxes?

The schedule for when you may enchantment will rely in your state and, in some circumstances, the county inside that state. They’re all on completely different schedules.

For instance, in Maryland, this course of solely occurs as soon as each three years. In New York, and lots of different states, it occurs each single yr!

I requested Ownwell to offer a schedule (they usually did) however it’s a bit of sophisticated and exhausting to share on a single display… additionally, many dates are county particular they usually cowl so many counties that it’s unwieldly to record all of it right here.

The tip result’s that the only factor to do is join Ownwell after which wait in your evaluation to reach. Then, enter within the particulars and determine whether or not you must use them to contest your appraisal.

As there’s no price to enroll, you should utilize their expertise that can assist you handle the schedule and determine later if you wish to use them.

How Does Ownwell Work?

First, go to Ownwell and enter your deal with.

Since they don’t function in Maryland, I selected a random property in Humble, TX (a suburb of Houston). They service Harris County.

Go to Ownwell

It might not be price it for a house owner to be taught the ins and outs of protesting property tax assessments for $473, particularly if it’s not a assure you’ll get any discount. But when I owned this residence and didn’t need to do it, I’d be completely completely satisfied hiring somebody on a contingency foundation (I pay provided that they win) – which is how Ownwell works (extra on charges later).

Should you proceed, you’ll be prompted to enter your info. (I’m utilizing a demo account, for those who do that your self, enter your info)

The subsequent few screens verify info, like whether or not you bought this property within the final 18 months and the property proprietor’s title.

The final web page, after you’ve confirmed all the small print, authorizes Ownwell to behave as your Tax Agent. This lets them contact the taxing authority in your behalf and contest your property taxes.

From right here, you may log in and verify the progress of your protest.

I imagine Texas publishes them in April, after which you’ve gotten 30 days to protest.

This may range from state to state and in Texas, you may(and may) do that each single yr.

Go to Ownwell

Discovering Exemptions and Claiming Refunds

Along with contesting your evaluation this yr, they provide a service to find out whether or not you’re eligible for any tax exemptions. In the event that they discover any, they’ll even make claims on earlier years to get a tax refund.

There are quite a lot of completely different tax exemptions on the market and these are difficult to maintain monitor of. For instance, right here in Maryland, we’ve got an Agricultural Use Evaluation that considerably lowers property taxes on areas the place you’ve gotten agreed to maintain to agricultural use. I solely knew about it as a result of the earlier proprietor had it.

We don’t develop something (industrial) on the land, it’s all wooded, however that counts. The one requirement is that we get an arborist to certify an agricultural use plan each few years, and we get a enormous low cost on the assessed worth of the undeveloped land. It has saved us 1000’s of {dollars} a yr.

Ownwell seems for exemptions like that. And whilst you may file for these exemptions your self (normally free of charge), they accomplish that for a similar payment construction.

Then, they may monitor your taxes every year to verify all the pieces is appropriate. If, for no matter motive, an exemption is left off, they’ll be certain to repair it.

Automated Annual Re-enrollment

It’s essential to decide out of Ownwell for those who don’t want to use them yearly. You routinely re-enroll except you particularly decide out, which have to be executed two months earlier than your county’s submitting deadline.

You might be nonetheless solely charged in the event that they efficiently scale back your evaluation although, so all of the phrases are nonetheless the identical.

Is Ownwell Legit?

Ownwell is a legit firm and what they provide is a service that’s widespread in locations with excessive property taxes and annual value determinations. In Texas, which has excessive property taxes and annual value determinations, there are quite a lot of corporations and legal professionals that supply this service.

In doing a little analysis, I discovered this insightful remark from Reddit (it’s two years previous however nonetheless correct):

These corporations are quite common the place I dwell (in Texas, which has very excessive property taxes).

They package deal up quite a lot of them collectively and settle with the county appraisal district. Round right here they cost 40%-50%. They aren’t a rip-off to the person however they definitely are at a distinct degree – one of many largest ones in Houston is run by a lawyer that was once the county tax appraiser and is now a state senator. His firm is aware of how the sport is performed and earnings from it.

Personally I typically do my very own, however it takes a couple of hours to place collectively a superb protest package deal and go in entrance of the appraisal board. I’ve typically gained, primarily as a result of I do know what I’m doing and put in much more effort on my particular person property than the appraiser (who’s doing lots of of them) does. I sort of loved the final one as a result of I did so a lot better than the appraiser did earlier than the board. He didn’t have his proof collectively, and it was the tip of the day they usually had been in a rush to finish the docket and dominated in my favor.

Should you don’t have time/don’t need to hassle/undecided the best way to protest it’s price a shot.

As you’ll be taught beneath, Ownwell expenses 25% in Texas (making it fairly a bit cheaper) and relying on how a lot they’ll save, they’ll additionally prevent a number of hours of labor (and an look in entrance of the appraisal board).

Ownwell Charges

Ownwell operates on a hit payment mannequin – you solely pay them in the event that they win an enchantment and decrease your property taxes. They solely cost you in case your closing property tax invoice is diminished they usually have a signed doc out of your taxing authority to show it.

In the event that they aren’t capable of decrease it, you pay nothing.

In California, New York, and Florida, the success payment is 35%. It’s simply 25% all over the place else.

For the above instance, if Ownwell will get a $473 discount in property taxes, I’d pay them $118.25. I preserve $354.75.

How does this payment examine to different corporations? It’s best to analysis this in your personal state, as it’ll range, however I discovered a tax agency in Texas that listed their pricing. On a single property, they charged 40% with a $149 minimal. For two-5 properties, it was 35% with no minimal. Solely 6+, it was 30%.

What are Ownwell Alternate options?

The largest different is to name a neighborhood regulation agency that focuses on this identical sort of labor. There are many regulation corporations that supply this. Presently, I’m not conscious of an organization that operates in a number of states.

The tradeoff with utilizing a neighborhood regulation agency has to do with price. They’re sometimes not going to have the ability to work with particular person householders and nonetheless be capable of cost a small success payment. They usually have minimal charges and can solely take your case in the event that they see it as being “price their time.” In a fast search myself, I discovered that corporations are very up entrance about this as a result of contesting value determinations is time intensive they usually don’t need to waste their time or yours.

As I discussed within the above part about charges, I discovered a tax agency that charged 40% payment with a $149 minimal. In Texas, Ownwell expenses simply 25% with no minimal.

House Tax Protect is an instance of an organization that operates in Texas. They cost a $30 annual payment after which a 30% success payment on tax financial savings. You are able to do all the pieces on-line they usually additionally use expertise to streamline the method. Should you assume they’re just like Ownwell, you’re paying $30 a yr plus an additional 500 foundation factors in your financial savings.

Alternatively, you may attain out to your actual property agent to see in the event that they may also help. This will likely be depending on how pleasant and out there your agent is to this sort of assist. Some might do it free of charge, seeing it as part of their choices, whereas others gained’t.

Is Ownwell Price It?

It is determined by how a lot you worth your time and the way a lot of a return you anticipate to get. If I owned a house during which a protest was going to internet me $500 and it’s one thing I’ve to do yearly, I’d extra extra more likely to pay Ownwell a 25-35% success payment to deal with all of it for me. With 4 youngsters and a slew of different duties, the ROI on my time simply isn’t there.

Additionally, the property tax evaluation course of varies from state to state. In Maryland, we solely should do it as soon as each three years and I had a private curiosity in studying the method (additionally, I used to be completely satisfied after the primary spherical discount – the work will get significantly extra concerned after the primary spherical). I notice I’m a weirdo like that, most individuals don’t care and simply need to get monetary savings.

The one factor I do know is that you will need to contest your property tax evaluation. It’s possible you’ll not win a discount, however it’s a must to do it. These will increase will compound so it’s a must to preserve the will increase as little as potential.

Should you aren’t going to do it your self, getting another person to do it’s higher than taking the rise.

Go to Ownwell

FAQs

Abstract

Ownwell is an organization that may enchantment your property tax invoice in your behalf with no upfront charges. You’ll pay both 25% or 35% (relying in your state) of the financial savings they’ll get you. If they aren’t profitable at reducing your property tax invoice, then their companies are free.