Hurricane damaged homes could mean lower taxes

SAN BENITO - Hurricane-damaged homes may be worth less than they were before Hurricane Dolly, and tax assessments could be lower for the property owners.

But the owners must apply to the appraisal district with evidence that their appraisals should be reduced before they will see lower taxes.

And wind-damaged homes are likely to be treated differently than flooded buildings.

Wind damage can be repaired, but flooding could permanently affect the property's market value, Cameron Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Frutoso Gomez said.

In most cases, each property will be considered individually, Gomez said, although some areas have been identified for appraisal district review.

"We've already flagged an area behind Kids' Round-up just down the street (from the appraisal district office). It's pretty much destroyed," he said, referring to the residential area near the pediatric rehabilitation business in San Benito. "We're planning to look at some areas around La Feria and Green Valley Farms," he said.

"But unless the county tells us which areas, we'll have to be notified (by property owners) ... It's always best for the owner to initiate the process."

Precinct 4 County Commissioner Edna Tamayo said the county can't force the appraisal district to do anything, but county officials could recommend the district consider adjusting values in a devastated area.

"We haven't had any discussion," she said of the Commissioners Court.

Former Harlingen Mayor Connie De la Garza, a longtime real estate agent with experience as an assessor and appraiser, recalls past storm damage.

He said he knows of cases in which homeowners in a neighborhood or subdivision hired a private appraiser to prepare a report on the effects of hurricane or flood damage on the market values for the entire neighborhood.

Damage varies with each storm, he said.

"After Hurricane Beulah (in 1967), some houses had 2 inches of water in them, some had 8 inches," he said.

Local real estate agent Vicki Leggett said flood damage could have a significant effect on a property's market value.

Flood-damaged properties could be difficult or even impossible to sell, which means their appraised values should drop, she said.

"When there's a history of flooding, it's very frightening to a buyer," Leggett said. "Many buyers won't even look at (a property) that's flooded more than once."

Homeowners must disclose past flood damage to prospective buyers, she said.

Leggett noted that some homes at the Harlingen Country Club in Palm Valley have flooded twice in less than 20 years.

Homes there that had flood damage in 1991 and again by Hurricane Dolly, she said, should be devalued for tax purposes.

The Mariposa Ranch subdivision near La Feria is another candidate for devaluation, Leggett said. The new houses there flooded, which eroded whatever equity the homeowners had achieved in a few years.

"I don't know how the appraisal district will handle this," she said.

As an example, if a home valued at $100,000 before Hurricane Dolly flooded by the storm's torrential rain, reducing the market value by $20,000, "it's still a difficult sale," she said.

Gomez said it is best for property owners to gather information and present it to the appraisal district if they want their property considered for a readjustment of its value.

It would be especially important to show photographs and damage reports if drywall, carpeting or roofs were repaired or replaced before an appraisal district inspector gets to see them, Gomez said.

Property with repairs made and completed by Jan. 1 will be appraised in repaired condition, but proof of the storm damage must be provided, Gomez said.

For buildings, fences or improvements demolished by wind or flood damage, or for mobile homes or travel trailers removed because of storm damage, property owners must provide evidence of damage that affects the market value of the home or business, Gomez said.

Damage to trees or landscaping will not affect value, but damaged or destroyed garages, fences or other improvements will be considered, Gomez said.

Photos, reports by a private appraiser or home inspector or visible damage will be checked by the district's appraisers, he said.