Dallas Property Appraisals

PahRoo Appraisal & Consultancy provides Dallas property appraisals for attorneys, bankers, brokers, accountants, and property owners across Dallas County. Texas-licensed appraisers based in Dallas sign our reports. We write every report so it holds up where it will be read, in court, at the ARB, or in credit committee.

Dallas Property Appraisals for Residential and Commercial Property

The firm’s founder, Michael Hobbs, holds both the MAI and the SRA designation from the Appraisal Institute, and sets the review standard every PahRoo report meets. In Dallas, a Texas-licensed appraiser based in the market signs each report and works under the same standard.

Every report also follows USPAP.

Divorce and Family Law Appraisals in Dallas County

If you practice family law in Dallas County, you know the house is often the largest asset on the inventory. Texas presumes property held during the marriage is community property. Which side of that line the house sits on is for counsel and the court, but what the house is worth is ours.

We tie the value to the date your case needs, such as the date of marriage, separation, or a retrospective date behind a reimbursement claim. In each case we document the condition and the market as of that date rather than as of the inspection. Buyouts and spousal deed transfers also come up constantly. Our article on quitclaim deed divorce transfers covers what an appraiser sees when title moves before the value is fixed.

Estate, Trust, and Date-of-Death Appraisals

In a Texas probate, the executor or administrator files an inventory, appraisement, and list of claims within 90 days of qualifying, valued as of the date of death and split between separate and community property. So that 90-day clock is the deadline estate attorneys bring to us. For a Dallas property, that means comparable sales that bracket the date of death rather than today’s listings. We also appraise for trust funding, partition actions, and gifts of real estate.

Dallas County Property Tax Protest Appraisals

Texas appraisal districts value every property at market value as of January 1. So the Dallas Central Appraisal District’s number is a January 1 number. Notices then go out by May 1, or by April 1 for a residence homestead. The protest deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the notice is mailed, whichever is later. DCAD opens protests on April 15, online through uFile or in writing.

The path runs from an informal review with DCAD staff to an Appraisal Review Board hearing. If the ARB order is still wrong, the owner has 60 days to take it to district court. The Texas Comptroller’s protest guide lays out each step and says the ARB responds to evidence, not complaints about the tax rate.

Texas does not make sale prices public record, so the district and the owner both depend on verified sales data. So our protest appraisals carry a January 1 effective date and use closed sales the district cannot dismiss. For homeowners, compare the value on your DCAD notice to what your home would have sold for on January 1. Then, if the number is high, file before the deadline and gather evidence after.

Litigation Support and Expert Witness Testimony

We review the other side’s appraisal and then put the problems in writing. Bankruptcy counsel also send us appraisals for Chapter 7 and 11 filings. In a Texas condemnation, three special commissioners assess the owner’s damages at a hearing held near the property, and a governmental condemnor has to disclose the appraisals behind its offer. We prepare the owner’s report for that hearing and the appeal that can follow, including partial takings. Our appraisers are also available for deposition and trial testimony in Dallas County.

Commercial Appraisals for Dallas Lenders

Commercial bankers order from us for acquisitions, refinances, and workouts, while special asset groups and receivers use us on distressed property. In a non-disclosure state, the comparable sales in a lender’s file have to be verified with a party to the deal, so we do that work. The income approach starts with the actual rent roll and expense history rather than a published cap rate and a guess. Our piece on the income approach for commercial property shows how.

Residential Appraisals for Dallas Mortgage Lenders

Mortgage lenders and banks send us refinance, PMI removal, and new construction files. Much of the Dallas-area work is new construction appraised from plans and specifications, so the report states what it relied on. Corporate relocation programs also order ERC-format appraisals. For homeowners, a low lender value is not the last word, because you can still order a second opinion.

Appraisals for Dallas Brokers and Realtors

Residential brokers and Realtors send us pre-listing work when a price needs support before the listing goes live. In a non-disclosure state, it also gives the seller verified comparable sales that no public search can. Buyers’ agents also use us for pre-purchase appraisals when the property is unusual. Commercial brokers also come to us before listing land or mixed-use property.

Appraisals for Dallas CPAs and Tax Preparers

CPAs come to us for three things, and in Texas all three are federal filings, since the state has no income tax. First, a real estate gift over $5,000 needs a qualified appraisal on IRS Form 8283, so we prepare those accordingly. Second, gift tax and trust funding also need a supportable value as of the transfer date. Third, the federal estate return and the Texas probate inventory both need a date-of-death value, prepared once as a retrospective appraisal. We also support clients’ DCAD protests when the appraised value is out of line.

Neighborhoods and Cities We Cover

Within Dallas: Uptown, Preston Hollow, Lakewood, Lake Highlands, and Oak Cliff. The Park Cities, Highland Park and University Park. Dallas County cities: Irving, Garland, Mesquite, Grand Prairie, and Carrollton. We cover the rest of Dallas County too, so just ask.

How to Order a Dallas Appraisal From PahRoo