(C) 2015 The Paperless Agent. Page 1 of 23

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Bethanie Dean
5 years ago
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2 Introduction In Austin, Texas, one of the biggest pain points for homeowners can be their property taxes. Because our market is growing so rapidly, often property taxes get inflated past where they should be. A service we provide at GoodLife Realty is to provide homeowners the information they would need in order to know if that is the case for them, as well as the data and information they need to fight these high taxes. Our Property Tax Campaign is a way to let everyone in Austin know that we provide this service. More importantly, however, is that it gives us something of value about which we can contact our database! If the laws in your area also allow homeowners to protest their taxes, then consider implementing the following campaign. The information in this resource will give you the s and phone scripts you need for implementing your own Property Tax Campaign, as well as samples for the collateral you need to run it effectively. Introduction 2 Campaign To Do List Overview 3 Step 0: Before the Campaign Starts 4 Step 1 5 Step 2 6 Step 3 7 Step 4 9 Step 5 11 Step 6 12 Step 7 13 Step 8 14 Step 9 15 Step Collateral: Video Script Example 18 Collateral: Blog Post Sample 19 Collateral: Social Media Graphic Example 22 Collateral: Facebook Event Example 23 Page 2 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

3 Campaign To Do List Overview Day 0: Determine the timeline for your campaign Organize your database into the following categories Film and publish a video to your website and Facebook business page about the procedure for protesting property taxes in your area Author and publish a blog post to your website about the procedure for protesting property taxes in your area Create a graphic for posting to your social media accounts Set up a home value estimation landing page Day 1: Post a link to your property tax video to your social media accounts BONUS: Run a Facebook ad for your Property Tax Campaign video Days 2-8: Aim to call or leave a voic for 10-15% of your contacts per day Follow up each call or voic with the found in step 4 Day 8: Post a link to your property tax graphic to your social media accounts BONUS: Run a Facebook ad for this post Create your Facebook event for the Property Protest Mixer Day 10: Send an to Homeowners in your database Day 17: Post a link to your property tax mixer event to your social media accounts BONUS: Run a Facebook ad for this post Day 18: Send an to Homeowners in your database Days Aim to call or leave a voic for 33% of your contacts per day Day 24: Send an to Homeowners in your database Page 3 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

4 Step 0: Before the Campaign Starts To Do List Determine the timeline for your campaign If you follow our plan, the campaign should last about 25 days. You should start the campaign well before the deadline for protesting property taxes in your area. Organize your database into the following categories A+: Someone who you know well, and who has sent you multiple referrals A: Someone who has sent you at least one referral; Active Clients B: Someone who would refer you, if asked and knew how; Past Clients C: Someone who might refer you in the future Film and publish a video to your website and Facebook business page about the procedure for protesting property taxes in your area You can review an example of such a video on page 18 Get our recommended video equipment list here Follow this checklist to make sure you upload your video to Facebook correctly Author and publish a blog post to your website about the procedure for protesting property taxes in your area You can review an example of such a blog post on page 19 Create a graphic for posting to your social media accounts You can review an example of such a graphic on page 22 We highly recommend the use of canva.com to create your graphic Set up a home value estimation landing page We use Market Snapshot by Top Producer and also like HomeValueLeads.com for this kind of service. Page 4 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

5 Step 1 What: Link to video on all preferred social media channels When: Day one Who: Everyone connected to you via social media Hey [name for people who live in your area; i.e. Austinites ]! Did you know you can protest your property taxes and possibly lower your payments? Check out this video on appealing your property taxes: [link] To Do List Post a link to your property tax video to your social media accounts Post to your Facebook Business Page Post to your Facebook personal profile Post to other social media, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram BONUS: Run a Facebook ad for your Property Tax Campaign video Follow this checklist to set up your ad in just minutes Page 5 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

6 Step 2 What: Send this to Homeowners in your database When: Day one Who: A+, A, B, and C Contacts Subject: Appealing Your [Area] Property Taxes Hi, Since you re a(n) [area name] homeowner, this is something you want to know especially if you haven t done it already. Every year, the county assesses your property s value and if they decide your home has increased in value, they increase your property tax. This means your property taxes can go up by thousands of dollars in a single year! Do you want to keep your payments from going up? If so, check out this article [link] that shows you the steps you can take to appeal your property taxes. By the way, if you need any help assessing your home s current value, just let me know. Is there anything I can help you with? ~First Name [Signature] P.S. - Feel free to share this info with anyone you might know. Here are the direct links on how they can appeal their property taxes: [links to blog article or articles you wrote on protesting property taxes in your area] Page 6 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

7 What: Call your network using this script When: Day two through day eight Who: A+, A, & B Contacts Step 3 Phone Script Hi, this is [ME] over at [company name], how are you? [Chit Chat] Great, well the reason for my call is to remind you of the deadline to protest your [area] property taxes. Every year, the county assesses our home's values and determines the tax we will owe. Often, the county over values your property, which means you ll pay higher taxes. If you d like, I can you a cheat sheet to get you started on what you need to do to keep that from happening. Can I that over to you? What s the best to send it to? Well, I don t want to take up too much of your time let me know if you have any questions about what I send over. [PAUSE] is there anything else I can do you? Great, I ll send you the details. Bye! Page 7 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

8 Voic Script Hi, this is [ME] over at [company name], hope you re doing well. The reason for my call is to remind you of the deadline to protest your [area] property taxes. Every year, the county assesses our home's value and determines the tax we will owe. Often, the county over-values your property, which means you ll pay higher taxes. I m going to you a cheat sheet and the forms you ll need to get started to keep that from happening. Let me know if you have any questions about what I send over or if there s anything else I can help you with. Take care! To Do List Aim to call or leave a voic for 10-15% of your contacts per day For example, if you have 100 contacts who you have categorized A+, A, and B, you would need to call between 10 and 15 people per day Follow up each call or voic with the found in step 4 The in step 4 requires the most editing of all the templates in this project plan Page 8 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

9 Step 4 What: Send this to everyone you called or left a voic using script in Step 3 When: After each call Who: Everyone you called or left a voic Subject: Cheat Sheet for Protesting [Area] Property Taxes Hi, Should I protest? You should strongly consider an appeal if: The values of properties that are selling are lower than your assessed value, or... The condition of your home is below the condition of homes that are selling for the same as your valuation. How do I appeal? For detailed steps and the necessary forms to submit your appeal, click on the appropriate link: [links to blog article or articles you wrote on protesting property taxes in your area] What are the deadlines? Depending on where you live, the deadline differs: [Information about the deadlines you address in your blog articles. For example ] Williamson County - Williamson county will mail the majority of their property valuations on April 2nd. Most homeowners receive their valuation on or around April 5th. Homeowners have until May 4th, or 30 days from the date they receive their valuation (whichever is later), to appeal. Need an estimate of your home s value? Complete the form on this page [link], entering the specifics about your home (beds, baths, square feet) and we ll you an interactive report specific to homes like yours in your neighborhood. [This requires you to set up a home value service and landing page. If you do not want to do that, simply use this wording: Give me a call at [phone number] so we can Page 9 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

10 discuss the specifics of your home and I can send you an interactive report specific to homes like yours in your neighborhood. ] Need more help? Just let me know if you have any questions about protesting your property taxes. We ll be happy to help! ~First Name [Signature] P.S. - Feel free to share this info with anyone you might know. Page 10 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

11 Step 5 What: Post Social Media Graphic on social media channels When: Day 8 Who: Everyone connected to you via social media FYI to all [area] Homeowners [upload image like the one on page 21] To Do List Post a link to your property tax graphic to your social media accounts Post to your Facebook Business Page Post to your Facebook personal profile Post to other social media, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram BONUS: Run a Facebook ad for this post Use the post engagement objective and target homeowners in your area Create your Facebook event for the Property Protest Mixer Use canva.com to create a cover image for the event Model your event setup and description after our sample on page 23 Page 11 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

12 Step 6 What: Send this to Homeowners in your database When: Day 10 Who: A+, A, B, and C Buckets Subject: [Area] is Protesting, No Joke Hi, Did you know it s the time of year to protest your [area] property taxes? If you don t protest, your payments could increase significantly over time. The biggest questions to consider is this: Should I protest or not? You should strongly consider an appeal if: The values of properties that are selling are lower than your assessed value, or... The condition of your home is below the condition of homes that are selling for the same as your valuation. Do you want to keep your payments from going up? If so, check out this article [link] that shows you the steps you can take to appeal your property taxes. By the way, if you need any help assessing your home s current value, just let me know. Is there anything I can help you with? ~First Name [Signature] P.S. - You re invited to a Party! We re hosting a mixer and party to celebrate protesting our [area] property taxes on [date]. Come on by for some snacks, adult beverages and take home a free Home Price Analysis you can use to protest your property taxes. Page 12 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

13 Step 7 What: Share the Facebook Event for the Austin Tax Protest Protest When: Day 17 Who: Everyone connected to you via social media What s better than taxes? Almost everything! Take a break from tax season and network with some of [area s] brightest. Food & drinks will be served! [link] To Do List Post a link to your property tax mixer event to your social media accounts Post to your Facebook Business Page Post to your Facebook personal profile Post to other social media, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram BONUS: Run a Facebook ad for this post Use the event response objective and target homeowners in your area Page 13 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

14 Step 8 What: Tax Protest Party & Mixer Invitation to Your Database When: Day 18 Who: A+, A, B, and C Contacts Subject: Invitation to Private Event Hi, Are ready for Tax Season to be over? I am! And what better way to celebrate than to throw a party and that s exactly what my firm is doing on [date of party]! But this isn t just any kind of party. In addition to food, drinks, and music, we re going to take time to protest our property taxes. Every year, the county assesses our home's values and determines the tax we will owe. Often, the county over values your property, which means you ll pay higher taxes. If you stop by for our mixer party, you can stop by our quick Home Value Station to get a pricing analysis on your home which you can then use to protest your property taxes. So stop by, eat, drink and be merry about the tax season being over! ~First Name [Signature] P.S. - Check out the Event page on Facebook for our [Year] [Area] Tax Protest Party & Mixer! [link] Page 14 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

15 What: Call your database using this script When: Days 19 through 21 Who: A+, A, & B Buckets Step 9 Phone Script Hi, this is [ME] over at [company name], how are you? [Chit Chat] Great, well the reason for my call is to invite you to a private party we re hosting. It s the [Year] [Area] Tax Protest Party & Mixer on [date of party]. But this isn t just any kind of party. In addition to food, drinks, and music, we re going to take time to protest our property taxes at the same time. Every year, the county assesses our home's values and determines the tax we will owe. Often, the county over-values your property, which means you ll pay higher taxes. If you stop by for our mixer party, you can stop by our quick Home Value Station to get a pricing analysis on your home which you can then use to protest your property taxes. It s going to be a lot of fun, would you like me to put you on the guest list? If Yes: Great, I ll put you down! If No: Alright, if your plans change, just let me know. Well, I don t want to take up too much of your time. [PAUSE] Is there anything else I can do you? Great, well I hope to see you at the event. Bye! Page 15 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

16 Voic Script Hi, this is [ME] over at [company name], hope you re doing well. Well, the reason for my call is to invite you to a private party we re hosting. It s the [Year] [Area] Tax Protest Party & Mixer on [date of party]. But this isn t just any kind of party. In addition to food, drinks, and music, we re going to take time to protest our property taxes at the same time. Every year, the county assesses our home's values and determines the tax we will owe. Often, the county over-values your property, which means you ll pay higher taxes. If you stop by for our mixer party, you can stop by our quick Home Value Station to get a pricing analysis on your home which you can then use to protest your property taxes. It s going to be a lot of fun, so let me know if you want to stop by and I ll get you on the guest list. Well, I don t want to take up too much of your time. [PAUSE] Let me know if there's anything else I can do you. Hope to see you at the event. Bye! To Do List Aim to call or leave a voic for 33% of your contacts per day For example, if you have 100 contacts who you have categorized A+, A, and B, you would need to call between 33 people per day Page 16 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

17 What: Reminder for Protest Party When: Day 24 Who: A+, A, B, and C Buckets Step 10 Subject: Reminder About Private Party this Thursday Hi, Just wanted to send you a quick reminder about our It s the [Year] [Area] Tax Protest Party on [date of party]. We re celebrating the end of the Tax Season by hanging out with [Area s] brightest, with food and drinks. And what better way to celebrate than to throw a party and that s exactly what my firm is doing on [date of party]! But this isn t just any kind of party. Every year, the county assesses our home's values and determines the tax we will owe. Often, the county over-values your property, which means you ll pay higher taxes. If you stop by for our mixer party, you can stop by our quick Home Value Station to get a pricing Analysis on your home which you can then use to protest your property taxes. So stop by, eat, drink and be merry about the tax season being over! ~First Name [Signature] P.S. - You can RSVP on Facebook for our [Year] [Area] Tax Protest Party & Mixer! [link] Page 17 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

18 Collateral: Video Script Example I really think everyone should protest their property taxes, and protest them every single year. And the reason why is because it s a way for us as a community to keep our property taxes down. Not down below market value, but to give us a way to control our property value so that the county doesn t over-access the value, which is what they typically want to do, right? They want to do that in order to increase property taxes for the sake of the revenue that that would generate. So if all of us protested our property taxes in a given community, it tells the accessors No, we don t agree with that, and it makes it hard for those accessors to combat that. If just one of us from an entire neighborhood goes in to protest and nobody else does, then it s very easy for the county to say Well why isn t everyone else protesting? And then they can more easily say that your property is worth more than it is. Therefore, I encourage everyone to protest their taxes, or at least look at their taxes every single year to make sure that they re not being over-accessed. And part of what we re doing at GoodLife Realty is to do our part to help our community, our neighbors, access their taxes. And you know what, many times we ll say It looks like your value is right on, but most of the time we say It s probably good if you protest. Page 18 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

19 Collateral: Blog Post Sample Recently, GoodLife Realty helped our customers, clients and friends in Travis county and the City of Austin reduce their tax appraisal values of their homes over $2 million cumulatively saving over $50,812 in real estate taxes! I encourage everyone to appeal their taxes. When people don t appeal, the taxing authority accepts that their value is correct. This affects all homeowners in a given area. says Krisstina Wise. For that reason, we help people negotiate their values in order to do our part to help keep our real estate taxing authority in line with market value. Keep reading to determine if you should appeal your county property valuation and how to proceed through the process: Why is Travis County tax-assessed value different than market value? The tax-assessed value is what your county believes your home or condo is worth. The county attempts to set their values at a market value. However, they do not evaluate comparables nor do they perform individual market analysis on every home. The county simply values your home according to the area, not the house. Meaning, the value may be too high or two low, depending on the size, location, amenities and condition of your specific home. When should I receive my TCAD property valuation/assessment and how long do I have to appeal? The current years notices of appraised value are typically mailed out mid April of each year. You will have 30 days to appeal. You should file your written protest by May 31 or no later than 30 days after the appraisal district mailed you a notice of appraised value, whichever is later. Should I appeal my Travis County property valuation? If the market value on your travis county home is lower than your tax-assessed value, then you should appeal. If the market value is higher, do nothing. How do you determine your market value? Use the GoodLife Team Market Snapshot to get an online evaluation of your home using real-time data from the Austin MLS. This tool is easy to use and we stand ready to answer any questions you may have regarding the data. Page 19 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

20 How do I appeal for Travis County/City of Austin? Travis County has a protest form. However, you can type up or handwrite your protest and fax or mail it in. If you are going to write up your protest, be sure to include the following: Identify yourself as the homeowner Include the property address Indicate that you are dissatisfied with the decision made by the appraisal district Request the evidence packet for how they came up with your valuation these are the comparable sales they are using for valuation purposes. As mentioned above, some homeowners will be able to test out the new online protest system and may actually receive their settlement offer online. Prepare to Wait. After you have filed, it can take several months for the Travis County Appraisal District to schedule your informal hearing. Prepare to Present to TCAD. The purpose of the informal hearing is for you to present your evidence and facts to support your claim that they have overvalued your Austin home or condo. We suggest the following as valuable evidence to compile for your hearing: Comparable Market Analysis. A comparable market analysis looks at Market Value and shows recent sales for homes that are similar to yours in size, age, location and type of construction. Your GoodLife Team Market Snapshot that you used to determine if you should appeal may provide enough evidence to support your hearing. However, we also stand ready to provide you with a more in-depth market analysis prior to your hearing. Documentation Regarding Your Home s Condition. Do you have foundation issues? Plumbing problems? Anything that would adversely affect the Market Value of your home should be documented. Take photographs and bring them with you to your hearing. Documentation Regarding Your Home s Location. Once again, anything that would adversely affect the Market Value of your home is evidence that you can use in your appeal. If your home backs up to a busy street, consider printing off a Google map to document your location. Recently Purchased Homes. If you purchased your home in the last several months, and the purchase price was lower than your appraised value, bring a copy of your settlement statement. Present Your Evidence. Page 20 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

21 There are a couple of things to keep in mind for the day of your hearing: The Appraisal District is responsible for setting appraised value. They have nothing to do with the tax rate. You are not going to the hearing to protest your tax rate or how much you are paying in taxes. You are only appealing the counties assessed value of your home. Be polite and courteous. Bring an extra copy of your supporting documentation to leave with the county For more information on the process, contact the Travis Central Appraisal District at or visit their website at If you found this article valuable or have any further questions, please post your thoughts here. We will get back to you right away. And, if you successfully appeal your appraised value, we want to hear about that too. Page 21 of 23 (C) 2015 The Paperless Agent

Collateral: Social Media Graphic Example

SAY IT RIGHT: Phone Scripts for Success. First contact. Interested in a home but... Questions about Zestimate home value. Foreclosure listings

SAY IT RIGHT: Phone Scripts for Success First contact First contact script First voice message Interested in a home but... It s not for sale Client is not ready to buy Questions about Zestimate home value