Mike Browning

Tag: Property Taxes Texas

  • It’s Not Too High For Everyone

    It’s Not Too High For Everyone

    Focus on becoming someone who it’s not too high for.

    I don’t know if it’s because today is primary election day where I live, but for some reason I thought of the “Rent Is Too Damn High” guy from New York.

    I don’t remember his name.

    I don’t even remember what office he was running for. Mayor, I think.

    But I remember the slogan.

    Give him credit for one thing. You don’t remember most politicians’ campaign lines. That one stuck.

    It had the same problem those Progressive “Don’t turn into your parents” ads had. I loved the ads but for the longest time I couldn’t remember what they were selling.

    Rent was too high. That’s all I knew.

    And here we are, years later, and politicians are still running on the same thing. Different words, same pitch.

    Groceries are too high.
    Gas is too high.
    Housing is too high.
    Somebody isn’t paying their “fair share.”

    That message never goes out of style because it feels true.

    Costs do go up.

    But here’s the uncomfortable part.

    Prices are mostly outside your control. And politicians.

    Your income isn’t.

    You can spend a lifetime voting for someone who promises to make everything cheaper.

    Or you can spend that same lifetime figuring out how to make yourself more valuable so you can make more money.

    One of those gives you control.

    The other gives you a yard sign.

    Even in real estate I see this constantly.

    People tell me land prices are crazy.

    Sometimes they are.

    But I’ve watched plenty of landowners quietly get wealthier while prices were “crazy” because they positioned themselves correctly, reduced taxes legally, structured deals well, and focused on making smart decisions instead of arguing with the market.

    You don’t lower the tide by yelling at the ocean.

    You either build a better boat or move uphill.

    I won’t tell you who to vote for.

    But don’t confuse politics with a personal income strategy.

    If rent is too high, the long-term answer isn’t hoping someone else fixes it.

    It’s becoming the kind of person for whom it isn’t too high anymore.

    PS- For people who want to make smart decisions involving their land, I offer the MBR Land Reality Check for any non residential property.

    Request Yours Here

    No cost. No obligation. Just clarity that benefits you no matter what you decide.

    PPS- Not ready for a valuation yet but enjoy reading stuff like this? Enter the inner circle and get them in your inbox daily

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  • Check Both Tax Accounts

    Check Both Tax Accounts

    Experience reduces mistakes. It does not eliminate them.

    Yesterday I mentioned that even with experience, situations still show up that I have not seen in exactly that form before.

    You cannot coast.
    You cannot assume.
    You stay alert.

    This one worked out fine. Still, it bothered me.

    I am helping a client purchase property near the new Bois d’Arc Lake. We negotiated the deal, worked through issues, and negotiated a price reduction that required additional earnest money.

    Everything looked clean. Ready to go. I might have even started breaking my rule about assuming a closing, just a little.

    Then the closing statement came in.

    The property taxes were materially higher than expected.

    The understanding was that the property was under agricultural exemption. But according to the county, only part of it was.

    The property is in two separate tax accounts. A couple of years ago, the county had taken the ag exemption off one of the tracts.

    I had checked the ag status.
    What I failed to do was check both accounts.

    One showed ag.
    The other did not.

    It made no logical sense that one tract would qualify and the other would not, especially since the same farmer was working both. But logic and county records do not always move together.

    When I saw it, I felt it.

    I take pride in being thorough. And while I did verify the exemption, I did not verify it completely.

    That difference represented roughly a $10,000 per year swing in carrying cost.

    That changes value.
    That changes what a buyer can reasonably pay.
    That matters.

    I addressed it directly. No hiding it. No hoping it would slide through.

    Turned out it was a mistake on the county’s end. They reinstated the ag exemption, and we should be good to go. Assuming nothing else happens.

    From now on, every account gets checked. Every line item gets confirmed. Even when it “should” match.

    That is how you get better.

    And that is also why you use a professional.

    Not because professionals never miss anything.

    But because when something surfaces, it gets caught, addressed, and handled before it becomes permanent.

    Until a deal is closed and funded, it is still alive. And live deals require attention.

    Experience is not about perfection.

    It is about knowing where problems hide, and being willing to own them when they show up.

    PS – If you own land or acreage and want a clear, no-obligation opinion of value, I offer a free analysis based on real comps, tax data, utility access, and actual market experience.

    Land is different from residential. The details matter.

    You will know where you stand today and what realistic options actually look like.

    Start Here

    PPS – If this gave you a better sense of how deals really work behind the scenes, feel free to forward it to someone who might benefit from it.