HCAD Comparable Sales (Comps): What They Are and How to Use Them for Your 2026 Protest
Published May 15, 2026 · AppealMyTax
What HCAD comps actually are
HCAD comparable sales (commonly called "comps") are the foundation of every successful Houston property tax protest. They are nearby residential properties that share key characteristics with yours — similar square footage, age, lot size, bed/bath count, and condition. HCAD's mass-appraisal model uses neighborhood comps to set your assessed value. When you protest, you flip the script and use comps to argue your value should be lower.
The two flavors of comps that win protests
Sales comps are recent arm's-length transactions — properties that actually changed hands. These support your market value argument (Texas Tax Code §23.01). Strongest evidence when the sale was within the last 12 months and within 0.5 miles of your home.
Assessment comps are properties with HCAD-assigned values. These support your unequal appraisal argument (§41.43(b)(3)). The bar is lower — you just need to show similar nearby homes are assessed at lower per-square-foot values. This is usually the easier path for Harris County protests because HCAD's own database is the source.
What makes a comp "comparable enough"
HCAD appraisers and ARB panels look for these matches:
- Square footage: within ±15% of your home (e.g., your 2,200 sqft home, comps from 1,870–2,530 sqft)
- Year built: within ±10 years
- Bed/bath count: match exactly if possible
- Lot size: within ±20%
- Neighborhood: ideally same HCAD neighborhood group; failing that, within 0.5 miles
- Condition: match average condition for the area (HCAD codes condition as Excellent/Good/Average/Fair/Poor)
A pool, a remodel, or a corner lot can throw off otherwise-identical comps. Note these as adjustments in your protest narrative.
Where to find comps
The free AppealMyTax calculator pulls 5-10 comparable properties for any Harris County address in 30 seconds. The data source: HCAD's public residential property dataset (1.2M parcels).
Manual approach: search HCAD's site at hcad.org/property-search, filter by zip code, sqft range, and year built. Pull 10-15 candidates and narrow to the 5-7 with the lowest assessed values that still match your property's key attributes.
How to format comps for HCAD iFile
A clean evidence sheet for iFile upload looks like this:
| Address | Sqft | Year Built | Bed/Bath | Assessed Value | $/Sqft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1234 Oak St | 2,150 | 1998 | 4/2.5 | $325,000 | $151 |
| 5678 Maple Dr | 2,280 | 2001 | 4/2 | $342,000 | $150 |
| 9012 Pine Ln | 2,100 | 1996 | 4/2 | $318,000 | $151 |
Median of these comps: $151/sqft. If your property is assessed at $175/sqft, you have a strong unequal-appraisal case for adjustment to ~$151/sqft.
Common mistakes that lose protests
- Picking comps that are too different. A 3,500 sqft home isn't a comp for your 2,200 sqft home, even on the same street.
- Picking comps that are too good. Adjustment downward on every comp because they're nicer than yours weakens your argument. Pick reasonable matches.
- Bringing 25 comps when 5-7 win. Quality over quantity. Strong comps lose strength when buried.
- Not citing the legal basis. Always state TX Tax Code §41.43(b)(3) for unequal appraisal in your narrative.
Comps are 80% of a winning protest. The remaining 20% is the legal framing and the conversation with the HCAD appraiser. Get your comps in 30 seconds →
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