By: K.H. Koehler
Many homeowners assume their tax assessment is correct, but in fact, millions are overpaying, not because of mistakes but because of how flawed the system is. According to a new Property Tax Report from Realtor.com, as much as 40.5 percent of American homeowners may be currently overpaying on their real estate property tax, mostly because the standard assessment models used by local governments are often overly complicated and based on outdated information.
And what’s worse, if you want to challenge an unfair assessment, your options for property tax appeals are limited. You can either hire an expensive attorney who generally handles high-value commercial properties and may or may not be able to help you with your property tax appraisal, or try to DIY the process through property listing information. This “profitability gap” means the average homeowner doesn’t have many places to turn if they need help with property taxes, since the manual work isn’t generally cost-effective for tax professionals to handle.
This systematic issue with real estate taxes is what Owlue was created to solve.
How Owlue Puts Property Assessment in the Hands of the Owner
Owlue is an AI-powered platform designed to offer an expert property tax estimator and defense tools accessible to everyone. It was founded by a team boasting technical experience from their time with companies such as Google and Amazon, and they are partnered with David Wilkes, a nationally recognized property tax expert and co-founder of the National Association of Property Tax Attorneys (NAPTA). With deep expertise in valuation standards and the tax assessment process, together they are helping to level the playing field for homeowners facing complex property tax assessments.
One of the most attractive features that Owlue offers is its ease of use. Instead of investing days or weeks to gather stacks of paperwork, homeowners can submit their case in a two-click process. Owlue then manages the entire appeal from start to finish.
The platform was imagined as an intelligent option to lower your property taxes by analyzing an average of 34 data points across multiple data sources and compiling a professional-grade evidence packet that creates a comprehensive 20-30 page report on the property that a county assessor is more likely to take seriously. The process is important for maximizing the tax reduction and not just aiming for a quick reduction.
Making Property Assessment Smarter
One of the biggest challenges in property tax appeals is the many differences in local rules and regulations. Owlue handles this with its AI-driven “Jurisdiction Engine,” which can automatically manage the thousands of localized variables inherent to different U.S. regions, helping to ensure that filing deadlines and detailed requirements are met for your new property tax appraisal.
And while AI powers the platform’s speed and scale, Owlue still uses a “Human-in-the-Loop” Quality Assurance framework. In other words, industry veterans review every appeal to make certain the data is complete and accurate, while carrying the proper nuance and regional requirements. This combined approach offers the detailed precision of a human tax expert and the speed and accuracy of new technology.
Making Property Assessment Accessible and Impactful
Owlue’s goal is to help homeowners take on the massive, complicated system of property reassessment, a task that can otherwise seem daunting to many laypeople. It operates on a success-based model with no upfront costs, so homeowners only pay a percentage of any amount Owlue saves them. This creates a positive relationship based on common goals on both sides. It also makes the decision to challenge an unfair assessment straightforward for every American homeowner.
