Patrick O'Connor - Articles

 

Patrick C. O'Connor has been president of O'Connor & Associates since 1983 and is a recipient of the prestigious MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. He is also a registered senior property tax consultant in the state of Texas and has written numerous articles in state and national publications on reducing property taxes. He continues to set the standard in direction and quality of our appraisal products, adding services ranging from business valuations and business appraisals to cost segregation analysis for income tax reduction.

Single Family Litigation Support

Single-family litigation support and expert witness testimony assists legal counsel and the property owner in obtaining a reasonable and just settlement. Providing an initial assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of a case provides insights into the strategy that is appropriate for the fact situation. Read

By: Patrick O'Connor | 04/03/2008 | Management

Insurance Valuation

Insurance Valuation can guarantee the property owner has adequate insurance and is not paying for excessive coverage. Read

By: Patrick O'Connor | 27/02/2008 | Insurance

More Tax Deduction Means Tax Reduction

Most commercial real estate owners are paying excess federal income taxes because they are not depreciating their property as quickly as they should. A cost segregation study allows property owners to both defer and reduce federal income taxes. Cost segregation increases depreciation (a non-cash deduction) for commercial real estate owners. Read

By: Patrick O'Connor | 20/02/2008 | Taxes

Options for Continuing Appeal of your Harris County Appraisal District Assessed Value After the Appraisal Review Board (arb) Hearing

Harris County Appraisal District assessed values can be appealed after the ARB hearing. For properties with an assessed value of $1,000,000 or less after the ARB hearing, you can choose binding arbitration to appeal market value or a judicial appeal (lawsuit in district court). For properties with a Harris County Appraisal District value in excess of $1,000,000, you can file a judicial appeal. Read

By: Patrick O'Connor | 12/02/2008 | Taxes

How to Minimize the Property Tax Assessments Set by the Harris County Appraisal District

Harris County Appraisal District estimates the market value for 1.6 million parcels of real estate with a staff of about 150 appraisers. That's an average of over 10,000 parcels per appraiser per year! While they value a large number of properties annually, you can focus intense attention on reducing the value of your property. Read

By: Patrick O'Connor | 04/02/2008 | Taxes

Tax Deductions Tips for Individual Real Estate Investors

Tax deductions are not the top priority for most individual real estate investors. They often work out of their home with no employees, other than those on-site at the property. Challenges (aside from tax deductions) include selecting what property to purchase, screening tenants, repairs, managing expenses, obtaining financing, and deciding when to sell. This articles addresses tax deductions sometimes over-looked by real estate owners. Read

By: Patrick O'Connor | 31/01/2008 | Management

Business Tax Deduction Tips

Tax tips and tax help to assist taxpayers by describing options for tax reduction and tax cuts through lawful tax deductions. Tax deductions contribute to national prosperity by providing capital to business. Tax deductions reduce taxable income. Read

By: Patrick O'Connor | 21/01/2008 | Taxes

Texas Property Tax Appeals

Texas Property Tax Appeals Steps to Protesting and Reducing Your Property Value Annually Step 1. File a Protest Texas property tax appeals can be filed using the form provided by the appraisal district, or the form available on poconnor.com in the property tax section (see Useful Forms Forms in the left column). Otherwise send a short letter to the chief appraiser at the central appraisal district stating that you are protesting your property taxes. Read

By: Patrick O'Connor | 15/01/2008 | Taxes

Lease Audits

Lease audits are an integral and essential component of due diligence when purchasing an investment property. Lease audits apply to apartments, office, retail, industrial, self storage and any other type of property where written leases exist. Read

By: Patrick O'Connor | 19/11/2007 | Negotiation

Real Estate Consulting

Real estate consulting covers a breadth of areas including market rent study, market study, feasibility study, highest and best use analysis, cost segregation and analysis for an under performing asset. Clarifying the client's objectives and expectations is the cornerstone of a successful real estate consulting engagement. Read

By: Patrick O'Connor | 12/11/2007 | Business