Where does TaxNetUSA get its data?
TaxNetUSA works with and supplies Appraisal District data. In Texas and most other states, each county has an Appraisal District whose responsibility it is to appraise property within the county. This appraisal is used to determine the amount of tax a property owner is responsible to pay each year. A majority of the data created, maintained, and used by Appraisal Districts is open to Public Information requests. This is how TaxNetUSA obtains the data it presents.
How much does your service cost?
TaxNetUSA's service price is dependent on the product purchased. Pro Memberships include a 12 month subscription for advanced search criteria, Interactive GIS maps where available (view coverage), and an allowance of credits for purchasing Improvement Sketches and Downloadable Lists. Credits, whether included with a Pro Membership or purchased separately, expire 12 months from the purchase date.
Click here to see the pricing schedule for Pro Memberships and Credits.
What comes with a Pro Membership?
A Pro Membership to TaxNetUSA gives the customer advanced search engine capabilities not often found on official Appraisal District websites. With a Pro Membership to TaxNetUSA, the user receives 12 months unlimited access to search the property records for the counties subscribed. An allowance of credits is included with a Pro Membership subscription, and credits also expire 12 months from the purchase date. With the purchase of a TaxNetUSA Pro Membership, the user can call our help hotline at 817-310-1077 for assistance when using the online searches.
What are credits? And why do I need them?
Credits are needed to purchase products on TaxNetUSA that are not sold on a subscription basis. These products include, but are not limited to, Improvement Sketches when available for a property found in our database. The credits are available in different purchase increments; the more credits purchased at one time, the cheaper the consumer's cost-per-credit. Credits expire 12 months from the purchase date. Products purchased with credits are stored in your account for easy access.
Click here to see the pricing schedule for Credits.
Do I have to have a Pro Membership subscription to use my credits?
No, Credits are to be used totally independent of the Pro Membership subscription. Credits expire 12 months from the purchase date, and they are not refundable or transferrable. Products purchased with credits are stored in your account for easy access.
What is a sketch? And why do I have to pay to see one?
A sketch can also be referred to as the "footprint" of the improvement found on a piece of real property. It does not show the layout of the inside of the house or building, but gives the outer boundaries of the improvement. Due to State Senate Bill 541 that took effect September 1, 2005, sketches can no longer be "posted" to the Internet. This is why we require an account be created and the credits be purchased to view and print a sketch from our website. Sketches purchased with credits are stored in your account for easy access.
Why am I paying to look at Public Information?
In Texas and other states, many Appraisal Districts have county property information available for searching through a free website. These free searches can be used if you know the owner name, account number, or street address. TaxNetUSA's Pro Search is a value-added product enabling the purchaser to search the same property records using advanced search engines and forms not found on the county's free website. The Pro Search allows the customer to search the same county information using such criteria as year built, square footage, deed date, value range, state property tax division codes, and other advanced search criteria. With a Pro Membership, the user also receives a level of customer service not available when using a free county search online.
How often is your data updated?
Each county's data is updated independently of other counties. The larger metropolitan counties are updated more frequently. Most of these are updated monthly. While the medium size counties are more likely updated quarterly, the smaller counties are typically updated no more than twice a year. Every county in Texas is updated at time of Certification. This is done at the end of July. Data for other states will be updated as needed.
Does your data include phone numbers of property owners?
No, our databases do not have phone number of property owners. We currently work exclusively with Appraisal District data, and phone numbers are not included in the data maintained by Texas Appraisal Districts. They only need an accurate mailing address to deliver a "notice of value" in the spring, and the property tax bill in the fall.
What does a download look like?
The addition of the download option to a Free or Pro search allows the user to download to his/her computer the list of properties they have created using the search. The file that is downloaded is a Comma-Delimited Text File. This type of file is easy to open in all spreadsheet (Excel™) and database (Access™) software products. Downloading the information allows the user to easily build their own working database for creating mailing labels or other purposes.
What are "Cookies"? Why do I need to enable them?
"Cookies" are small pieces of information which may be stored on your computer by a website you visit. TaxNetUSA uses these cookies to help our site run smoothly.
Some advertisers have begun to use cookies to track what sites you've visited, and to thereby obtain marketing information by analyzing your browsing preferences. As a result, some anti-spyware and anti-virus programs now disable cookies in your web browser.
TaxNetUSA codes its cookies so that they aren't passed to other sites, and do not persist on your machine. You must allow the TaxNetUSA site to set cookies in order to use its subscription features. You may test your browser's settings here.
Do you have data outside of Texas?
Currently TaxNetUSA works with data within the states of Texas and Florida. We began in Texas, but anticipate offering services in other states soon. Every state's property tax laws are different, and this will initially dictate which states we will enter. We will continue to add states with similar property tax and public information law to what can be found in Texas and Florida. (We do have experience with acquiring and processing data outside of Texas and Florida. Please contact us if you need such a service.)
What if I have more questions about TaxNetUSA?
TaxNetUSA was created to make simple what can be complex. We understand that there is a learning curve when dealing with property information and online databases. We encourage you to contact us and ask whatever questions you might have. If you ask a question we do not know the answer to, we'll find someone who does.