The tax figure on a Southlake listing is one of the least reliable numbers a buyer sees this fall. Three things built it, and none of them carry over to a new owner. Tarrant Appraisal District did not reappraise homes in 2026. TAD's own data shows its roll valuing homes above $1 million at a much lower share of their sale prices than any other price band. And the seller's homestead cap does not pass to the buyer. The next residential reappraisal comes in 2027, which is likely to be the buyer's first full year in the home.
Any of these alone would be a footnote. Together, at Southlake prices, they can leave a buyer budgeting from someone else's tax history.
A roll that stopped moving in 2024
In 2024, TAD moved residential appraisals to a two-year cycle. Its plan held 2025 residential values at their 2024 final values, apart from new improvements, and set residential reappraisals for odd-numbered years starting in 2027. On September 8, 2026, the TAD board voted 5–4 to keep that schedule. That meant 2026 values stayed frozen and homes will next be reappraised in 2027, as the Fort Worth Report covered.
The headlines focused on homeowners whose values were frozen at a higher level after the market softened. The Fort Worth Report cited an estimate that more than 195,000 homeowners would have received lower bills with a reappraisal. In the same reporting, chief appraiser Joe Don Bobbitt said the residential roll had become "less uniform and more regressive." That second phrase matters most for Southlake.
Where the roll sits for $1 million homes
TAD's chief appraiser report, dated August 12, 2026, compares 2026 appraised values with actual 2025 and 2026 sale prices by price band across the county.
| Sale price band | 2025 sales ratio | 2026 sales ratio |
|---|---|---|
| $100,000 – $199,999 | 103.55% | 105.87% |
| $500,000 – $599,999 | 89.65% | 86.04% |
| $900,000 – $999,999 | 83.87% | 79.72% |
| $1,000,000+ | 75.28% | 71.00% |
| All bands | 88.51% | 85.05% |
Read across the table and the ratio falls as the price rises. Among the 416 sales of $1 million or more in the 2026 column, TAD reports a ratio of 71.00% between appraised value and sale price, and that gap widened from the year before. These are countywide figures, not a Southlake-only study. Still, in a city where the budget puts the average appraised home at $1,085,031, much of the local housing stock falls in that top band.
One structural reason the top band runs low is Texas law. The state does not require final sale prices to become public record, which the Dallas Morning News has explained can affect appraisals and who carries the tax burden. Earlier commentary collected by the Texas Tribune pointed the same way, adding that expensive homes are harder to compare with one another. A frozen roll in a market where top-tier prices kept moving made the effect larger.
The cap belongs to the seller
The second piece is the homestead limitation. The Texas Comptroller describes it as a 10% limit on annual growth in a qualifying homestead's appraised value. It starts the tax year after the owner qualifies and ends on January 1 of the tax year after the owner stops qualifying. In practice, a long-time Southlake owner may be paying tax on a value that has been held below market for years, and that protection does not pass to the next owner.
Here is how the timing lines up for a home bought this fall, based on the published rules:
- 2026: The seller's bill reflects the frozen roll, plus whatever cap history the seller built up.
- 2027: TAD reappraises residential property countywide. The Comptroller says the homestead limitation starts the tax year after an owner qualifies, so a buyer's own cap would not yet apply in their first homestead year.
- 2028 and later: Annual growth limits apply to the new owner's homestead, and the reappraisal schedule itself may change, as covered below.
TAD's 2027–28 plan does not say values will rise. It says values may go up, go down, or stay the same depending on the market. A home bought in 2026 enters its first reappraisal with no cap history, from a roll that, by TAD's own ratios, has been running well below sale prices in the $1 million-plus band.
Exemptions still apply to new owners. The Comptroller's exemptions page lists a $140,000 school district homestead exemption, the amount Proposition 13 put on the November 4, 2025 ballot. Southlake also continues its 20% local homestead exemption. The Comptroller also notes that someone who buys after January 1 may qualify for the exemption for the rest of that year if the prior owner did not receive it. Exemptions and rates both shape the final bill, which is why the cap is a limit on appraised value and not a limit on taxes owed.
Southlake's own numbers point the same way
The City of Southlake's FY2027 budget overview, with a manager's message dated August 14, 2026, reports the first decline in the city's appraised value in at least thirty years. Total appraised value fell 0.7% to $15.4 billion. Taxable value after exemptions fell 0.5% to $12.3 billion, including the TIRZ, even though new construction added about $110.4 million.
That decline pushed the no-new-revenue rate up to $0.301616. On September 15, the council adopted a lower rate of $0.290 per $100, down from $0.295. The city puts the city-portion bill on an average-valued home at $2,483 under the new rate, compared with $2,526 under the old one. Carroll ISD adopted $0.9269 per $100 for 2026–27, and Community Impact reported the district's average taxable residence value edging down from $997,452 to $995,831.
So on paper, Southlake's values went slightly down. The market did not follow. In August 2026, MetroTex figures reported by Community Impact showed ZIP code 76092 with 25 closed sales, down from 44 in August 2025. Over the same period, the median sale price rose from $1,296,000 to $1,375,000 and average days on market went from 44 to 54. A ZIP-code median and a citywide average appraised value are different measures, so the comparison is rough. The direction still matches TAD's ratio table. Fewer sales, at higher prices, against a roll that held still.
What the November 3 election can and cannot change
Early voting for three at-large TAD board seats ends October 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. The Fort Worth Report reported that two members of the September 5–4 majority are not running again. It listed the candidates' positions on how often to reappraise as follows:
- Place 1, open seat: Phyllis Grissom, Byron Haynes and Sayeda Bilqees Syed favor annual reappraisals. Rebecca Hardy favors the biennial schedule.
- Place 2, open seat: Ambika Sharma and Paul Stockard favor annual reappraisals. Marshall Hobbs favors the two-year schedule. Cary Cheshire favors reappraisal every five years, or annually when a homeowner requests it.
- Place 3: Incumbent Matt Bryant favors keeping the biennial schedule. John Adams favors annual reappraisals.
The same report notes that under state law the board rewrites its reappraisal policy every two years and cannot revisit residential frequency until 2028. Whoever wins, 2027 remains a reappraisal year. The election affects what follows 2027: whether a buyer's second and third years see annual reappraisals or another frozen year.
The figures here are general information drawn from public records. They are not tax, legal or financial advice. Before relying on any estimate, confirm how the exemptions, the homestead limitation and the 2027 reappraisal apply to a specific property with a qualified tax professional and with Tarrant Appraisal District.
Quick Answers
Does the seller's homestead cap transfer to me?
No. The Comptroller says the limitation ends on January 1 of the tax year after the owner no longer qualifies, and a new owner's limitation starts the tax year after they qualify.
Will 2027 values go up in Southlake?
TAD's plan says values may rise, fall or stay flat. What has been published is TAD's countywide data showing the $1 million-plus band appraised at 71% of sale prices in 2026.
Did freezing values mean nobody's appraisal changed in 2026?
Not quite. TAD's plan says the homestead limit keeps working in non-reappraisal years, so a capped value can still rise by up to 10% until it reaches market value, and new improvements are added to the roll.
At Pantuso Properties, we look at a Southlake home's tax history the way we look at its inspection report: as information about the past that needs to be read before you plan your first few years of ownership. If you are weighing a purchase before the 2027 reappraisal, Request a Private Consultation and we will go through the appraisal records with you, alongside the tax professional you choose.
