Ownwell Survey Highlights Mounting Property Tax Strain and Expands Case for Its Appeal Platform

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Ownwell has placed itself at the center of the U.S. property tax debate with its second annual national survey of 2,500 homeowners, underscoring a sharp rise in financial strain and confusion around tax assessments and appeals. The Austin-based property tax monitoring and appeal platform reports that 76% of respondents saw their latest tax bills exceed budget, up 10 percentage points year over year, while 77% say their property taxes have risen since moving in, reinforcing persistent upward pressure on housing costs.

The survey indicates that 64% of homeowners were surprised by their most recent bill, a 5-point increase from last year, and 84% believe the current tax process negatively affects them, with many citing valuations as arbitrary or unaffordable. Despite this dissatisfaction, 74% have never appealed their property taxes and 57% of those non-appellants did not realize they had a right to appeal, highlighting a structural awareness gap that Ownwell aims to monetize through its technology-enabled appeal and monitoring services.

Founder and CEO Colton Pace argues that these findings signal a large addressable market of overpaying homeowners who may be missing out on substantial savings that could materially improve household balance sheets. Ownwell’s platform is positioned as an outsourced solution for those overwhelmed by local appraisal processes, helping customers challenge assessments, identify exemptions, and, more recently, cut recurring household costs such as phone and internet bills.

For executives and investors, the data points to increasing demand tailwinds for Ownwell’s offerings as property tax growth outpaces income and inflation in many jurisdictions. The national scope of the survey, spanning all 50 states and the District of Columbia, supports the company’s potential for broad geographic expansion and recurring revenue as more homeowners seek systematic monitoring rather than one-off appeals.

The sentiment that rising property taxes could threaten long-term housing affordability—expressed by roughly nine in ten respondents—creates both a policy backdrop and a commercial opportunity for Ownwell to deepen relationships with homeowners and potentially partner with lenders, insurers, and real estate intermediaries. As local governments continue to rely heavily on property tax revenue, Ownwell’s business is likely to be less cyclical, though regulatory changes to assessment or appeal frameworks could alter economics at the county or state level.

Overall, the survey reinforces Ownwell’s core thesis that information asymmetry and procedural complexity keep many homeowners from exercising basic tax rights, sustaining a sizable pipeline for its services. The company’s ability to convert this demonstrated need into profitable growth will depend on scaling its technology, controlling customer acquisition costs, and navigating a fragmented regulatory environment while maintaining credibility with both consumers and local authorities.