A Question About Roy’s Transmission and Auto Care’s Property Tax Bill in Bishop Arts

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We love the Bishop Arts District and every piece of real estate surrounding it. We love us those craftsmen bungalows and all the cute little cottages to be had for under $300,000. In fact, we fetch most of our Tuesday $200Ks from this part of town.

But then there’s Roy’s Transmission and Auto Care. Roy Smith has been fixing cars at this location for 18 years, and making a living this way for more than 40 years. Not sure I follow that, but ok. I know we all need places to get tires fixed but really, a tire shop in the middle of Bishop Arts?

Now the city wants to buy Smith’s tire shop property to build a way cool entrance to Bishop Arts, including a children’s playground. Smith has no objections except the green kind: he wants to be paid enough money to relocate and get another business. He says he has had his property appraised at $775,000 but the city is offering him “only” about $205,000, according to WFAA-TV, and this price comes after deducting for cleaning and clearing costs.

Lots of tires to move, I guess. So if the property is worth a whopping $775,000, let’s see what Roy has been paying in taxes on this gold mine?

$54.62 on property valued at $2000? Surely something is wrong here. How come the city valued this at $2000, and how could someone appraise it for $775,000?

Smith said no way to the $205,000 deal, now he says the city is harassing him. They are bugging him to clean up his property, mow his grass and remove some cars.

Wow, imagine that: they want him to keep the place tidy. Isn’t that the whole point of what code enforcement does?

The department said it doesn’t use its power to bully people into selling their property, but Smith kind of thinks they are, at least until he sells. But I say someone whose been paying taxes on a property valued at $2000 to get ten, no wait, one hundred times that amount is one nice fat payday check.

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Candy Evans, founder and publisher of CandysDirt.com, is one of the nation’s leading real estate reporters.

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  1. […] wanted more like $750,000 for the property, which is appraised for tax purposes at $205,000, as reported by Candy’s Dirt last year. That report implied Smith was being greedy for wanting his […]

  2. […] wanted more like $750,000 for the property, which is appraised for tax purposes at $205,000, as reported by Candy’s Dirt last year. That report implied Smith was being greedy for wanting his […]

  3. […] Last December I had my hissy fit about Roy’s Transmission & Autocare at 138 W. Davis. The shop lies splat in the center of the city’s plans to create a cute million dollar plus plaza and streetcar stop at Zang and Seventh. Basically, Roy Smith has been fixing cars at this location for 18 years. The city wants to buy Smith’s tire shop property to build a way cool entrance to Bishop Arts, including a children’s playground. Smith has no objections except the green kind: he wants to be paid enough money to relocate and get another business. Last year, he said he had his property appraised at $775,000 when the city offered him “only” about $205,000. […]

  4. […] Last December I had my hissy fit about Roy’s Transmission & Autocare at 138 W. Davis. The shop lies splat in the center of the city’s plans to create a cute million dollar plus plaza and streetcar stop at Zang and Seventh. Basically, Roy Smith has been fixing cars at this location for 18 years. The city wants to buy Smith’s tire shop property to build a way cool entrance to Bishop Arts, including a children’s playground. Smith has no objections except the green kind: he wants to be paid enough money to relocate and get another business. Last year, he said he had his property appraised at $775,000 when the city offered him “only” about $205,000. […]

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