Today we’d like to introduce you to Boris Kasabov.
Boris, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started out by working at a CPA firm that specialized in auditing car dealerships. Prior to graduating from the University of St. Thomas with an MBA in Accounting, I interned with the firm and worked full-time for five years. During this period was the 2008-09 recession, which caused an incredible decline in real estate values. I decided it was a great idea to invest while the values were at a record low. I was not wealthy nor did I have a lot of resources, but I remember doing all I could to purchase a foreclosed four-apartment building owned by Fannie Mae or the government. I remember selling my car and watch in order to have the required amount of cash in the bank required by the lender since no one was even lending to qualified people. I remember thinking this did not make sense, especially when I saw myself as an ambitious young professional looking to better and improve the property to have families live in it once again – a true rebuilding. This was the start of my real estate experience, which led me to begin fighting to lower property taxes for Houston home and property owners!
I represented my first property in a property tax protest hearing and was successful in significantly lowering the tax market and appraised values because the appraisal district failed to adjust the property for being foreclosed and in rough condition. I quickly realized how many property owners did not know that they could protest or hire a firm like mine to possibly lower their bill and save them money. I have been very successful with probably over 80% of my clients getting some reduction. It is truly satisfying to me because I know the accounting and tax aspects of real estate, and this is an avenue that allows me to work on contingency fee. If I am unsuccessful in reducing a client’s tax bill, then I have worked for free. My firm only earns a percentage of the savings that our work produces, while our client only puts more money back into their pocket. I also get to experience the spectrum of homeowners, from young couples to experienced property owners and businesses. Many times their properties are overvalued and they unknowingly continue overpaying based on incorrect valuations.
I represent both residential and commercial properties in all of Houston, Galveston and Austin. I fell in love with the Montrose and Heights areas, but have lived in Houston for over 25 years. I truly look forward to continue serving my clients with excellence. You can usually find me at Houston’s many local coffee shops, which I find give me creativity and focus on my business while keeping me both motivated and humble. I think the most important thing one can find is their own unique balance in work and leisure.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have to be constantly aware of the various laws and practices governing the property tax protest system in each unique county. Proper preparation and recognition of key evidence have always been my keys to overcoming challenges.
I remember going before a panel of Appraisal Review Board and thinking there was such a high degree of bias when this group was supposed to represent the community. Despite pouring all my effort into this protest, I had to contain my emotion when the review board delivered an unfavorable (and what I thought was unfair) decision. It seemed like there were four robots in the room only geared to satisfy and award only the appraisal district, and I remember walking out feeling disappointed that my client was treated unfairly. It really pushed me to find other ways to be more effective in delivering my clients’ cases to inflexible review boards.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kasabov Tax Advisors – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Kasabov Tax Advisors saves people money on their annual property tax bill by treating each client with respect and care. We serve Houston property owners by pursuing fairness and equality in the property tax valuation system. Our team is committed to helping property owners achieve their goals and improve their financial positions. We pride ourselves in working only on contingency, which means we only earn a percentage of the savings we bring to our clients.
Our company distinguishes itself with a strong desire to represent our clients’ properties as if they were our own. As a small business with local roots, we can relate to the property owners and spend more time in preparing effective evidence than our competitors. Many of the firms out there are much larger and place a greater emphasis on their own numbers and expansion than the ethical, effectiveness and due care for their clients. My most valued aspect of this work is that we find fairness for our property owners and, in turn, can save them money. We also empower clients to be confident homeowners with the certainty that their properties’ tax values are fairly assessed.
I originally chose to work alone and over time only with a few very close friends and colleagues. I wanted to gain perspective as to how I can really help people according to the rules yet have our clients be completely satisfied. We truly have a great country, state and city within Houston and every honest and hardworking individual wishes and shall pay the necessary taxes. However, the annual standards of taxing are never accurate and extremely demanding so I feel obliged to offer not only fairness to the city and state but also give back to the community and people when lowering their tax expense.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans for the future are to have a larger office space where our firm can better accommodate our clients, especially if they prefer to have in-person discussions or present confidential documents rather than electronically. I also plan to enter into more commercial markets since I am able to use my accounting and business knowledge to produce excellent results. When dealing with a struggling restaurant or an old body shop, it helps to not only have your typical evidence packet, but also financial statements that can show good reason for a reduction in value. We want more Houstonians to hear about us and give us a chance to save them on their annual bills, in turn, increase their wealth. Overall our goal is to improve our community and people’s lives. We are currently representing Harris, Montgomery, Fort Worth appraisal districts in Houston, all of Galveston and Austin.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kasabovtaxadvisors.com
- Phone: 7138225227
- Email: boris@kasabovtaxadvisors.com
Image Credit:
John Kriescher
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