Southlake & Northeast Tarrant
Planning for Southlake and its neighbors, where the median home tops $1 million.
Southlake’s median home value is about $1,014,500, and nearly two in three households earn more than $200,000 a year. Colleyville, Westlake and Keller share much of that profile. At these values, property tax, relocation history and estate questions carry more weight than they do in most Texas households.
The situation
Four towns, one corridor, several tax districts
Southlake (about 31,100 residents), Colleyville (26,000), Keller (46,000) and Westlake (1,700) sit between DFW Airport and Fort Worth, and a few miles can put a household in a different city and school district. Southlake and Westlake pair with Carroll ISD, Colleyville with Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, and Keller with Keller ISD, and each combination carries its own 2025 rate.
For families who moved in from another state, often for a job and a school, the picture tends to combine a high income, a large home, real savings, and a former state that may not be finished with them. Incomes run high across the corridor: 71.4% of Westlake households earn $200,000 or more, 55.9% in Colleyville and 44.1% in Keller.
Why it’s complex
Five decisions that scale with the house
Carroll ISD and the Southlake rate
In 2025 Carroll ISD levies $0.9294 per $100, the City of Southlake $0.295 and Tarrant County $0.1862. With the other overlapping districts, a Southlake home in Carroll ISD pays roughly $1.69 per $100 all-in.
A million-dollar home, a five-figure bill
On a home at Southlake’s median value, the school levy alone runs about $8,128 a year after the homestead exemption. Across a 25-year retirement, that is a recurring cost large enough to plan around like any other.
Which town, which district, which rate
All-in 2025 rates vary across the corridor: roughly $1.64 per $100 in Colleyville with Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, $1.58 in Westlake with Carroll ISD, and $1.84 in Keller with Keller ISD. For a buyer choosing among them, the spread is a real budget line.
Your former state keeps a file
New York weighs your home, business ties, time, family and the items “near and dear” to you when deciding whether you truly left; California weighs the strength of your remaining ties. A documented move protects the savings you moved for.
Estates that approach the federal line
Texas has no state estate or inheritance tax, and its constitution now bars one. The federal exemption is $15 million per person in 2026, a figure worth measuring against when the home, retirement accounts and a business interest are added together.
Estate planningSources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Southlake, Colleyville, Keller and Westlake; Texas Comptroller 2025 city, ISD and county rate reports; Tarrant Appraisal District 2025 rate reports (all-in rates, approximate); Texas Comptroller, homestead exemptions; Tex. Tax Code §§11.13, 11.26; IRS, estate and gift tax; Tex. Const. art. VIII, §26.
Our approach
A plan sized to northeast Tarrant households
We plan around the costs that grow with a house like this: property tax, insurance and upkeep, and the eventual tax on passing it on. Here is the school-tax piece for a Southlake home at the median value: $1,014,500 minus the $140,000 exemption leaves $874,500 subject to school tax, and at Carroll ISD’s 2025 rate that is about $8,128 a year ($874,500 × $0.9294 / $100).
Settle the residency question
Close accounts, licenses and registrations in the old state, keep a record of days and ties, and file the Texas homestead exemption in the first eligible year.
Put the high income to work
Coordinate deferred compensation, equity grants and taxable investing so the savings rate reflects a state income-tax bill of zero.
Plan the house and the estate together
Model the over-65 school-tax ceiling and the home’s carrying cost, and line up community-property titling and beneficiary designations with what you want heirs to receive.
The work
What you’ll work through with us
- A residency checklist built on the factors your former state reviews
- Property-tax budgeting across Carroll, Grapevine-Colleyville and Keller ISDs
- Over-65 exemption and school-tax ceiling filings with the Tarrant Appraisal District
- Deferred-compensation and equity-grant coordination
- Tax-aware investing for taxable accounts
- Estate-tax exposure measured against the federal exemption
- Community-property titling and beneficiary review with your estate attorney
- Coordination with your CPA
Planning is led by Theo Halbardier, CFP®, CIMA®, CAIA®, the firm’s founder. We are fee-only: no commissions, no product sales. About Theo
Questions
Common questions from Southlake-area households
Do you have an office in Southlake?
We work with Southlake households by video and, by arrangement, in person. We do not maintain a public office location.
How much does the homestead exemption save in Southlake?
At Carroll ISD’s 2025 rate of $0.9294 per $100, the $140,000 school exemption is worth about $1,301 a year, and the $200,000 exemption at 65 about $1,859. On a home above $1 million the exemption covers a small share of the bill, which is why the over-65 school-tax ceiling matters more here.
Why are Colleyville and Keller tax bills different from Southlake's?
Each town pairs with a different city rate and school district. The 2025 school rates are $0.8686 for Grapevine-Colleyville ISD and $1.0852 for Keller ISD, against $0.9294 for Carroll ISD, and the city rates range from $0.185 in Westlake to $0.3119 in Colleyville. Your appraisal notice lists every unit that taxes your home.
We moved here from New York. Could New York still claim us?
It can try. New York judges a change of domicile on home, active business ties, time, family and near-and-dear items, and expects clear and convincing evidence. Keeping a New York residence and spending more than 183 days there can also make you a statutory resident. Residency calls belong with a tax professional; we help you keep the record.
Do we need to think about estate tax if Texas doesn't have one?
Possibly. The federal exemption is $15 million per person in 2026, and married couples can combine theirs with the right elections. Households with a large home, retirement accounts and business interests should know where they stand and recheck as values change.
Does community property matter for a home bought in Southlake?
Often. A home bought during the marriage while living in Texas is generally community property, and at the first spouse’s death both halves can take a new basis. For a Southlake home bought well below today’s value, that can erase a large gain before a sale. Assets brought from a common-law state may be characterized differently, so the title history matters.
Reviewed by Theo Halbardier, CFP® · Updated September 2026 · Figures current for 2026
Tell us where you are.
The first conversation is 30 minutes. Bring your questions; no preparation needed.
We work with individuals and families across Southlake, Colleyville, Westlake, and Keller, and throughout Texas, meeting by video or in person by arrangement.
Meet with usWe do not maintain a public office at this location; Southlake is part of the area we serve. Figures reflect law and published rates as of September 2026 and may change.