Appraiser - Real Property

Appraiser Trainee Certification Program (ATCP) Training Curriculum

• Participates in formal classroom and on-the-job training to learn the theories, principles, and techniques of the accepted approaches to value (cost, sales comparison, and income), including complex mathematical formulas and concepts.
• Learns the policies and procedures of the Office of the Assessor in order to establish a foundational knowledge of property tax assessment.
• Under close supervision, learns to apply the cost approach. This will include performing on-site inspections of residential, commercial, or industrial structures.
• Learns how to utilize departmental records, property database systems, and other analytical software in order to research assessment situations, and coordinate and enroll property tax assessments.
• Learns how to evaluate taxpayer inquiries, both verbal and written, in order to determine the appropriate action, such as assessment changes and assessment enrollment.
• Communicates with peers, supervisors, government agencies, and members of the public in order to answer questions, or gather, disseminate, and request information.
• Collects, verifies, and examines market data for the purpose of completing appraisals and assessments.

 Field Assignment                                               

• Collects, verifies, and analyzes market and subject information as needed in each of the three professionally accepted approaches to value in order to determine and estimate of fair market value.
• Collects, verifies, and analyzes income, expense, sales, and cost data, including information regarding property transfers to be used in the appraisal of residential, commercial, and industrial property and in the preparation of appraisal reports and market data studies/reports.
• Conducts on-site inspection of residential, commercial, or industrial property for assessment purposes; measures improvements, notes property characteristics, prepares diagrams to scale, and computes square footage to ensure correct valuation.
• Interfaces with evolving systems to access departmental records and data in order to research assessment situations, update parcel information, and/or enroll property tax assessments.
• Prepares assessment appeals cases and testifies as an expert witness at Assessment Appeals Board (AAB) hearings.
• Communicates with taxpayers or their representatives, verbally and/or in writing, in order to explain assessment policies and procedures and answer questions concerning property assessments.
• Communicates and collaborates with supervisors, peers, support staff, and outside agencies in order to request, gather, disseminate, and clarify information.
• Participates in continuing education regarding theories, principles, techniques, and other aspects of assessment and appraisal work as mandated by the Board of Equalization to maintain certification.