Appraiser in the county Assessor's office

[humorean]

Hi all,

I am going to take a civil exam and hopefully make it to the interview this month for an appraiser I position in a county assessor's office. Has any one might have experience working as an appraiser in a government agency? Any tips for interviewing (either private or public sector)?

English is my second language, I have been reading real estate articles online to enrich my real estate English skills. If you are a commercial appraiser, would you mind sharing some of your writing samples? Your help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[David S. Roberson]

I don't know how long you've been speaking english, but I assure you that you write much better than many posters on this forum. I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. Good luck!

 

[TxArmadillo]

Agree with Dave. You should be fine. Good luck!

 

[CANative]

English is my second language,

You'll probably fit right in with either the Contra Costa or Alameda County assessor offices. I've worked with them (and all CA counties) as a property tax advocate for 3.5 years. I know most of them by first name.

The test is NOT easy, especially if you're still a trainee (like your status says.) I took the SB County appraiser I test two months ago and scored in the top 1% but I've been doing fee appraisal for 13 years and assessment valuations, including commercial, for over 3 years.

For study, go to this website...

http://www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/ahcont.htm

... and select AH 501. It's the basic appraisal stuff for assessors.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Can sent or linked me a copy of the commercial guidelines for farms, and I presume there is one for commercial buildings. The CA manuals are very straightforward and detailed. While not a study manual for the test, if you have time, I'd go through them and there should be a lot of tips and procedural "things" in the manuals.

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[CANative]

Can sent or linked me a copy of the commercial guidelines for farms, and I presume there is one for commercial buildings. The CA manuals are very straightforward and detailed. While not a study manual for the test, if you have time, I'd go through them and there should be a lot of tips and procedural "things" in the manuals.

I think you're referring to the rural and farm building cost handbook. There is also a really good (and free) handbook for residential costs. There is no cost handbook for commercial.

I think the 501 manual (basic appraisal) is a good study guide for taking the Appraiser I test in California (assuming the applicant has at least a working knowledge of appraisal) because it is oriented to ad valorem valuation.

The OP could at least familiarize himself with the jargon.

 

[Mike Kennedy]

Welcome to AForum. Some info links for you:

• online Mass Appraisal assessor courses California

Search results

1. Fundamentals of Mass Appraisal - User:UpstateNYer/New York
   
   
   www.tax.ny.gov/.../assess/training/mass_appraisal.htm CachedAssessor report instructions; ... to interpret statistics used in the mass appraisal process ; ... For more information on courses that are equivalent, ...
   
2. Appraiser Training and Certification - Board of Equalization
   
   
   www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/boetc.htm CachedOnline BOE Training Courses Introduction to Appraising for Property Tax Purposes . This course introduces new real property appraisers and auditor-appraisers to the ...
   
3. Tax Assessor Courses and Classes - Education-Portal.com
   
   
   education-portal.com/tax_assessor_courses.html CachedTax Assessor Courses and Classes. Most tax assessor courses are offered as part of a training program in conjunction with a county tax assessor's office or through an ...
   
4. [PDF] Standard on Mass Appraisal of Real Property - IAAO
   
   
   www.iaao.org/uploads/StandardOnMassAppraisal.pdfFile format: Adobe PDF
   Approved April 2013 International Association of Assessing Officers This standard replaces the January 2012 Standard on Mass Appraisal of Real Property and is a ...
   
5. Online Courses - IAAO
   
   
   www.iaao.org/sitePages.cfm?Page=413 CachedOnline Courses Web-based courses are your gateway to convenient and flexible online training. What are the benefits of taking an online course? Affordable
   

 

[Ms. Janet]

Good Luck!!!

 

[CATaxAssessor]

Looks like the forum covered all the basics for you. The vast majority of appraisers that get hired on start in the residential section. I would waste any time reading up on any related to commercial or agricultural. Information that you would find in a principles of real estate guide would be helpful, knowing basic customer service skills, and of course be ready for lots of math.

Good luck!