Assessor's experience, useful for commercial appraising?

[Jonathan Kim]

How do commercial appraisal companies regard appraisal experience at the tax assessor's office? If you had a few years experience with the assessor, how much weight would commercial companies give that experience?

What would be wiser: gaining experience at assessor's office and transitioning to commercial company, or starting at entry level at commercial company?

 

[Lawrence R.]

Well.

Very rarely does one appraiser have both options...

I would say that if you have your foot in the door with a CG, go that route, the money will probably start off slightly better if he/she has work....

However, many people use their assessor's experience to get said foot in the door.

I learned a pile about commercial construction, costs, etc... but very little about capitalization rates, and the time value of money, underlying cash flows driving values, etc...most of that I learned at school. Paid for by whom? The County Assessor's office.

It may be worth a look to trade a year or two of paid service for an opportunity to take the best, most expensive classes in exchange.

 

[Kali the Boston Terrier]

It all depends on where you want to take this thing. A friend of mine worked at the City for awhile, he eventually became the City's expert witness for tax appeal work. He prepared all the tax tribunal valuation disclosures. He became regionally known as the expert in tax appeal appraisals, he even served a stint as a judge at our tax tribunal. To this day he is the go to guy for tax appeal work...and not just small commercial, large stamping plants, asembly plants, etc.

So if you want to learn the ins and outs of tax appeal work...great experience. If you just want to do portfolio and lending stuff...may not be the best avenue.

 

[OSU Beavers]

The nice thing about working at the assessors office is that you have the TIME to complete detailed sales studies. The bad thing is that you spend the rest of the year "taking inventory". Another nice thing is that you get benifits and are able to see the county on the taxpayers dime. The flip side is that your gross paycheck is a third of what you can make as a CG.

 

[Ad Wizard]

go commercial. don't work for the gov't. Nationally the average salary for all appraisers is about $40K, but if you break out comm. appraisers it is much, much higher. Residential appraising is dead forever- like it or not.