Appraiser I - III (DOQ)

City of Suffolk•Suffolk, VA

16h•Onsite

About The Position

Under general supervision, performs technical work appraising less complex land and residential buildings. Work involves gathering property assessment data at owner premises, verifying data against previously recorded data, and recording discrepancies. Employee is responsible for contacting property owners; and determining the size, type of construction, grade of materials, quality of workmanship and other related appraisal data needed to arrive at the assessed value. Reports to the Property Valuation Manager. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.

Requirements

Graduation from high school or equivalent supplemented by specialized training in real estate or real estate appraisal or assessment.
Requires a valid driver's license.
For Appraiser I: 0 to 3 years of experience in real estate or property appraisal, including experience in data entry or with personal computers; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required skills, knowledge and abilities.
Must pass IAAO Course 101: Fundamentals of Real Property Appraisal (or an equivalent course) within the first eighteen months of employment.
For Appraiser II: 3 to 6 years of experience in real property appraisal, including experience in data entry or with personal computers; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required skills, knowledge and abilities.
Successful completion of three 30-hour IAAO courses (101, 300 are required, as well as one additional IAAO course).
For Appraiser III: Bachelor's degree preferred, supplemented by specialized training in real property assessment, and a minimum of 6 years of experience in real property appraisal or assessment, including experience in data entry or with personal computers; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required skills, knowledge and abilities.
Successful completion of six 30-hour IAAO courses (101, 102, 400 and a 300 level course are required, as well as two additional IAAO courses).
IAAO Designation and/or Virginia Appraisal License.
Knowledge of principles, practices and techniques used in real property assessment work.
Knowledge of current construction costs, including building materials and land values.
Knowledge of the geographical layout of the City.
Knowledge of the methods and procedures of the City Assessor's assessment division.
Skilled in assessment of residential real property.
Ability to use computer-driven data processing and file maintenance programs.
Ability to read and understand building construction plans and specifications.
Ability to make accurate computations with or without a calculator.
Ability to exercise tact, courtesy and firmness in frequent contact with property owners, contractors and the general public.
Ability to exercise independent judgment and initiative in correctly evaluating a variety of residential properties.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
Is able to perform the physical labor necessitated by work assignments.
Ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural or compositional characteristics (whether similar or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.
Ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving instructions, assignments or directions from supervisors.
Ability to read a variety of reports, letters and memos; real property appraisals and assessments; sales ratio studies and finance audit reports; deeds, surveys and permits, etc.
Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, studies, assessments, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style.
Requires the ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control and confidence.
Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions.
Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages including engineering, legal, and real estate and tax terminology.
Ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages; understand and apply the theories of algebra and geometry.
Ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree preferred

Responsibilities

Collects, compiles and extracts market data from a common database.
Utilize access and excel software to review and analyze market trends specific to real property transfer located in the City of Suffolk.
Certifies real property transfers (sales) for validity and defining specific markets within the City of Suffolk.
Define and clarify neighborhoods and their physical boundaries based on qualified sales.
Conduct ratio studies and interpret those findings to conform to State requirements.
Reports to the Property Valuation Manager the conclusions of the statistical review and recommend a schedule for implementation.
Appraises, reviews and recommends values for residential properties.
Conducts informal and formal hearings on proposed assessments contested by property owners to determine accuracy of proposed assessments.
Prepares cases and testimony and appear before the Board of Equalization to explain and defend real property assessments challenged by the property owners or representative.
Inputs building and land characteristics into computer software program.
Utilize the geographic information system (GIS) to locate parcels, review topography and validate zoning.
Enter factors and values into the software application tables of the mass appraisal system that broadcast and apply recommendations to all parcels within a given geographic area.
Assesses land and less complex residential dwellings and building improvements; determines exterior and interior dimensions of buildings, including the foundation, exterior walls, type of roofing, number of rooms, basement area, interior finish, type of insulation, type of heating and air conditioning, and type of fireplace; determines economic, functional and physical depreciation of the structure; and determines the grade of the structure according to a predetermined scale.
Studies building plans, information pertaining to sales, and specifications to obtain data regarding size, type of construction and other factors which affect property value.
Confers with City departments and property owners to obtain information and/or explain property assessment methods, procedures, techniques, values, etc.; presents materials concerning assessments to the Board of Equalization; resolves taxpayer complaints.
Prepares and maintains computerized records of property assessment activities using the CAMA system; applies derived CAMA factors in order to produce assessments, maintain equity, and maintain quality control.
Assists in compilation of data for preparation of annual Sales Ratios Study of local and area real property sales market.
Conducts field inspections on parcels to determine topography, shape, location, soil type, use and other factors affecting value.
Researches records of various deeds to gather data pertaining to real estate sales; reviews maps, plots, building permits, etc., to gather recorded data pertaining to real property.
Attends state-sponsored assessment courses and seminars; reviews industry-related literature.
Answers telephone and responds to inquiries regarding assessment information.
Prints property record cards.
Performs other related duties as required.