Assessor Job Description: Duties, Education, Training and Certification Requirements, Job Outlook and Salary
Submitted by: Gypsy Santiago
Job Overview: Assessors are responsible for assigning values to real estate properties, usually as an employee of the government to assess property taxes accurately. They also perform various administrative functions, such as inspecting new construction and providing reviews of existing structures that need improvements. In general, they ensure that records of physical inventory of all real properties such as houses, buildings, malls, farms, factories, mobile homes, vacant land, restaurants and other real property are up-to-date and that appropriate improvements are also assessed.
Education, Training and Knowledge Requirements: An assessor must possess a bachelor’s degree in real estate, finance, business law, economics, math, computer science or a similar field. Many locations may require certification to practice, but some might only require a 4-year degree depending on the kind of properties being evaluated. Before certification, applicants must have completed a hours of coursework related to appraising, participated in on-the-job training and passed an exam. A set number of hours of continuing education are usually required to be completed each year to maintain practicing with a certificate.
Skills & Abilities: To become successful in this field, one must possess strong mathematical and analytical skills, effective written and verbal communication skills, excellent interpersonal skills and advanced knowledge in tax assessment and computer software used in analyzing multiple properties at once. He/she should be detail-oriented, highly organized and capable of working both independently and as part of a team.
Duties:
The tasks of an assessor include determining value and taxability of properties, inspecting new construction, explaining assessed values to owners of properties, defending appealed assessment at court hearings, determining appraisal value of properties, identifying owners of taxable properties, conducting reviews of properties to determine changes in construction and value, issuing tax notices, reviewing information about transfers of property, analyzing trends in construction costs, rental fees or sales prices, approving applications for property tax deductions or exemptions, writing tax and appraisal reports, appearing on assessment review boards, and calculating tax bills, among others.
Earnings & Job Outlook: Assessors can find positions both in the government and private real estate-related firms. The employment growth is slower-than-average through 2018. Salary starts at $25,900 per year in 2008 and up to $88,680 annually. Earnings depend largely on the location of job and experience. Some seek advancement possibilities by joining professional associations to obtain recognized designations, but this is usually an option for those with more than 10 years of field experience.
Gypsy Santiago is a professional resume writer and career search strategy/career branding coach with years of experience in assisting job seekers prepare for the job market. She helps create career-targeted resumes, provides useful tips about career transition, offers future career ideas and guide jobseekers about effective job search techniques.
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Word Count: 422 Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 Time: 8:25 AM
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