The work of an assessor as a government job has been in existence since colonial times. Until the 1930s most assessors were lay people, and unscientific methods were used to estimate the value of property. With the advent of computers, assessing has become much more scientific. Today, assessments are based on a combination of economic and statistical analysis, as well as common sense. Appraising, too, was informal until the early part of the twentieth century. Then in 1922, the National Association of Real Estate Boards (NAREB) formulated the specializations of its real estate functions which imposed more professionalism in the industry. This program had triggered because at that time, appraisal work was largely performed as a part-time adjunct to a general real-estate business, by persons who were not specifically trained in the field. As a result, the ''boom'' period of the 1920s saw many abuses of appraisals, such as making of loans in excess of the real vale of the property based on in accurate estimates. The events of the Great Depression in the 1930s further highlighted the need for professionalism in appraising. Real estate owners defaulted on their mortgages, real-estate corporations went into receivership. The NAREB eventually recognized appraising as a significant branch of specialization in 1928, but clearly defined appraisal standards and appraisal treatises were not formulated until the 1930s.
Since then, government employment in appraising has emerged as a complex profession offering many responsibilities and opportunities. Reliable appraisals are required when real estate is sold, mortgaged, taxed, insured, or developed. Buyers and sellers of property want to know market value as a guide in their negotiations, and may need economic feasibility studies or advice about other investment considerations for a proposed or existing development. Moreover, mortgage lenders require appraisals before issuing loans, and insurance companies often need an estimate of value before underwriting a property.
Furthermore, state government jobs in appraisal have to identify the different types of property. Property is divided into two distinct types, namely, real property and personal property. When referring to real property, it is referred to land and structures built upon the land, while personal property includes all other types of possessions. Here, the appraisers answer questions about the value, quality, and use of real property and personal property based on selective research into market areas, the application of analytical techniques, and professional judgment derived from experience.
The government job of evaluating real property t tries to analyze the supply and demand for different types of property, such as residential dwellings, office buildings, shopping centers, industrial sites, and farms to estimate their values. However, private appraisers may also analyze construction, condition, and functional design. They review public records of sales, leases, previous assessments, and other transactions pertaining to land and buildings so as to determine the market values, rents and construction costs of similar properties. Likewise, appraisers collect information about neighborhoods such as availability of gas, electricity, power lines, and transportation. They may also interview people familiar with the property, and they take into account the amount of money it would take to make needed improvements on the property.
Those interested in having a government career as an assessor must consider such factors as location and changes that could influence the future value of the property. A residence, for instance, worth $200,000 in the suburbs may be worth only a fraction of that in the inner city or in a remote rural area. But that same suburban residence may depreciate in value if an airport is scheduled to be built nearby. After conducting a thorough investigation, the government assessor usually prepares a written report that documents their findings and conclusions. Assessors perform all these local government jobs or even a city government jobs with appraising duties. Then he proceeds to a step further to compute the amount of tax to be levied on property, using applicable tax tables. The primary responsibility of the assessor is to prepare an annual assessment roll, which lists all properties in a district and their assessed values. His duties in performing govt jobs as assessor plays a crucial role in the collection of taxes due to the government.
