Real Estate Appraiser

Under general supervision, the Real Estate Appraiser I performs technical work appraising residential zoned land, residential buildings, and other residential real property improvements for tax appraisal purposes. The role involves contacting property owners, sketching layouts, and determining construction details, materials, workmanship, and other data needed to arrive at the taxable value. The appraiser is also responsible for valuing residential land by determining the highest and best use and evaluating influences such as road frontage, size, shape, topography, access, and location.

The applicant must exercise initiative and independent judgment to apply established policies and procedures to individual appraisal cases and maintain tact, courtesy, and firmness in frequent contact with property owners, other departments, and the general public.

• Appraises residential dwellings, multifamily, and ancillary improvements.
• Determines building structure type, quality of material and workmanship, exterior and sometimes interior dimensions of buildings, dimensions of auxiliary areas, type of foundation, type of exterior walls, type of roofing, quality of interior finish, type of heating and air conditioning, type and number of fireplaces, and number of bathrooms.
• Measures physical depreciation and functional and economic obsolescence of the structure.
• Measures and lists improvements on residential properties, including, but not limited to, dwellings, detached garages, decks, porches, pools, pool houses, patios, outbuildings, etc.
• Sketches layouts of structures and determines size, type of construction, structural elements, grade of materials, etc.
• Applies a schedule of values to value land and improvements accurately and equitably.
• Analyzes building blueprints and specifications, zoning types and regulations, real estate sales data, construction material types, quality of workmanship, and other factors that affect property value.
• Appraises real estate in Union County using data and well-reasoned appraisal techniques.
• Values all new parcels created from splitting land from existing residential parcels by determining the highest and best use and considering influences such as size, shape, topography, access, and location.
• Assembles the pertinent data for the appraisal of each property in Union County and places it in the proper format for entry into computerized records.
• Assists interested persons and other governmental departments in obtaining data concerning property locations and ownership, assessed value of property, and other information.
• Responds to taxpayer questions and concerns about their property in Union County via phone calls, emails, and site visits.
• Reviews and analyzes documents provided by taxpayers regarding the value of their property to determine whether data is correct and whether the valuation is sufficient with comparable sales.
• Appears before the Board of Equalization and Review and the North Carolina Property Tax Commission to explain and defend appealed property appraisals as necessary.
• Analyzes building costs, market sales, rental income, and other real estate-related information for the formation of a schedule of values for reappraisal purposes as necessary.
• Performs sales verification consisting of reviewing real estate transactions to determine if it is an arms‑length transaction as needed.
• Performs routine clerical duties, typing correspondence, forms, procedure manuals, etc., as requested.
• Reviews appraisal records for accuracy and equity.
• Makes decisions and defends appraisals to property owners, the public, the Board of Equalization and Review, and the North Carolina Property Tax Commission.
• Reads a variety of reports, correspondence, real property appraisals and assessments, sales ratio studies, finance audit reports, deeds, surveys, permits, etc., and prepares correspondence, reports, forms, maps, studies, assessments, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style.
• Knowledge of the geographic and socio‑economic layout of the County.
• Knowledge of the methods and procedures of the County Tax Department's…