Property Assessment

Tip of the Week: Suggested Book on the Power of Questions

Ask a Question and Open a New World of Possibilities

Property Assessment Recommended Books includes "The 7 Powers of Questions: Secrets of Successful Communication in Life and at Work" by Dorothy Leeds.  I personally recommend this book, having read it in 2002 shortly after it was published in 2000.  While the book has merit on many levels, I have included it in recommended books for professional property assessors because it can be a tremendous help in doing your job, advancing your career, and is a tool for surviving controversial issues that may arise.  Stop for a moment to think of how useful questions are in assessment administration.  Here are just a few that came to mind while I was writing this post:

• Interview questions for potential candidates for assessment positions
• Questions that you will want to ask as a candidate for an assessment position
• Questions to ask as you are learning your new position or advancing in your career
• Questions to ask property owners before an assessment appeal
• Questions that can be used to defend an assessment in an assessment appeal
• Interview questions for gathering market information (comparable sales, income and expense experience, ownership, etc.)
• Questions to include when verifying sales conditions to determine whether a sale is an arm's-length transaction
• Fact finding questions when writing a letter or e-mail to a property owner or agent
• Hypothetical questions you will want to ask before approving a final draft of a report or public relations effort (does this address the needs of the planned audience and what anticipated questions should be addressed now?)
• Questions to ask yourself when developing long-term goals and what you want to achieve during your upcoming job evaluation period or during your career

What are your three most important questions?

Richard L. Sanderson

Happy Anniversary International Association of Assessing Officers!

The Best Friend An Assessor Has Ever Had

The International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) has the proud honor of having celebrated its 75th anniversary this year.  The IAAO is the internationally recognized leader and preeminent source for innovative, education, and research in property appraisal, assessment administration, and property tax policy.  Anyone who has even a few months experience in assessment administration (assuming the most basic of orientations) knows how dedicated the IAAO and its staff work to keep their organization working for us members.

The IAAO should be extremely proud of what it has accomplished this last 75 years.  But like all well ran organizations the IAAO must take this opportunity to perform a self-assessment of where we've been, where we want to go, and how we will meet these goals together as an organization.  While all of the areas of the IAAO mission are important perhaps the most important will be needed guidance to assessment administrators in the area of what the International City/County Management Association calls Next Generation Initiatives.  Their Next Generation Initiatives include addressing the retirement wave that is approaching by establishing session planning and coaching methods, among other plans.

The IAAO must also strive to address urgent issues in a quicker manner, a difficult challenge for all large organizations, but critical to its members.  A recent example is the guidance that the IAAO gave on foreclosure activities in the market which were certainly appreciated, but perhaps late in coming for many jurisdictions that had effective dates for assessments on December 31, 2008, or January 1, 2009.  One suggestion is that the IAAO Executive Board reviews the Constitution, Bylaws, and Procedural Rules for the possible implementation of emergency legislation practices used by similar bodies to address urgent matters.

These are only a few suggestions and I’m sure that other IAAO members can provide even better suggestions and comments.

Summer Job Search: Property Assessment Jobs

Preparing Yourself for Success in Property Assessment Administration

Changing jobs this summer?  In addition to updating your resume try these tips and suggestions from an expert who has landed nine jobs in property assessment administration and interviewed dozens of applicants for assessment jobs over a 30-plus year career.  And if you haven't updated your resume in awhile (say the last three years) do so after reading a few recent online articles on resume writing.  Like most other things in the world, resume writing and what employers are looking for have changed since your last resume.

* View several advertized positions to identify the typical areas of expertise that potential employers are looking for.  They don't have to be in cities or counties where you are interested in working.  They just need to give you a flavor for what experience, training, and skills employers are looking for right now.  Model your generic resume (and the cover letter for that you'll use in your job search) so that it emphasizes your experience, training, and demonstrated skill in these same key areas.

* When applying for a specific position, use a cover letter and specific resume (not a generic one) that focuses on the available position.  Using the position description or any other available written description about the job, prepare a list of your own experience, training, and skills that address each requirement.  If you lack one or more of the desirable or preferred skills, prepare a note for later use during the interview process that gives equivalent knowledge or skills or reinforces your ability or learn this quickly or on-the-job (giving examples of your ability to do this).  If the requirements for the job are sketchy, call the personnel office and ask for a position description.  Some cities and counties even have position descriptions avialable online.

* Prepare a well thought-out list of anticipated questions and your planned response to each question.  If you have been around property assessment administration for long you can probably guess what most of the questions will be.  If you haven't, ask someone who has been in the field longer for ideas.  There are many websites for job seekers that include some excellent articles on preparing for interviews that include typical questions asked.  While these may not be specific to property assessment administration they'll give you some good ideas and point you in the right direction.  Here are just a few assessment related questions that come to mind that I would include if I were interviewing candidates for an assessment job:

1.  What are some of the greatest challenges you have faced so far in your career?
2.  Describe a problem situation that you encountered on the job and how you solved it.
3.  What have you accomplished during your career that you are most proud of?
4.  Given all of the qualified candidates that we are interviewing, why should we hire you?
5.  Why are you leaving your current position or why did you leave your last position?

* Prepare a well thought-out list of questions that you will ask at some point in the interview when the interviewer says, "Do you have any questions?"  Absolutely never say that you don't have any questions, unless you really don't want the job and just want to get out of there.  Your ability to ask questions is expected by employers.  These questions show that you have a sincere interest in the available position and give you an open door to state your best qualifications by asking the questions you wished the interviewer would have asked, but didn't.  Here are a few ideas to get you going:

1.  What does success in this position look like?  Or, alternatively, how do you see the successful candidate for this position benefitting or adding value to your team?
2.  What are the most pressing public relations challenges facing the assessment office at the present time?
3.  What are the most important duties and responsibilities of this job that I'm applying for?
4.  In your view, what are the most difficult challenges facing the assessment office right now?
6.  Can you give me an overview of the current status of the city or county computer-assisted mass appraisal (CAMA) system?
7.  Are there special use or unique properties in the jurisdiction and is in-house talent available to value such properties or must appraisals be outsourced?

First 100 Days Assessment

A Good Self-Assessment and Management Tool for Professional Property Assessors

While the current news is steeped in how President Obama has performed during his first 100 days, local property assessors can also benefit from this extremely useful self-assessment and management tool.  If you are just starting a position as the newly appointed or elected property assessor or have been promoted to this position, take time to really consider how you will spend your first 100 days.  The general public and local government management staff and officials will get their first and lasting impressions from how you perform during this early period.  Have a plan, put it into action, and revisit your objectives often to be sure you are on track.  As we've experienced with President Obama's first 100 days, they go fast and seem to go by before we know it.

• What did you learn during your first 100 days that you'd like to pass on to others?

• If you are anticipating your first 100 days as a local assessor what questions do you have that could be answered by those who have already learned from this experience?

Principle Property Assessment author Richard Sanderson is writing a book on how to focus on your first 100 days as a property assessor.  The book will include stories from experienced property assessors and the author's first hand experiences.  If you would like to share your experiences with Mr. Sanderson please reply to this posting or e-mail him at r.sanderson@localgsi.com.

New Year's Resolutions: Must Read Book Reccomendations

 Happy Productive New Year!

Don't let another year go by without increasing your knowlege through reading.  By reading we are able to learn through the experiences of others and encounter things that will prepare us for our future. The top three books that I recommend that professional assessors read during 2009 are:

"The Simplicity Survival Handbook" by Bill Jansen (2003 Basic Books, Perseus Boooks Group)

"The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferris (2007 Crown Publishers)

"Your Attention, Please" by Paul B. Brown and Alison Davis (2006 Adams Media, F+W Publications Company)

These book recommendations will not only help you personally, they will give you incredable insight into what your boss, customers, and employees are trying to achieve.  If you have already read one or more of these books, please comment on how you rate these books.

Click here for other book recommendations specifically selected for professional property assessors on organization and management.