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Home, Sweet Home — Introduction

    Tax Assessor

Appraisers and assessors of real estate estimate the value of land and the buildings on the land usually before it is sold, mortgaged, taxed, insured, or developed. Although appraisers and assessors of real estate work in offices, they often spend a large part of their day visiting properties. Most work full time during regular business hours.

All appraisers and assessors must be licensed or certified, but requirements vary widely.  To obtain a license, appraisers of residential real property usually must have at least an associate's degree, and appraisers of more complex residential or commercial property usually must have at least a bachelor's degree. For assessors, most states set education and experience requirements that an assessor must meet in order to practice.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

    Your Mission

Benjamin Franklin said that nothing is certain in life but death and taxes. That old quote may be especially true for property taxes. If you own property and you want to keep it, you must pay property taxes.

States and towns set property tax rates based on the income needed to pay for state and town services. However, it is the assessor who must determine the valuation of a property. A valuation is an estimate of how much a property is worth. This valuation determines how much tax the property owner must pay. Property features that influence the valuation include the size or acreage of the land, the size and number of buildings, and whether the property is used for business or residential purposes.

For residential property, valuation depends on features such as:

  • number of bedrooms;
  • number of bathrooms;
  • whether or not the house has a basement;
  • the age of the house;
  • special features, such as a swimming pool or fireplace; and
  • the purchase price of similar houses in the neighborhood.


​As the tax assessor, you will develop functions to determine property valuation for a community. As a result of your hard work, the community will have the money it needs to pay for services such as schools, police officers, and firefighters.