Appraiser I

at  Richland County Government

The purpose of the class is to learn, understand and perform all duties necessary to accomplish in a timely and efficient manner the classification, appraisal and assessment of assigned residential and rural properties within Richland County; to provide professional customer service at all times; to maintain accurate and up-to-date appraisal records, and to perform related work as required. This class works according to set procedures under close supervision of the appropriate supervisor who reports to the Deputy Assessor – Appraisal and the County Assessor.

REASONING REQUIREMENTS:

Requires performing semi-skilled work involving set procedures and rules but with frequent problems.

MATHEMATICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Requires using mathematics involving the practical application of fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions; or measurements, logarithmic or geometric construction. May use algebraic solutions of equations and inequalities; descriptive statistics; deductive geometry, plane and solid, and rectangular coordinates; mathematical classifications or schemes.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS:

Requires reading technical instructions, procedures, manuals and charts to solve practical problems; composing routine reports and specialized reports, forms and business letters with proper format; speaking compound sentences using normal grammar and word form.

MENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

Requires doing specialized technical or entry-level professional work requiring general understanding of operating policies and procedures and their application to problems not previously encountered; application of specialized technical or professional principles and practices or the use of a wide range of administrative methods in the solution of problems; requires normal attention with short periods of concentration for accurate results and occasional exposure to unusual pressure.

VOCATIONAL/EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION:

Requires Bachelor’s degree or education and training equivalent to four years of college education in real estate, business administration, finance or closely related field.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

A minimum of one year experience in real estate, appraisal or related field preferred.

PHYSICAL AND DEXTERITY REQUIREMENTS:

Requires light work that involves walking or standing much of the time and involves exerting up to 20 pounds of force on a recurring basis, or skill, adeptness and speed in the use of fingers, hands or limbs on repetitive operation of mechanical or electronic office or shop machines or tools within moderate tolerances or limits of accuracy.

SENSORY REQUIREMENTS:

The job requires normal visual acuity and field of vision, hearing and speaking ability, and color perception.

The tasks listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this class. Management may assign additional tasks related to the type of work of the class as necessary.
Regularly studies and reviews the Assessor’s Office training guide to learn the functions, policies and procedures of the department, as well as state laws applicable to the valuation and assessment of real property.
Discovers, lists and values residential and rural property in Richland County for tax purposes.
Reviews and processes deeds, building permits, zoning changes, lot change forms, condemnation notices, agricultural use / legal residence applications and problem forms; verifies information through field inspections to maintain accurate records for all assigned properties.
Learns and conducts field investigations of properties; inspects, measures, calculates square footage; classifies new and existing structures to determine market values.
Develops a working knowledge of the sales analysis and assessment ratio studies and statistics used to establish fair and equitable assessments.
Maintains tax map book for assigned neighborhoods, updating information that may assist in the valuation process.
Reviews property appraisals with taxpayers.
Assists in investigating appeals of individual property values and, when necessary, assists in preparing cases for presentation to the Board of Appeals and the S.C. Administrative Law Judge.
Receives and responds to inquiries from the public regarding property appraisal procedures, policies and methods.
Maintains a variety of logs and records related to work assignments and inspection activities.
Assists in maintaining property sales database.
Assists with the reassessment process every five years.
Performs work in accordance with safety policies and procedures.
Performs general clerical work as required, including but not limited to preparing correspondence, entering and retrieving computer data, copying and filing documents, answering the telephone, etc.
Attends meetings, training courses, seminars, etc., as required to maintain state licensing requirements and to enhance job knowledge and skills.