Assessor

Love might make the world go ‘round, but taxes keep a city going as it should. Taxes on houses, real estate, cars, and even airplanes are what an Assessor’s job is all about.

But an Assessor is not a Taxman. In fact, Assessors don’t collect taxes, or even decide on tax laws. Instead, you do all the background work that determines how much a person should pay.

This is a government job. You look at how much a person’s property is worth in order to figure out how much they should pay in state property taxes. To determine property worth, you can use three different approaches: market, cost, or income.

Market approach is when you look at similar, recently sold properties and how much they made. The second approach—used with older homes—is when you evaluate how much it would cost to build the property today. The last approach is used mainly with businesses or apartment buildings, and has you estimating the amount of money (minus operating costs) the place will bring in.

When someone isn’t happy about the value you apply to their property, they can appeal your decision. You keep detailed reports, and make sure to stay up to date on the latest property tax exemptions so you can make the right assessment and defend it if need be.

Insurance companies occasionally use the information you find when writing their policies. However, they have Insurance Adjusters and Appraisers, which are essentially the private industry version of your job.