Residence Requirements:

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS:  CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. There is one anticipated vacancy at the Town of Amherst. Salaries vary among municipalities and districts. 

Preference may be given to successful candidates who have been residents of the municipality in which the appointment is to be made for one month preceding the date of the certification of the eligible list and who are residents of the municipality at the time of appointment.  Non-residents may be required to become a resident of the appointing municipality if local law so states.

Examples of Duties:

A Real Property Appraiser inspects and appraises real property to obtain basic data for determination of valuation for tax purposes;

Reviews property values and recommends assessments by comparing sales and physical information of similar properties;

Conducts assigned field inspections of real property for appraisal and re-appraisal and makes field notes;

Inspects properties in order to gather infomation about the condition of the structure and property such as number of rooms, grades of material, square footage, etc.;

Measures exterior of houses or other structures in order to determine constructed square footage, story heights and the like;

Reports discrepancies in records of building location, topography, condition, site characteristics and improvements;

Confers with taxpayers and assessors to explain factors used in determining valuation;

Answers questions generated by the public;

Fills out Residential and Vacant Land Property Record Cards for assessment determination by completing the form and drawing rough sketches/diagrams of the property.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

Graduation from a standard senior high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and three years of experience in an occupation involving the valuation of real property, such as appraiser, real estate broker, valuation data manager, real property appraisal aide or the like. Two years of this experience must have been in an office requiring the use of independent judgment in the appraisal of real estate, including the preparation of original written detailed reports.

Notes:

1.  Two years of college study in a related field may be substituted for one year of the experience only.

2.  In no case shall less than two years of the specialized appraisal experience involving the preparation of original written detailed reports be acceptable.

3.   Candidates must possess a valid NYS motor vehicle operators license and must have access to a motor vehicle.

4.   Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "General Guide to Written Tests" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available online at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

2. Principles and techniques of real property appraisal

These questions test for a knowledge of principles and practices used in the appraisal of agricultural, commercial, and residential real property including knowledge of the three approaches to value; sales comparison, income, and cost estimation.

Special emphasis will be placed upon the ability to analyze market data and develop land schedules, market models, and income models for use in mass appraisal.

3. Principles, practices and theory of real property assessment

These questions test for a knowledge of the equalization rate process, the assessors' calendar, the content of the assessment roll, and the exemptions from real property taxes in New York State. These questions will also test for the ability to use public relations skills when confronted by individuals in your municipality.

4. Real property terminology, documents and forms

These questions test for a knowledge of terminology, documents, and forms pertaining to real property. While some questions ask for only straight definitions, others are situational questions which require the use of real property terms to determine the answer to the questions.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.