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Keith | Appraiser | South Fraser Region
February 8, 2012
Finding Things to do on Flex Days
When I first started at BC Assessment, my supervisor assumed that I would want to work on a compressed schedule. On a compressed schedule, you basically work more hours each day and use all that banked time to have an earned day off every two weeks. Being the foolish and naïve 23 year old that I was, I said why would I want to wake up (ugh) and come to work 45 minutes early every day. Eventually, the supervisor told me to just try it and I am guaranteed to change my mind. Oh boy, did I ever change my mind.
Sure, I like to run some errands on select flex days: Hair needs to be cut, teeth need to be checked and courses need to be studied for. But if you like to be outside like I do, you will be running most of your errands at night or on the weekends! I brought back a few photos from my latest flex day skiing on Cypress Mountain. Where is everybody? Oh right, they’re at work.
February 1, 2012
What a Ride
I just wanted to share my experiences being a loaned representative to the United Way this fall.
I previously blogged about my training, and the early stages of my campaigns, but so much more has happened since then. I am so very grateful for Connie Fair and the executives who made the decision to send a loaned representative this year. It truly has been a life changing experience and the feeling is difficult to put into words, but the good feeling runs deep in my heart. Here are a few short stories of my experiences.
One aspect of our role as a loaned rep was public speaking. We would go to companies and give presentations about the United Way. I typically speak for 10-15 minutes, and then I would answer any questions, so in total I would stand up in front of companies for 20-30 minutes. It was quite intimidating at first, but the more I did it, the more comfortable I felt.
Public speaking is still not one of my favourite things to do, however it is not as intimidating as it once was...because of preparation. I remember once when I went into a bank location where my job was to strictly introduce an agency speaker; however the speaker did not show up at all. I had to deliver a presentation with no notes, and no preparation. It was very intimidating for me, but I did it and felt good that I was able to get through it. One of the things I learned was that we should always expect the unexpected and never assume plans will unfold the way we hope they would. There were many instances where planned events never came to fruition and we had to go with the flow, so being very flexible made the job much easier.
On another occasion, I was to go and speak to all the leaders (VP’s, branch managers, Sr Account managers, etc) at a large bank downtown early one morning. It was pouring outside, and it had been raining all night and large puddles developed everywhere. I parked underground, walked out to the street and noticed a deep puddle at the entrance. I thought I would be smart and step around the puddle into the barkmulch, which proved to be a big mistake. I stepped into a huge mud pit both feet completely submerged my high heels. I barely got out if it with both shoes on. I had to be in the bank within minutes of this happening, and all I had to clean up with was a Subway napkin I had in my pocket. I was very embarrassed walking into the bank, but I had to do it as people were counting on my presence.
These are just a couple of humorous stories that happened on my journey with the United Way. We worked many early 4am pancake breakfasts, and late evenings. I didn’t even miss my flex days at BC Assessment very much because the work we were doing was so rewarding.
What did I get out of this experience?
I gained confidence in myself, time management skills, account management skills, public speaking skills, teamwork skills like no other, negotiation skills, and above all, I have become more compassionate. I take away a life changing experience. I see the homeless person on the street corner differently, I see the teen mom differently, and I see our communities differently. My eyes have been opened and I plan to do more volunteer work in my community.
What did BC Assessment get out of this?
Every time I spoke at a company, did a presentation, I introduced myself and told everyone that I was loaned from BC Assessment. That is good advertising for BC Assessment, and it shows that we invest in our communities. BC Assessment is getting back an employee who is more dedicated to making a difference in our communities.
Again, I want to thank the company for this opportunity, it is one that I will hold onto forever.
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Lydia | Property Information Collector | Vancouver Island Region
January 18, 2012
I’m ENGAGED (corporately)!
When I started with BC Assessment just a few short months ago (time flies!), one of the first terms I heard was “employee engagement”. I supposed that referred to involving staff in the organization in some manner; it certainly impressed me that my new employer would even be talking such language… and I was curious and interested to see what it all meant.
Well…! I quickly learned that each BCA region has an Engagement Committee, and that there is a corporate one as well. Their purpose is to increase employee satisfaction in the workplace, and let me tell you, they MEAN it! Here’s just some of what my local (Vancouver Island Region) committee accomplished for ME this past year:
1) More team building workshops
2) Attention to a more equitable distribution of workloads, especially at those busy times
3) Regional work sharing, meaning that opportunities will be opened up for employees to gain experience in other sections
4) Better mirrors in the bathrooms and more cupboards in the lunch room
5) Flexible work location between the Nanaimo and Courtney offices (for example, in case of bad weather)
These things came about because staff were asked about what sorts of things mattered to them. Recently, I filled out the 2011 corporate Employee Engagement Survey. It felt really good to be asked what’s important to me at my place of work, and I know that BC Assessment is committed to listening.
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Michelle | Senior Client Support Analyst | Head Office
January 6, 2012
SharePoint 2010 Is Coming
BC Assessment's internal website is a collaborative SharePoint wonder! It has information and tools from all of the different groups and regions across BC Assessment. Over the past while, our webmaster has been working hard on a transition from SharePoint 2007 to the new SharePoint 2010. He plans to have the entire website moved by February 2012 with the help of an application called Metalogix Migration. This tool allows him to point to a place in the old site and move it right into the 2010 SharePoint site. It is so smart that it maintains the original ownership, rights and restrictions! Of course, once migrated there is always a little aesthetic tweaking required. When I asked webmaster Jim about SharePoint 2010, he said “Scroll is the new click”. On our previous site we had a habit of putting a couple of paragraphs on one page and then a bit more information on the next page. It could take up to seven clicks to get the information you were looking for! In SharePoint 2010, things are more centralized, and most information is on the same page as your first click. As for being able to find information, the search function for SharePoint 2010 is also amazing. First of all, it gives you a deep text search, which means it even searches through documents posted on the site. After the search, you can filter information by Author, Document type, Site or Modified date. This is going to be so helpful that Jim can see people using the Enterprise Search page to replace their intranet home page.
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Bill | Appraiser | Fraser Valley Region
December 16, 2011
The Importance of Audits
As an appraiser one of the most vile parts of the job is the auditing. If you threatened me with the choice to be dipped in sugar and left for fire ants or sit down for a week and do audits; I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t even hesitate. I’d chose auditing in a heartbeat (I dislike ants strenuously). However, I wouldn’t be happy auditing.
The problem is the auditing process is vital to the strength of the assessment roll. So there’s no getting away from them. The Roll is only as good as the information contained in it; and the information contained in it is only as good as the auditing process.
In a way, auditing is almost as bad as trying to edit my own blogs (fortunately Keith is stuck with that); I always know what I meant to say so when I read what I actually said, my brain imposes what I meant to say over what I said. When I review properties I’ve appraised, my brain knows what values it feels should be applied, and when it looks at these properties it reads what I mean the valuation to be, not necessarily what it is.
That’s where auditing comes in.
At BC Assessment we have a fine cotillion of people whose job it is to provide us with auditing tools which improve the quality of the assessment roll. I may not like auditing, but I like these people because they provide me with a means to enhance the quality of my work.
It isn’t the most glorious parts of work life at BC Assessment, but it is one of the most important.
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Keith | Appraiser | South Fraser Region
November 29, 2011
Prime Time Appraisal
If there was a busy season for appraisers, this would be it. In October, many of us are out of the office taking pictures and jotting down all the new construction we can (see the last post by Bill: Happy State and Condition). We must input all our information from the field into our computers system quickly so that the municipalities can have a preview of how much new construction has been completed. New construction information is particularly crucial to municipalities because it represents new tax revenue which pays for our fire trucks, roads, parks and other great things.
After we get all the new construction done, we must finish setting the roll by early December. Setting the roll means finalizing our values for all two million assessable properties in British Columbia. During November the days go by quickly and the work is challenging which is the type of work we wanted when we decided to become part of the real estate industry.
Don’t get the impression I’m pulling 80 hour work weeks though because I still have plenty of time to enjoy life outside of work too!
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Bill | Appraiser | Fraser Valley Region
November 17, 2011
Happy State & Condition Date
October 31st often sees a fair number of strange people walking the streets in any given jurisdiction. Some of them are zombies, some of them are witches, some of them are Transformers. Some of them, however, are appraisers.
For the folks at BC Assessment October 31st is more than just a day to dress up in a whacky costume and hit the streets looking for candy; October 31 is the state and condition date as indicated by The Assessment Act.
What’s the state and condition date you ask? Why it’s the state of the building on October 31st; what’s the condition you ask? Pretty much the same thing actually. Appraisers flock from their offices attempting to garner such important information as status of renovations and TI’s (tenant improvements), how far a long a new project might be towards completion, who or what is occupying a previously unoccupied piece of property, whether or not a haunted house has been demolished and a haunted shopping centre has been put up in its place…
For appraisers Halloween is more than just a day to go from door to door to get candy; it’s a day to go door and door to try and pick up the next sweetest thing: information.
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Michelle | Senior Client Support Analyst | Head Office
November 8, 2011
Big Shoes To Fill
It is great to see advancement opportunities within BC Assessment.
My counterpart here at the Contact Centre just received an exciting new position. She is off to be a Business Analyst Trainee with the Customer Services group. Although I am really excited for her, I will miss working alongside her. Since I have been at BCA, I have been very fortunate to work with this amazing individual. She is terrific at her job and it has been fun working with her because we have the same sense of humour and enjoy similar things. At times, people have a hard time telling us apart.
The unknown can be scary but also exciting, so welcome to the new Client Support Analyst, whoever you will be...
AND good luck Cori!
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Lydia | Property Information Collector | Vancouver Island Region
October 25, 2011
Special Projects!
As the Property Information Collector season goes on, new and different tasks are starting to appear. With much of the local construction now inspected and documented for the 2012 Assessment Roll, focus for the Nanaimo office ‘PICSs’ has shifted a bit. Recently we had a chance to look at construction that, for various reasons, has not been assessed in a while (if ever!). Our area includes places such as the Gulf Islands, and Tofino and Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island – some properties are quite remote, and it can be an adventure to get to them!
In the latest exploit, it was not unusual to spend the entire day hiking around without ever running into another soul. What an incredible experience it was to be assigned to this year’s Small Islands Reassessment Project. A team of us spent a few days travelling by water taxi to visit recreational properties in the Straight of Georgia. Our pilot, “Captain Wylie”, dropped us off each day at a suitable spot, and away we would go (with our backpacks stuffed), each in our own direction, to check on our assigned properties. What a sense of accomplishment we all felt at the end! I have to say, when you share daily jokes (unprintable!) courtesy of your boat pilot, nerve-wracking spider sightings (“is that a black widow?!”) and a bit of sea sickness with your coworkers, you really start to feel a bond with them!
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Bill | Appraiser | Fraser Valley Region
October 19, 2011
I Know What I Did Last Summer
There’s a fable by Aesop which tells the harrowing tale of an ant and a grasshopper.
The grasshopper laughs and dances all summer while the ants are hard at work for the winter; when winter comes around the ants are in a pretty good spot, while the grasshopper doesn’t fare so well. The moral of the story is: are ants are no fun, or it is better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all, or that hard work pays off; or be prepared.
Working at BC Assessment is a pretty good spot to be in if you’re the ant type personality. While projects have to be done throughout the summer there’s all the market information zooming by, which as an appraiser you have to keep your finger on so that when its time to set the Assessment Roll for the next year, you at least have an idea of what’s been going on.
Summer is also the best time for vacation. In a good year, not necessarily this year mind you, summer has the majority of the good weather.
When summer winds down to fall, you find you don’t have much time at all. You might not know exactly what you’re going to do when the stormy clouds of roll close show up on the horizon, but if you’ve been hoarding away those little bits of market knowledge you’ve managed to accumulate over the summer by the time it's time, you’ll be ready.
Fortunately, underneath my fun-loving grasshopper exterior there is the soul of an ant; I’ve been paying attention to what’s been happening in my areas this past six months, and have some idea which direction my markets went.
Because I know what I did this summer, I know what I need to do this fall.
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October 13, 2011
A Helping Hand
This week we want to share something neat our colleague, Sue, sent to us.
Sue is normally an Appraisal Assistant here at BCA, but is currently on a unique secondment with the United Way as a Loaned Representative for the remainder of 2011. This secondment is sponsored by BC Assessment for one of our staff to work and participate within their community with the United Way. Thanks Sue for your continuing passion and stewardship for our Community!
I just thought I would share with my fellow employees and those considering a career at BC Assessment, my remarkable journey so far.
Our first week was called “Bootcamp” and it really was. We were given so much information in a short period of time, that it felt overwhelming at times. The training was fantastic. We had professional public speakers give us tips and tricks on presentations. We also had a personality training session similar to the ones given at the BCA education seminars, but a lot more in depth. We had to do a five minute presentation which proved to be very frightening for a lot of us, especially after we had our professional public speaker teach us how to critique each other.
Week two was exciting as we found out which teams we would be on and which companies and accounts we would be responsible for. We also participated in the Kickoff at the Cauldron at the Jack Poole Plaza where the Olympic cauldron was lit. We had a barbeque while listening to live music which made for a fun and successful day. I’m on the Financial Services team which includes the major banks such as CIBC, TD, BMO, RBC and major insurance companies and investment companies. I get the chance to work on an amazing team with an awesome leader.
Week three we finally get to the guts of our job, where we meet and visit our companies to help them plan their campaigns. Late hours and weekends come with the territory, and while there are no flex days it is truly fulfilling.
I have come to really understand what the United Way stands for and I am a true believer in the cause. Remember, “Change Starts Here.” The United Way has helped my family in some of the programs that they offer. We will make our communities stronger if we all invest in them. Your support is critical, please join me and invest in your community by giving.
I don’t know if I will have an opportunity to give you an update again since our busy time is fast approaching, but I hope this gives you a taste of what we do.
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Michelle | Senior Client Support Analyst | Head Office
October 6, 2011
Kicking Butt and Winning - Both In and Out of the Office
Nancy Carleton, Manager, Strategic Project Solutions does exactly this.
Part of Nancy’s job is to manage the project of updating our current appraisal software (valueBC). She seems to have this project (Next Gen valueBC) charging along like a commander leading an army into battle (although she has referred to it as “herding cats” or managing a group of pre-schoolers in a candy store). Around here, Nancy is frequently holding PM Forum Meetings so we can all learn from each other’s experience, while she freely shares her knowledge and previous project experiences. This week’s meeting she will focus on what went well, what didn’t go so well, and what suggestions people have to improve the processes on the latest valueBC update. All findings will be documented to be put to best use. She believes it’s important to assess ‘how it’s going’ through all project phases (requirements, design, development, testing, implementation and post-implementation support), as it’s easier to collect lessons learned and implement suggested changes on an ongoing basis.
Being at the contact centre, I do not attend most of her meetings, but recently, had the chance and valued and appreciated that she listened and recorded my input.
Outside of work, Nancy is an extremely fit and competitive racer in triathlons.
Recently she raced in the Canadian National Triathlon Championships at the Apple Triathlon in Kelowna and became the 2011 Canadian National Champion in her age division.
Nancy will be travelling to Auckland, NZ in October 2012 to represent Canada at the Triathlon World Championships.
Go Nancy Go!
Photos - Nancy in Action!
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Keith | Appraiser | South Fraser Region
September 30, 2011
Going back to the UBC Real Estate Club
As a UBC Commerce alumnus, I get the chance to reconnect with old friends and meet the future of our industry at UBC Real Estate Club events. This Wednesday night (Oct. 5), I’ll be at the Foundations of Real Estate Event with a few of my colleagues. Why should you come? Well… I have the great privilege of giving a short speech about what it’s like to be an Appraiser and I need you to come and give a little applause so I don’t look foolish up there!
Come by and chat with us! See you there.
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Lydia | Property Information Collector | Vancouver Island Region
September 28, 2011
It’s an ‘office’ day today
I love being outside, travelling to different places to look at properties. There is more to what I do than driving around, though. The office part of my job is very interesting as well. For every new property I look at, I do a rough sketch in the field (with my trusty measuring tape to assist!) and then enter this information into the valueBC computer system when I get back to the office. It’s quite satisfying to see my field notes and sketches translated into tidy, digital packages.
The “Sketch” software program we use is quite interesting to me. I have some background in structural steel detailing, so I enjoy being able to exercise my computer rendering skills. Having an accurate sketch of a property on the system is crucial. Square footage and type of use, which are only two of the components considered for property assessments, are determined directly from the sketches that I do on the computer!
In a lot of ways, Property Information Collectors like myself are the eyes and ears of BC Assessment. Our Appraisers aren’t able to visit every single property (as much as they’d like to!), and so it is up to me and my fellow PICs to get each detail into the database with absolute accuracy. It’s another task and challenge that I love!
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Keith | Appraiser | South Fraser Region
September 14, 2011
A BC Assessment Summer
This is my third summer here at BCA, and I’ve noticed that the summer experience is much different from the winter one. Our valuation date is July 1st so over the summer we wait for sales and other information to accumulate. After we receive this information, we report what the market has been doing through our assessments. 
The summer is often characterized by people going away on great vacation adventures and projects where we improve the quality of the roll. For example, this year our team set off on a mission to improve our data in regards to townhome basements. We compared data from various sources and contacted owners of townhomes we weren’t sure of through snail mail. Often times our projects don’t have a step-by-step process in place. We must be creative in how we tackle problems because each project tends to have its unique set of problems.
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Bill | Appraiser | Fraser Valley Region
September 8, 2011
Lend Me Your Year
In any given year we work in three years. The year that was, the year that is, and the year that will be. It may sound awfully nifty, but its occasionally confusing.
Have you often found when the old year rolls over into the new that you have difficulty writing the New Year correctly for a month or so? This is like that. Only more so.
Once appeals begin your focus is on the year just passed; people have questions about the Assessment Roll that went out and it’s your responsibility to explain what happened even if it seems lost in the mists of time. (Take good notes; that way it won’t get lost in the mists of time.)
Then there’s all the day to day things that have to be done in the current year; questions to respond to; responses to question. All the things that go into making day to day office life flow smoothly.
Lastly there’s all the work that has to be done for the Assessment Roll, which historically is futuristic; that is to say, I work in 2011 on information for the 2012 Roll.
It’s like playing with time but without the danger of creating a temporal paradox by accidentally running over your father when he’s a teenager a la Back to the Future.
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Dave | HR Manager | Head Office
September 8, 2011
Breaking the Mould
Now I know I’m not one of the regular blog writers here on “The Inside Scoop”, but I felt compelled to share a quick experience from the Human Resource perspective. Please pardon my intrusion fellow writers...
So they let the HR guy out of the office and into one of our field offices in Prince George! I recently went out to our PG office to meet the staff and chat about HR stuff. An additional bonus was getting the chance to head out with an Appraiser and visit some new construction sites in a residential neighbourhood. I must admit I always have found it interesting to watch new homes being built at various stages of construction. On this trip, I learned about the steps involved in assessing a new home’s value on site and then how we record the information into the valueBC software back in the office. I found that my shorthand and note-taking abilities need work, but thankfully my local BCA Mentor (also a Dave) kept me in line and “showed me the basic ropes”.
Meeting with the office staff was equally interesting as their energy during an all staff meeting was truly engaging. Within the office, there are different teams. To keep a “silo” effect from happening between teams, each team reviews what they do and how they do certain aspects of their work. On this occasion, the residential team presented in a fun and interesting way while also allowing for staff to get to know each other even better with “getting to know” type activities like “Guess who’s favourite band these are” interspersed throughout the presentation. As a newcomer from Victoria, I really enjoyed meeting, seeing, and learning about my colleagues in one of our regional offices. If anyone from the PG office is reading this, thanks again!
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Michelle | Senior Client Support Analyst | Head Office
August 31, 2011
Cupcake Day for the United Way
It is terrific to see creativity at work when it comes to raising money for a good cause. It can be tough to find fun and different ways of engaging people to give back to the community.
Here at BC Assessment Head Office, we have a United Way Campaign team who does an amazing job at making this happen.
In the last year, I have seen re-gift bingo, a spelling bee contest, a mini golf tournament and casual days (where I gladly chip in a toonie to wear my jeans!). My favourite event so far is an international lunch tour. Each division/department that participated selected a country, decorated their area to reflect that country and supplied some tasty ethnic food. $5 got you a passport that was stamped as you went from country to country sampling the cuisine.
Today’s fundraiser, Cupcake day!!
– Mine are the dirt cupcakes
Last year BC Assessment’s Head Office raised over $30,000 for the United Way.
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Bill | Appraiser | Fraser Valley Region
August 18, 2011
GPS.O.S.
One of the good things about being an Appraiser with BC Assessment is the ability to leave the office and go explore the neighbourhoods you cover. It’s a good stretch and it also helps to familiarize you with the areas for which you’re responsible.
I however am directionally challenged.
Some days it doesn’t seem to matter what I do, I can look at a map, I can look at a street view, I can even have been there the day before; once I hop behind the steering wheel my brain goes into safe mode and only gives me the tools I need to operate the vehicle safely. Apparently my brain doesn’t realize directions are an important part of vehicle safety.
Thankfully someone discovered satellites were good for more than spying on countries and lo! The GPS was born.
Now, for the most part I love my GPS; I tell it where to go, it tells me how to get there.
But what do you do when your GPS doesn’t know the best route has changed? What do you do when your GPS tells you to turn right, and turning right will put you in a ditch?
You get lost… that’s what you do.
So there I was in the wilds of the Fraser Valley (I was actually in Langley, which frankly isn’t wild at all) and my GPS was rather insistent I turn right; now I’m not knocking my GPS (mostly because I’m afraid it will read this (it’s a computer and computers talk to other computers) and start giving me incorrect directions on purpose) but this time I was fairly certain I was seeing something the GPS was not.
And so I continued straight where it told me to turn right:
“Recalculating,” said my GPS, unimpressed with my choice. “Turn right.”
There being no right to speak of, I maintained current course and trajectory operating at impulse power.
“Recalculating,” and there was no mistaking the disapproval now.
Being a man of sound principles, and an intense dislike of ditches, I stayed the course.
“Recalculating. Turn right at next right. Then turn right.”
My GPS, as you can see, likes turning right. I however like staying on the road so I continued to follow the road as it turned and straightened, all the while my GPS recalculated more than an engineer working for NASA.
Eventually I found myself in familiar territory, and my GPS, finally within its own comfort zone, decided to try something different.
“Go 2.5 kilometres,” it said. “Then turn left”
And I did. Okay so it’s not so much a harrowing tale as the tale of man against machine; and it’s barely that really.
But I learned a lot in those few brief minutes my GPS was lying to me; I learned technology cannot be trusted blindly, I learned to truly find yourself, sometimes you have to get lost; I learned the road goes ever on and on out from the door where it began.
But most importantly I learned this: the building I went to look at was no longer used for what I thought it was and that it was a good thing I went out there, because I needed to make some changes to the Roll for next year.
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Keith | Appraiser | South Fraser Region
August 9, 2011
The Daily Commute
Summer is here in the Lower Mainland (sort of) and that means a healthy dose of road construction everywhere. To beat the congestion I’ve been riding my bike to the office and saving money for a helicopter. My office has secure bike storage and a shower with good singing acoustics in it. It couldn’t be easier to bike!
Anyway, it’s just great to finish off a work day with a ride through beautiful Steveston Village. Hopefully the following photos will help you agree!
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Michelle | Senior Client Support Analyst | Head Office
August 3, 2011
It's Tablet Time
Things have been really busy for everyone in our Infrastructure Services area over the last few weeks. We have been doing a ton of ordering, inventory taking and prep work to get ready for outfitting all BCA employees with new HP Elitebook tablets complete with Windows 7. Part of the prep work included starring in a video tutorial on how to use the new machines. I don’t expect to win any Emmys but it is nice to do something out of your comfort level once in a while.
We have just started to install the new workstations and have completed a couple of BC Assessment area offices already. We plan on having all the offices done by the end of August and on a wireless network by the end of the year. I’m looking forward to seeing the benefits of increased flexibility, mobility and efficiency.
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Lydia | Property Information Collector | Vancouver Island Region
July 27, 2011
The People in my Neighbourhood 
Yesterday was a great day. The nice thing is, it’s not unusual for me here. The weather (which has not been stellar this summer on Vancouver Island) was finally quite appealing, so it was an especially good time to be out and about. I had several new residential properties on my list to inspect, and most of them turned out to be still under construction.
When I go to new properties, I encounter a lot of tradespeople. Drywallers, painters, plumbers, electricians, carpenters – any type of trade you could think of might be at work on site. I have really enjoyed saying hi to these folks, and what I realized early on is that they know BC Assessment. Most are familiar with Property Information Collectors, which makes sense, since every summer during peak construction season it also happens to be peak information collection season. Turns out we cross paths quite often, and it makes my job that much more fun – I feel like part of the crew!
Gaining a new appreciation for the construction trades is one of the unexpected bonuses of working for BC Assessment. Every day here I discover something else to enjoy about my job!
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Bill | Appraiser | Fraser Valley Region
July 17, 2011
Sherlock "Homes"
Normally I’m not one for confrontation but today I’m working on appeals for the Property Assessment Appeal Board (or PAAB as it’s called) and enjoying it. If you’re not familiar with the appeals process for assessment, check it out on our FAQ, but essentially the PAAB stage is the second level of appeal.
The part which, ahem, appeals to me (I ask no pardon for the pun) is the investigation process.
While it's true sometimes I wish I could employ the techniques used on CSI – you know, time lapses including a montage complete with music, those funky blue lights, and a department full of people to do my work for me – for the most part I enjoy the process of exploring a) why a property is valued the way it is and b) whether or not it should be valued that way.
At times like this I feel like a detective, sifting through pieces of evidence (this building’s too small to be comparable, this building’s too old, this building is just right) and, like the fictitious characters of CSI I go where the evidence takes me.
Just call me Sherlock "Homes"…
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Keith | Appraiser | South Fraser Region
June 10, 2011
As April rolls around, we begin to look ahead to the 2013 roll year! On the strata team, we’re looking at catching up on the mountain of sales that accrue during the first three months of the year. Every single sales needs to be looked at to make sure they are legit so our data doesn’t get soiled. Sales = haystack, invalid sales = needles. It’s actually pretty cool to be able to see how the real estate market flows from doing these sales reviews. There are less sales to review before/during recessions, that’s for sure!
That is all =). TGIF!!
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