Assessors measure value on all types of property, from houses to industrial facilities, from shopping centers to oil and gas pipelines and farmland. Assessors place a value on property for taxation purposes

Assessors generally have job opportunities in the following areas:

• Municipalities including Cities, Towns, Counties, Municipal Districts, Villages and Summer Villages

• Private Assessment Firms

• Industry - consulting or managing property

• Provincial Government, Alberta Municipal Affairs

• Federal Government

Essentially the client, or the end-user of the data - Assessors value property for municipal tax purposes. Appraisers value property for property owners, banks, realtors, etc.

While some employers may have additional requirements, generally after obtaining your high school diploma, you will need post-secondary education plus field experience before you can be a fully qualified assessor eligible for accreditation.

The Accredited Municipal Assessor of Alberta (AMAA) designation is awarded to people who have earned the designation through a combination of work experience and education. (See Education Requirements) It typically takes between four and  eight years after you have been working in the assessment field to become accredited.

Students interested in a career in assessment in Alberta may fulfill their core education requirements:

• by attending Lakeland College in Lloydminster, Alberta's full-time two-year Business Administration diploma with a major in Appraisal and Assessment; or,

• via distance learning through the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business Diploma in Urban Land Economics (DULE) with a specialization in assessment.

• by meeting UBC's non-resident student requirements for the Diploma in Urban Land Economics (DULE) program; or

• by obtaining a letter from the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business that indicates the course requirements for the AMAA Fast Track option have been met.

The Terms of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)allows labour mobility in Canada for certain regulated professions. Alberta was one of the first provinces to regulate Assessors and to be subject to the mobility requirements of CFTA. Now, Saskatchewan and Ontario are also regulated and the three provinces are obligated to ensure reciprocity for regulated, accredited members.

Membership applications are reviewed by the Registration Committee. The Registration Committee meets upon the call of the Chair which may depend on the number of membership issues pending. Generally, membership applications are processed within 30 days.

Membership includes access to networking with other professionals in the field, to discussion forums, to Practicing Assessment in Alberta Handbook free of charge, education activities at reduced rates, voting rights and an emailed link to the Association newsletter as soon as it is published.

DEMONSTRATION APPRAISAL REPORT

The Demonstration Appraisal Report is an extensive case study which is a written report on an income producing property. This report will showcase the Candidate Member’s ability to apply the knowledge learned in the Core Education Requirements which includes the application of the three approaches to value. The Candidate Member must choose a suitable subject property, register it with the Association prior to proceeding and follow the directions for registration of the subject property on the demo property registration form.

The Association accepts two methods as meeting the Demonstration Appraisal Report requirement:

1) Passing grade of the above-noted report completed for the IAAO CAE designation purposes, graded by IAAO; or

2) Successful completion of the UBC Real Estate Division BUSI 499 Guided Case Study course.

Note:  Candidates must complete all the DULE Core Courses and Assessment Specialization Courses BUSI 443 and 444 in order to request a waiver of the BUSI 499 prerequisites.
 

Regardless of method of completion, Candidate Members must submit a copy of the Demonstration Appraisal Report and all the accompanying documents as detailed on the Demonstration Appraisal Report Property Registration form and the Demonstration Appraisal Report Marking Application form to the Association for final review and retention in order to complete this requirement.

Candidate member should refer to Policies 80-6, Demonstration Report Registration and 80-7, Reviewing Demonstration Reports for additional instructions and information.
 

TOOLS FOR PRACTICING ASSESSMENT IN ALBERTA

The Tools for Practicing Assessment in Alberta course is a mandatory 40-hour course available through the Association. It provides Alberta-specific information on legislation, taxation issues, market value assessment, professionalism and ethics, and prepares the Candidate for the Oral Examination.

The Tools for Practicing Assessment in Alberta course is intended for Candidate Members possessing at least two years of assessment experience, who have completed their core education requirements, and who are preparing to complete their Oral Examination towards accreditation.  

Syllabus

Lakeland College Appraisal and Assessment Diploma or University of British Columbia Diploma in Urban Land Economics.

There are three approaches to determine the market value based assessment of a property. The three approaches for estimating market value-based assessments are: the sales comparison approach; the cost approach; and the income approach.One or more of these approaches is used to arrive at a property’s assessed value using the market value-based standard.

The Association regularly posts positions requested by municipalities.  In addition, member companies accept resumes on an ongoing basis (see Current Job Postings)