The main job of most property appraisers is to calculate and determine the overall value of real estate property. Included in the appraisal is the house, any permanent buildings, the land, and and minerals such as oil contained within the land. This value is needed for tax purposes, and it is also needed when someone is looking to get a mortgage to buy a new home. Many states also charge taxes on personal property such as recreational vehicles, cars, trucks, or motorcycles. In these areas, the property appraiser is also responsible for determining the value of these types of property as well. When commercial properties and business are appraised, equipment, furniture, and other assets of the business are also appraised. In order to become a property appraiser, one must be specially trained and certified or licensed within the state or region where the job is to be performed.

The property appraisal procedure can take as little as a few minutes, or it can take several hours. The amount of time that will be needed largely depends upon how large the property is and how complex the situation is. In general, the appraiser will just need to do a careful walk-thru of the entire property, inside and out. During this inspection, he will note any factors that have an impact on the value such as overall condition, square footage, and permanent buildings or structures on the property. The appraiser will come up with a value based upon these factors as well as the value of neighboring properties and the selling prices of homes in the neighborhood that have recently sold.

In Florida, the Clay County Property Appraiser is Roger A. Suggs. Suggs is originally from Fairfield, Florida, but relocated to Clay County in 1991. He has worked in the appraisal field for over 28 years and became the Property Appraiser for Clay County in January of 2009. He is a state certified appraiser, and he was the first person in Florida to be named an Assessment Administration Specialist by the International Association of Assessing Officers. He also used to be the president of the Florida chapter of the organization and has been involved in numerous community organizations around Clay County.