Appraisals & Inspections

About the Appraisers

Property appraisers are professional county employees licensed by the State of Minnesota to periodically review all real property within the jurisdiction. All appraisers are required to be certified by the Minnesota State Board of Assessors. This certification requires work experience and ongoing educational requirements provided through assessing organizations such as the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO), Minnesota Association of Assessing Officers (MAAO), and other assessing related organizations.

Property Reviews

Minnesota Statute 273.08 requires that appraisers physically review each property at least every five years. The appraisal interval may be shorter due to review appraisals requested by the owner for an appeal, ongoing new construction, or if the assessor feels there may be an error in the property information for a particular property.

Each property has unique characteristics that affect its market value. Appraisers need to gather as much information as possible in order to arrive at a fair and equitable value. Typically, the older a structure, the more variations in characteristics exist for that property.

Appraisals

The appraiser will then be forced to make an arbitrary appraisal of the property. This will include assuming that the interior is as appealing as possible for that type of property,such as recently remodeled, finished basement, added bath, etc. The appraisers desire to view as many properties as possible in order to have the best possible information on all properties, since the quality of the assessment is a measure of the quality of their work. Not allowing an interior inspection will result in the loss of the right to appeal your market value at the board of review.

Additional Information

Appraisers for Waseca County will be carrying a photo identification card. Their information can be verified by calling the Assessor's Office. Appraisers will leave a business card if no one is home. Occasionally a followup letter is sent out if more information is needed. You will receive a valuation notice sometime in the early spring informing you of your value and classification for that assessment year. Even though an appraiser might have visited your property the previous summer, valuations require accumulation of sales data through the end of each year, then time during the winter to view new construction, to analyze the market, and to perform model calculations.