Assessment Matters by Valuebase.ai

Join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with Jamie Christensen, founder of Civic Vanguard, a local government software company focused on geographic information systems. Jamie shares his nearly 30-year journey in GIS and local government technology, discusses how AI is enabling a reimagined "digital counter" experience for citizens interacting with their local governments, explores the mis...

Join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with Robbe Demey, a statistician at Valuebase visiting from Belgium, to explore why property tax matters from both philosophical and economic efficiency perspectives. The conversation covers the Georgist case for land value taxation, the dire state of property tax in Belgium where valuations haven't been updated since 1975, and the persistent challenge of...

Join host Will Jarvis as he walks through practical, hands-on ways assessors can use free AI tools to improve their cost approach valuations. In this solo episode, Will demonstrates how tools like Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and ValPal can be used to extract market depreciation from sales data, build effective age rubrics, standardize condition ratings, generate taxpayer-friendly explanations, and ru...

Join host Will Jarvis as he presents a live session at a NYSAA meeting on how modern AI tools can help property tax assessors work more efficiently. Will breaks down how large language models actually work, their strengths and weaknesses including hallucinations and privacy concerns, and shares best practices for prompting these models to get the best results. The session covers real-world use cas...

Join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with Cameron White, a commercial appraiser and new team member at Valuebase, to break down the income approach to commercial property valuation. Cameron shares his journey from residential mass appraisal to the commercial world, walks through the step-by-step mechanics of the income approach—including cap rates, net operating income, and effective gross income...

Join host Will Jarvis at the Missouri Assessors' Conference in Branson as he sits down with Bob Boyer, Jefferson County Assessor, to discuss the challenges of personal property tax in Missouri, the push for e-filing and digital modernization, and efforts to reform outdated valuation statutes. Bob shares how his background as a land surveyor and county councilman shaped his approach to running...

Join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with Neal Groover, Chief Appraiser of Effingham County, Georgia, to discuss his journey from a three-person office in rural Evans County to managing a 33,000-parcel operation in a fast-growing bedroom community near Savannah. Neal shares lessons learned transitioning commercial properties from cost to income approaches, the impact of Port of Savannah expansion...

Join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with Mike Fouassier, Assessor for the Town of Ossining in Westchester County, New York, and former Director of Operations and Quality Assurance for New York City. Mike brings a unique "pracademic" perspective — holding a PhD focused on inequities in assessment systems — as they discuss why frequent reappraisals at full market value matter, how transparency and...

Join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with Trinity Taylor, Valuebase's newest team member focused on outreach and sales, recorded on location in Tucson. A recent University of Arizona graduate with a background in psychology and business, Trinity shares what it's been like breaking into the property assessment world, the patterns she's noticed reaching out to assessors across the country, and why...

On this episode of  Assessment Matters , host  Will Jarvis  sits down with  Zach Smith , a former fee appraiser turned rural county  chief appraiser , to talk about the realities of  mass appraisal  and  property tax administration . They dig into county-wide revaluations, fixing legacy data in CAMA systems, using technology and GIS to improve data quality, and how to “do more with less” by combin...

Valuebase CEO  Will Jarvis  sits down with  Gonz Sanchez  to explore what property taxation looks like in an economy crushed by extreme inflation. They unpack how Argentina’s money printing, corruption, and cash-based real estate distort  assessed values and fairness , and what U.S. assessors can learn about building more resilient property tax systems.

On this episode of  Assessment Matters , host and Value Base CEO  Will Jarvis  talks with veteran appraiser and data geek  Keith Wolf  about what truly drives credible valuations:  data and variable interactions . They unpack: How mass and fee appraisal really overlap Why stats and data science matter for everyday appraisal How misunderstanding multicollinearity can lead you badly astray If you’re...

Still doing ratio studies in CAMA or spreadsheets? On this episode of  Assessment Matters ,  Will Jarvis  (CEO,  ValueBase ) and  Jonathan Williams  (Account Manager & former assessor) introduce  RatioPal  – a  free , browser-based ratio study tool that lets you upload sales data and instantly see COD, PRD, PRB, VI, outliers, and more. Run studies from a single neighborhood to your entire juri...

Join host  Will Jarvis , CEO of  ValueBase , as he sits down with  Jonathan Williams , commercial appraisal expert and new member of the ValueBase team. Recorded live at the  North Carolina Assessors Association Conference  in Cherokee, they discuss career paths in assessment, the challenges of commercial valuation and income modeling, how better data and technology can transform jurisdictions of...

On this episode of  Assessment Matters , host  Will Jarvis , CEO of  ValueBase , sits down with  Justin Eimers , Assessment Advisor for IAAO. They discuss the role of assessors in promoting equity, challenges in explaining property tax to the public, best practices for documenting processes and leveraging automation, and why regular salary studies are essential for retaining high-quality assessmen...

Veteran Colorado assessor  Mark Chapin  joins host  Will Jarvis  to share how a chance shoe-store encounter launched his 48-year career in property assessment. Mark explains what it’s like serving as an elected assessor in resort-heavy  Eagle County , how his team values everything from mobile homes to $40M mansions using mass appraisal and market specialization, and why he believes independence f...

In Episode 63 of "Assessment Matters," join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with Scott Rountree, Chief Appraiser, to explore the evolving landscape of property assessment. Scott shares insights from his journey from real estate to public service, discussing the impact of technology and AI on the field. Discover how Scott navigates the challenges of budget constraints and the importance...

Join CEO and host Will Jarvis for a conversation with Bobby Fisher from Bulloch County, Georgia. Bobby is the GAAO President. They discuss Bobby's journey and the insights he's gained over the years.

In Episode 61 of "Assessment Matters," host Will Jarvis, CEO of ValueBase, sits down with Mike Montandon from Navajo County, AZ. Together, they explore the intricacies of property assessment and the unique challenges faced in Navajo County. Tune in for an insightful discussion on the evolving landscape of property valuation.

Join Will Jarvis, CEO of Valuebase and host of Assessment Matters, and guest, Travis Noll, on "Assessment Matters," where they delve into the intricacies of valuation and assessment in today's dynamic market. Discover insights, strategies, and expert interviews that illuminate the path to understanding value in business.

Listen while Will Jarvis, CEO of Valuebase, sits down with Mecklenburg County Assessor, Ken Joyner, to discuss how he got into Property Tax and what he's learned over his career!

On this episode of "Assessment Matters," join host Will and guest Les Ratliff as they delve into the unexpected journey of becoming an appraiser. Les shares his story of how a mix-up led him to a career in appraisal, the challenges of data quality in mass appraisal, and the evolving role of technology in the field. They also discuss the complexities of property tax systems and the import...

We sat down with Ashley W. O’Donald, the Executive Director of the Georgia Association of Assessing Officials, to uncover the hidden intricacies of property tax assessments. With over a decade of experience, Ashley shares invaluable insights that every property owner and assessor should know.

ATTENTION: The New Ratio Study Standard Draft That’s About to Change Property Tax We’ve got a new ratio study standard coming. Meet Luc Hermans – the data scientist from the Netherlands who’s been working to improve ratio study standards. This isn’t just academic research. Luc sits on the Netherlands Council of Real Estate Valuation AND is spearheading cutting-edge research at Ulster University. W...

In this conversation, Ken Lane discusses his background in AI and software development, particularly focusing on the launch of Valpal Lite, a new tool designed to assist property tax assessors. The discussion covers the evolution of AI in software, the capabilities and limitations of AI tools, and the importance of context in their application. Ken emphasizes the supportive role of AI in the indus...