Personal Property Appraiser

Personal Property Appraiser

Salary

See Position Description

Location

Wilmington, NC

Job Type

Full-Time

Job Number

202600216

Department

TAX

Opening Date

08/21/2026

Closing Date

8/31/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Position Information

New Hanover County is seeking a Personal Property Appraiser (Zone 1) in the fast-paced Tax Department Listing division. The Tax Department is responsible for obtaining, developing, analyzing, and maintaining records necessary for the appraisal, assessment, billing, collection, and listing of taxes associated with real and personal property within the jurisdiction of the County and municipalities according to the state of North Carolina General Statutes.

Our division operates in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with frequent interruptions, including telephone calls and daily walk-in assistance from taxpayers. The ideal candidate will remain professional, patient, and focused while assisting taxpayers, managing competing priorities, and maintaining a high level of customer service.

The position requires the ability to work independently, multitask, and efficiently transition between software platforms and resources used for data entry, billing, property valuation, and account research. Success in this role requires the ability to adapt quickly while maintaining accuracy, attention to detail, organization, and productivity.

Essential duties for this role include:

• Appraises, assesses, reassesses, and enters values in valuation software by using various guides, manuals, and software programs according to appraisal standards and guidelines for motor vehicles, boats, aircraft, mobile homes, household assets and other forms of personal property.
• Reviews abstracts returned on existing personal property accounts, encodes information from abstracts, determines taxability and assigns correct taxing district to accounts.
• Discovers, catalogs, and verifies situs and ownership of new personal property accounts from reports obtained from marinas, mobile home parks, storage facilities and property management companies, the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, etc.
• Performs research of personal property accounts with unreturned abstracts and values such accounts.
• Processes appeal of value for motor vehicles to determine adjustments based on on-site vehicle appraisals for condition and high mileage; process exemptions for personal property accounts and motor vehicles for homestead, religious, charitable, education and military exemptions; process refunds for adjusted assessed values based on on-site vehicle appraisals or exemptions.
• Reviews documents such as bills of sale, personal property tax receipts from outside New Hanover County, federal tax returns, accountant/attorney letters, insurance letters, etc., used to correct, adjust, or remove tax bills as appropriate for personal property and business personal property accounts and perform any necessary adjustments or deletions.
• Responds to customer inquiries for personal property including boats, mobile homes, airplanes, household assets and motor vehicles along with various inquiries for business personal property accounts and assists taxpayers in the preparation or completion of personal property and business personal property abstracts.
• Reviews reports for personal property and unregistered vehicles prior to billing.
• Maintains taxpayer accounts by updating mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses and important identifying information.
• Visits marinas, storage facilities, mobile home parks, etc., to provide information relating to required listing reports.
• Processes departmental mail and responds to inquiries from citizens and other County departments by way of regular mail and email.
• Interact with the public, co-workers, supervisors and public officials or offices in a professional manner.
• Performs work with regular and predictable attendance consistently meeting the scheduling needs as required by the county.
• Performs work during emergency/disaster situations.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.

Knowledge, Skills, or Abilities

Knowledge of basic mathematical principles; record keeping procedures, and basic accounting principles. Skilled in using computer hardware and software applications; operating various office machines; preparing various reports; interpreting financial information; providing customer service; maintaining effective work relationships; communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with coworkers, supervisor, the general public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.

New Hanover County is dedicated to the recruitment and recognition of a talented and diverse workforce that is committed to public service. Our shared values of professionalism, innovation, equity, integrity, stewardship and accountability guide the way we conduct ourselves and deliver services to our customers. New Hanover County celebrates diversity in our employees' backgrounds, beliefs, identities, and abilities, while supporting growth opportunities for all. Our talented team has a passion for providing care and services that effect change on the everyday lives of the citizens they encounter. The differences that unite us are a reflection of the community we serve. If this sounds like an organization that models the values you uphold, we invite you to join our team at New Hanover County.

• • • *

Hours:

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday - Friday; possible flex hours

Must be available to report for emergency work assignment during emergency situations.

Employment Type:

Full-time, non-exempt

Salary Information:

The target hiring range for this position is $42,050 to $56,768. The full salary range for an incumbent hired into this position is $42,050 to $71,486.Starting salary will be based on qualifications, relevant experience, internal equity, and budget. Candidates with exceptional qualifications and experience may be considered for a starting salary above the target hiring range, but not to exceed the maximum of the salary range.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience:

• High School Diploma or GED and one (1) year of personal property appraiser experience, or certification from the North Carolina Department of Revenue as a Personal Property Appraiser, or an equivalent combination of training and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the classification such as those listed above.

Licenses/Certifications

• Valid Drivers License (from any state) and good driving record required at time of application.
• Valid North Carolina Driver's License required by first date of employment with good driving record.
• Certification as a Personal Property Appraiser through the NC Department of Revenue (Required within the 1st two years of employment).

Other Information

Applicant Information:

After the closing date for this position, applications will be screened by Human Resources. Applicants referred to the department will receive an email requesting important information pertinent to the position applied for. All updates regarding an application can be viewed through your applicant portal.

In compliance with G.S. 153A-94.2(b), if this position requires an applicant for employment to work with children in any capacity, the county must require the applicant to undergo a criminal history record check conducted by the SBI for all offers of employment made after October 1, 2025. These checks must be performed in accordance with G.S. 143B-1209.26, which authorizes the SBI to provide fingerprint-based state and national criminal record checks to cities and counties. Additional information on how to complete this required check will be provided to the selected candidate after an offer of employment is accepted.

New Hanover County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

New Hanover County offers a competitive benefits package designed to encourage and support your health, well-being and productivity to include

• Employer paid 401k deferred compensation contributions (5% for sworn law enforcement and 2.5% for all other benefits eligible positions);
• Retirement plan through the NC Retirement system;
• Paid sick and personal leave + 13 paid holidays per year;
• Paid parental leave;
• Paid community services leave to give back to our community;
• Education leave to obtain a degree within your line of work;
• Medical, dental, vision insurance + many other insurance options;
• Employee assistance program;
• 100% employer paid long term disability;
• Onsite, employer-paid health and wellness center which includes a nurse practitioner and physical therapist;
• Professional development trainings & leadership initiatives;
• Opportunities to make a difference in your community;
• And so much more!

Benefit options for eligible positions include medical, dental, elective supplemental insurance options including short-term disability, vision, flexible spending accounts, voluntary term life, cancer, accident, and critical illness policies. Employees who elect medical and dental insurance within the specified timelines provided during on-boarding, will have coverage effective on their date of hire. For more information about New Hanover County benefit options, including our benefit rates, please click here.

Please check out our careers page at www.nhcgov.com/careers for more information on why New Hanover County is a great place to work.

Note: All positions listed as temporary, casual part time, volunteer, and intern are not eligible to receive benefits. Part-time position with fewer than 20 scheduled hours per week will not include benefits.

01

Do you have knowledge of basic mathematical principles; record keeping procedures, and basic accounting principles?

• Yes
• No

02

Please briefly explain your work experience in a fast paced customer service role, that also required the ability to adapt quickly while maintaining accuracy, attention to detail, organization, and productivity.

03

Indicate which of the following applies:

• One (1) year or more of personal property appraiser experience
• Certification from the North Carolina Department of Revenue as a Personal Property Appraiser
• None of the above

04

Indicate the length of your experience with appraising, assessing, reassessing, and entering values in valuation software by using various guides, manuals, and software programs according to appraisal standards and guidelines for motor vehicles, boats, aircraft, mobile homes, household assets and other forms of personal property.

• No experience
• Less than 1 year of related experience
• 1 year but fewer than 2 years of related experience
• 2 years but fewer than 3 years of related experience
• 3 or more years of related experience

05

Indicate the length of your work experience with reviewing abstracts returned on existing personal property accounts, encodes information from abstracts, determines taxability and assigns correct taxing district to accounts.

• No experience
• Less than 1 year experience of related experience
• 1 year but fewer than 2 years of related experience
• 2 years but fewer than 3 years of related experience
• 3 or more years of related experience

06

Do you have a valid North Carolina Drivers license?

• Yes
• No

07

Have you had your drivers license suspended or revoked for any reason in the last five years?

• Yes
• No

08

Are you eligible to obtain a NC Drivers License?

• Yes
• No
• n/a - already have NC DL

09

Have you had 2 or more driving violation tickets in the previous 12 months or 3 or more in the previous 25 months? Please note: Answering yes to this question will not automatically disqualify you from consideration for the position.

• Yes
• No

10

Have you reviewed the compensation details listed in the job description, and is the target hiring salary range acceptable to you?

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer New Hanover County

Address 230 Government Center Drive - Suite 135

Wilmington, North Carolina, 28403

Phone 910-798-7178

910-798-7178

Website https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/nhc