Courses
Required for State Certification
by
Board of Tax Professional Examiners
Course
1: Introduction to the
Texas
Property Tax System is an overview of the requirements
and administrative procedures governing property tax appraisal
and assessment in
Texas
. Covers the legal definition
of taxable property, the relationship between mass and fee
appraisal, and the use of valuation schedules in mass appraisal.
Also covered are ownership concepts, terminology, and
basic economic principles as related to real estate value.
Particular focus on the property tax calendar, administration
of the appraisal district and tax office. Replaced old
Course #100 and old Course #120 as of
January
1, 1998
.
(32 hours of instruction; 2 hours for review; 2 hours for
examination)
Course 2: Appraisal of Real Property teaches
the theory and practice of the cost approach method in property
taxation, as well as the theory and practice of the comparable
sales technique for property taxation. Covered are time
adjustments, use of allocation to separate property values
into land and improvement components, the highest and best is also studied in the use of the
market approach in mass appraisal. Also covered are
the basic procedures of cost approach, theory of consistent
use, estimating replacement cost, estimating accrued depreciation,
using the cost approach in mass appraisal, and building depreciation
tables for mass appraisal. Replaced old Course #210
and old Course #220 (32 hours of instruction; 2 hours for
review; 2 hours for examination)
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Course 3:
Income Approach to Value teaches income approach terminology,
direct capitalization formulas, (including multipliers), the
theory of residual techniques, and income and expense analysis.
Covered also is the development of overall capitalization
rates and discounted cash flow. Replaced old Course #230 as
of
October
1, 2000
.
(24 hours of instruction; 2 hours for examination)
Course 4: Personal Property Appraisal is the
theory and practice of identifying personal property and valuing
it for property taxation. Included are the techniques
for discovering property, determining jurisdiction and situs,
procedures for appraising use items, leased items, and business
inventory. Special techniques for mobile homes, airplanes,
vehicles, and taxable leaseholds are examined. Replaced
old Course #250. (24 hours of instruction; 2 hours for examination)
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Course 5:
Mass Appraisal Concepts covers the basic concept of
Mass Appraisal, including the development of valid property
samples, calculating measures of central tendency and uniformity,
discovering bias and adjusting schedules, using sales information
to develop property classes, and basic mass appraisal administration.
Replaced old Course #360. (24 hours of instruction;
2 hours for examination)
Course 6: Ad Valorem Office Administration is
a required course for all Registered Tax Collectors (RTCs)
and Registered Tax Assessor/Collectors (RTAs).
It is written for the tax professional who manages a tax or
appraisal office, and the material includes topics such as
ad valorem office setting, planning, control systems and budgeting,
organizing, managing people, managing external relations,
ethics, information systems and reporting, and audits. Replaces
old Course #270. (24 hours of instruction; 2 hours for examination)
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Course 7:
Texas
Property Tax Law replaced old Course #325 and is similar
to that course. Updates have been included to cover
legislative changes and court decisions since the previous
edition was written. Students will work from an outline
format and will need a copy of the Property Tax Code for class.
Part of the class will consist of practice in the use of the
Property Tax Code. Instead of a single final examination,
there will be three tests -- one at the end of each of the
three days of class. (21 hours of instruction; 3 hours for
examination)
Course 8: Assessment and Collection replaced
old Courses #130 and #235. Includes a comprehensive
study of property tax assessment and collections procedures
and administration; levying a property tax; history and purpose
of truth-in-taxation; rate calculations; procedures after
rate calculations; tax bills and special assessment activities;
and collecting property taxes. Effective tax rate and
rollback rate calculations are covered, as well as agricultural-use
rollback calculations and current Truth-In-Taxation requirements.
Includes two examinations rather than one end of course exam.
(32 hours of instruction; 2 hours for review; 2 hours for
examination)
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Course 9:
Advanced Assessment and Collections covers specialized
assessment activities, including creating tax reinvestment
zones and assessing penalties and interest on special-use
appraisal property. A review of the current and delinquent
collections with a focus on the use of seizures and sales
and foreclosure suits as tools in delinquent collections is
included. An overview of the phases and elements in
a tax suit, and the impact of bankruptcies on property tax
collections is covered. Replaced
old Course #365. (24 hours of instruction; 2 hours for examination)
Course 10: Analyzing a Real Property Appraisal includes an end of course examination and is offered to Registered
Professional Appraiser candidates in lieu of submitting a
demonstration appraisal for their RPA designation. Sections
include appraisal analysis, USPAP, analyzing the single-family
residence, analyzing the commercial property appraisal, reviewing
a self-contained appraisal report, and reviewing appraisals
for legal purposes. This is a rigorous course requiring reading
and assignments outside of class. (21 hours of instruction
and case study; 3 hours for examination)
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Course 30: Ethics for Tax Professionals is a course about ethics for property tax professionals. Students will learn about a number of the various standards of conduct that apply to them in their respective jobs. Primary attention is given to the ethical rules of the Board of Tax Professional Examiners, but also covered are laws that frequently impact the activities of tax professionals.
(14 hours of instruction; 2 hours for review; 2 hours for examination)
Course 31: USPAP (refresher)(7 hours of instruction; no examination)
Course 32: USPAP (new registrants) addresses
the requirement that each
Registered Professional Appraiser (RPA) complete this examined
course within the calendar year following the reaching of
Level 4 RPA status. This
requirement will take effect with the Board of Tax Professional
Examiners’ requirements for USPAP training for all appraisers
effective January 1,
2006
.
Topics to be covered include This two-day
(15 hour) USPAP update course will cover the following topics:
orientation to USPAP; The Appraisal Foundation; structure
of USPAP; definitions and basic rules of USPAP; scope of work
decision; 10 Standard Rules with emphasis on Standard Rule
6 – Mass Appraisal Development and Reporting; the statements
on USPAP; and Advisory Opinions from the Appraisal Standards
Board (ASB) (14 hours of instruction; 1 hour for examination)
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Elective Courses Approved for State Certification
CEUs
Course 11: Appraisal of
Timber
Land
introduces students to the fundamental
principles of identifying and appraising timberland. The course
will present issues with regards to classifying, qualifying
and valuation of timberland and restricted-use timberland
for ad valorem tax purposes. (16 hours of instruction; 2 hours
for examination)
Course 12: Oil and Gas Appraisal is designed
to acquaint the appraiser with the techniques and considerations
involved in appraising oil and gas properties. It will help
the appraiser to understand the information developed by the
appraisal and the basic techniques involved in developing
an estimate of those values. The course presents issues with
regards to classifying, describing and appraising oil and
gas properties for ad valorem tax purposes. (16 hours of instruction;
2 hours for examination)
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Course 13:
Appraisal of Agricultural and
Open-Space
Land
introduces students to the fundamental
principles and practices of appraising agricultural and special
use properties. The course presents issues with regards to
classifying, qualifying and valuation of agricultural and
special use property for ad valorem tax purposes. (16 hours
of instruction; 2 hours for examination)
Course 14: Wildlife Management Appraisal covers
review of 1-D-1 agricultural land appraisal, qualification
of 1-D-1 wildlife land, appraisal of land for wildlife management
use, wildlife management practices and plans, valuation procedures
for 1-D-1 agricultural/wildlife land, wildlife components
required for wildlife management appraisal, roles of the Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department and the Comptroller’s
Property Tax Division, problems associated with agricultural
wildlife valuation, alternative methods of agricultural/wildlife
valuation and the seven wildlife management activities, ecological
regions and plans. Note: Students must have completed PTEC
Course 13 – Appraisal of Agricultural and
Open-Space
Land
or PTEC Course 11 – Appraisal
of Timber Land prior to enrolling in this course. (16 hours
of instruction; 2 hours for examination)
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Course
15: Basics of Mapping and Deed Records is slated
for development in the future.
Course
23: Advanced Income Approach to Value reviews advanced income approach to
value and real estate investment strategy, as well as basic
real estate finance. Both traditional and yield capitalization
are covered. Introduces students to the income capitalization
process; student will be expected to master the IRV formula,
as well as concepts of discounted cash flow analysis. This
course provides for case study of mass appraisal of income-producing
property. Required text for course is Property Assessment
Valuation, 2nd Edition (IAAO ©1996) Replaced old Course 330.
(21 hours of instruction; 2 hours for examination)
Course
25: Advanced Mass Appraisal Concepts is designed to
utilize advanced applied statistics as they relate to mass
appraisal and the personal computer. Students will be required
to understand the appraisal problem using economic theory
and appraisal principles, how to build a schedule to solve
the problem, how to apply the schedule to subject properties,
and how to document the results. The text provides an explanation
of each statistical method used and exercises provide use
of method. A case study will be used to demonstrate ratio
study statistics. (Statistics will be taught in much greater
detail than Course 5.) Prerequisites include RPA-level experience
and basic PC and spreadsheet skills. Excel is the software
program used for this course. Required text for course is
Mass Appraisal Concepts, 2nd edition (PTEC ©2002). Replaced
old course 460. (25 hours of instruction; 2 hours for examination)
Note: Course can be taught as either a "hands-on"
computer course or as a lecture-only course without use of
PCs.
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Course
26: Instructor Training is the approved course for individuals
who wish to become approved as instructors of BTPE-certification
courses. (16 hours of instruction; no examination; for state
approval, instructor candidates will need co-instruction experience
and orientation in the course(s) to be taught.)
Course
27: Appraisal of Land introduces students to the principles
of appraising land. All of the following are covered: theory
of appraising land, highest and best use, appraisal characteristics,
land appraisal methods, mass appraising land and a case study
of land tables. This course material assumes that students
have completed all basic course material. A good foundation
is essential to success in this course. Note: Students should
have completed PTEC Course 2 – Appraisal of Real Property;
PTEC Course 3 – Income Approach to Value; and PTEC Course
5 – Mass Appraisal Concepts prior to enrolling in this
course. Students will get the most from this course by participation
in the classroom discussions. This course will introduce students
to concepts of appraising both rural and urban land, both
basic land appraisal methods and mass appraisal techniques.
Required text for course is Property Assessment Valuation,
2nd Edition (IAAO ©1996) (21 hours of instruction; 1 hour
of review, 2 hours for examination)
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