Assessment Matters by Valuebase.ai

Assessment Matters presented by Valuebase is a weekly show that delves into the world of real estate valuation and property assessment. Our expert guests share their insights on the latest trends and techniques in the field, and offer practical advice for professionals in the industry. Whether you're a seasoned appraiser or new to the field, you'll find valuable information and inspiration. From understanding mass appraisal methodologies to staying up-to-date on the latest technology, our podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in the world of real estate valuation.

Assessment Matters by Valuebase.ai is a technology podcast hosted by Will Jarvis, with 84 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Will Jarvis hosts Assessment Matters by Valuebase.ai, a technology show with 84 episodes published.

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  Assessment Matters by Valuebase.ai

  84: Ellen Brideau | Annual Revals, Equitable Exemptions, and Defending Against AI-Generated Appeals

  Aug 26, 202614 min

  Join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with Ellen Brideau, a veteran Massachusetts assessor with 20 years in the field and roots in assessment going back to the early 1980s. Ellen shares her perspective on why annual reassessments lead to fairer outcomes, makes a case for broadening the tax base by reconsidering exemptions for nonprofits and institutions, and discusses the importance of good property data and letting assessors inside homes. She also touches on career advice for new professionals entering the field and previews her upcoming conference presentation on identifying and defending against AI-generated property tax appeals. 00:00 - Introduction and Ellen Brideau's background in Massachusetts assessing 01:48 - What the public most misunderstands about property taxes 03:30 - How Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire differ on reassessment cycles 05:55 - Policy ideas: broadening the tax base and reconsidering exemptions for nonprofits and institutions 07:48 - Assessment caps, deed-restricted affordable housing, and full market value in Massachusetts 09:22 - Personal lessons from a career in assessment and advice for new professionals 12:00 - AI-generated appeals: how Ellen was caught off guard and what she's learning

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  Assessment Matters by Valuebase.ai

  83: Brad Elridge | Splitting the Pizza: Community, Exemptions, and the Case for Property Tax

  Aug 14, 202630 min

  Join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with Brad Elridge, county appraiser in Lawrence, Kansas, to discuss the case for property tax and how to reframe it as shared community investment. The conversation covers the challenges of vertical equity and valuing properties at both ends of the spectrum, the administrative burden of exemptions and assessment caps, the impact of declining community bonds on public attitudes toward taxation, and lessons from states like California and Florida on what happens when tax policy goes sideways. 00:00 - Introduction and Brad's background spanning private and public sector appraisal 04:22 - Rebranding property tax as shared community expenses 06:42 - Why property taxes feel more painful than income taxes and the case for monthly payments 09:47 - Progressive property taxation, vertical equity, and the challenge of valuing high-end and low-end properties 13:43 - The problem with exemptions: administrative burden, unfunded mandates, and policy creep 15:42 - Assessment caps, inequity, and lessons from California and Florida 20:42 - The need for a property tax policy playbook for policymakers 23:36 - Declining community bonds, cultural shifts, and their connection to anti-tax sentiment 26:30 - Economic signals, retail sales trends, and navigating uncertain times 29:20 - Brad's one-sentence pitch: splitting the pizza as a community

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  Assessment Matters by Valuebase.ai

  82: James Cusick | Land Value Tax, Henry George, and the Case Against Speculation

  Aug 13, 202622 min

  Join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with James Cusick, a former AT&T Bell Laboratories software engineer and adjunct faculty member at Columbia University, who found his way to property tax policy through the Henry George School in Manhattan. The conversation covers the principles of land value taxation, how a single tax on land could replace all other taxes at the local, city, and even federal level, the role of land value capture in transit-oriented development like New York's High Line and subway system, and the problem of speculative land-holding in cities like New York and Detroit. James also shares insights from Japan's public-private partnership model for rail and real estate development, and introduces the interactive tools he's built to help policymakers and the public explore Georgist economics. 00:00 - Introduction to Assessment Matters and guest James Cusick 00:37 - James's background in software engineering at Bell Labs and Columbia University 01:33 - Discovering the Henry George School and the concept of land value tax 02:42 - Building a land value tax calculator covering all U.S. counties 04:38 - How a single land value tax could replace all other taxes, including New York City's $125 billion budget 05:53 - The pitch to policymakers: simplification, administrative efficiency, and reducing speculation 07:42 - Land value capture examples: NYC subway system, the High Line, and Battery Park City 09:33 - The problem of vacant lots and speculative land-holding in cities 11:52 - Property tax as a "ticket to ride" for public services and the investment vs. affordability tradeoff 15:33 - Henry George's anti-speculation philosophy and its modern relevance 17:48 - Japan's public-private partnership model for rail and real estate development 20:19 - Where to find the Henry George School's tools: LVT calculator, Global Georgism Viewer, subway land value tool, and AI Henry George avatar

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  Assessment Matters by Valuebase.ai

  81: The Big Picture: Why Property Taxes Matter for Economic Growth and How AI Is Changing the Office

  Jul 31, 202644 min

  Join host Will Jarvis as he delivers a wide-ranging conference presentation covering the macro case for property taxes, the mechanics of AI and large language models, and what these technologies mean for assessment offices. Will draws on his background as a mass appraisal researcher and CEO of ValueBase to explain why property taxes are the most efficient form of taxation for economic growth, how the historical Georgist movement shaped American assessment practices, and why AI tools—from machine learning valuation models to LLMs—are poised to transform day-to-day workflows for assessors while requiring careful validation and human oversight. 00:00 - Introduction to the presentation and Will Jarvis's background in mass appraisal research and founding ValueBase 03:24 - The big picture: total factor productivity, slowing economic growth since the 1970s, and why it matters 06:35 - Why property taxes are more efficient than income and sales taxes for driving economic growth 10:09 - Henry George and the historical roots of American property tax policy 12:33 - Tax revolts, vertical and horizontal equity challenges, and the capacity crisis in assessment offices 15:25 - Three revolutions in valuation: from the Sommer System ledger method to CAMA to the AI era 18:00 - Why AI is happening now: cheaper compute, the Attention Is All You Need breakthrough, and how LLMs actually work 24:24 - Sam Altman's Moore's Law for Everything thesis and its connection to property tax 27:00 - The emerging core skill: managing AI models with real-world context and validating outputs 30:14 - What LLMs are and aren't: not databases, not search engines, and not magic 33:09 - Machine learning valuation models: gradient boosted trees, overfitting risks, and the big five property characteristics 37:22 - Practical LLM use cases for assessors: drafting correspondence, summarizing, research, and brainstorming 39:38 - Key pitfalls: hallucinations, math errors, out-of-date knowledge, and data privacy considerations

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  Assessment Matters by Valuebase.ai

  80: Will Jarvis | Community, Service, and the Case for Fair Property Taxes

  Jul 23, 202624 min

  Join host Will Jarvis for a special impromptu episode recorded at a conference in Charlottesville, Virginia, where Jay — a Norfolk-based assessor and host of the Conversations in the Mirror podcast — flips the script and interviews Will. Together they explore how property taxes fund local communities, the regressive nature of current assessment models, tax abatements for large commercial properties like stadiums, practical AI tools for entrepreneurs and assessors, and what drove Will to build Valuebase from rural North Carolina into an $8 million-funded company serving assessment offices nationwide. 00:00 - Introduction and how Jay's impromptu interview came together at a Charlottesville conference 02:00 - Will's background: growing up in rural eastern North Carolina and attending UNC Chapel Hill 03:30 - The founder mindset: balancing arrogance with humility and outworking the competition 05:00 - What kept Will going through the hardest startup moments: mission over money 06:45 - What Valuebase does: building automated valuation models and tackling regressive property taxes 08:30 - How property owners should think about property taxes as community investment 10:30 - Property taxes as the foundation of local government revenue (65-75% of city budgets) 12:00 - Tax abatements for stadiums and large corporations: who really bears the burden 14:00 - Favorite AI tools: Claude, Grok, Gemini, Perplexity, and why specificity matters over AI hype 16:00 - Practical AI advice: setting up Claude CoWork for daily workflows 17:00 - How Will raised $8 million: podcasting, relationship-building, and asking for advice instead of money 19:00 - Rapid-fire reflections: Will's definitions of success, service, and identity as a founder 21:30 - The 10-year vision: Valuebase in 80% of U.S. assessment jurisdictions and the Jack Dangermond inspiration

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