BEFORE closing that deal on a home or other property, the valuation surveyor is the professional whose input you need.

They provide you with

an accurate assessment as

to value of the piece of

real estate.

Career & Education talks this week to Kari Douglas, general manager of Easton Douglas and Company, where her main function is to oversee the administration of the

office and support staff, for insight into the profession.

She has previously worked with Coldwell Banker Jamaica, KB Real Estate in Kingston and September Homes Limited in Manchester.

A past student of St Andrew, High for Girls and St Hildas Diocesan High School, the

28-year-old, who has been in the field for going on five years, holds her first degree in land economy and valuation surveying from the University of Technology.

Who is a valuation surveyor?

A valuation surveyor is a specialised professional practice arising from the study of land economy and valuation surveying, land administration or estate management. As a result of the training, there

are other competences

that are relevant, [namely] auctioneering, real estate sales and rentals, property management, and planning, and development consultancy, etc. Valuation surveying is concerned with the appraisal and valuation of property for the purposes of investment

in land, advising financial

and banking institutions

with respect to mortgages, providing companies with information related to their assets and financial portfolio, providing persons and institutions with evidence to support their applications for mortgage loans and other financial proposals. A land economist and valuation surveyor is also capable

of managing or giving

advice with respect to

strata properties and townhouses, etc.

What is the value of the work that you do?

The work that I do contributes significantly to national development, to support investment proposals, to advise people with respect to their property taxes, and their real property assets. It also advises vendors or purchasers with respect to the worth of properties they intend to invest in or dispose of.

What was it that prompted your entry into the field?

I thought it was a good professional choice because of the diversity of the subject areas, the versatility which it provides with respect to property administration, the fact that it entailed both field work and office work, since I’m not the type of individual who desired to be tied

down around a desk, and

the opportunity for continuing professional development,

for getting to learn more

about Jamaica and for meeting persons from various socio-economic backgrounds.

What are the academic requirements for entry into the field?

The academic requirements for entry include a specific amount of O Level and A Level passes, or previous tertiary qualification in another disclipine.

What other skills and/or competencies are required in your line of work?

All of the skills and competencies that are required are achieved during the course of training and practical application. Some of these include map reading, planning and title research, measurement of land and buildings, GIS application, and market research.

What do you most enjoy about the work that you do?

I mainly enjoy the opportunity to travel and conduct property inspections and research throughout the island [as well as] to network with other land and property professionals (lawyers, quantity surveyors, contractors, architects, etc), and to give specialist advice and participate in analysis and discussion.

What are the challenges that you face on the job?

[The challenges include] locating and identifying the property to be inspected; gathering and analysing market data; travelling for substantial distances, sometimes on roads in poor condition; my inability to access premises, sometimes after travelling far distances; and in some instances initial attitudes from certain owners.

Trained as a valuation surveyor, what sort of employment options are open to you?

Options for employment include [work with] private sector investment and financial companies, including banks; several government institutions and agencies; insurance companies; property management companies, [and] real estate development companies, etc.

Why would you encourage anyone to get into thisline of work?

You are exposed to a wide spectrum of knowledge, opportunities to meet different categories of professionals, opportunities to get to know the island, a versatility in terms of employment options, the ability to balance both office and field operations, and the potential of having an independent practice where you can ‘hang up your

own shingle’.

How much can one earnon an annual basis inthis line of work?

Salaries are earned depending on your grade and experience in the public or private sector. In the private sector, you can earn millions upon millions, depending the faculty of practice. This simply means that if you are involved in sales and rentals, and property management, you can earn more than perhaps if you were in the public sector doing only land administrative work.