The current highlands county property appraiser is Honorable C. Raymond McIntyre, CFA. This is a position that is elected by the voters within Highlands County. The responsibilities include determining the value of properties within Highlands County and conducting physical property inspections.

This office is a government office and it has hours typical for any government agency. It is open Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. The office is closed on weekends and holidays. The office can also be contacted by phone, fax, and email.

The job of the Highlands County Property Appraiser is one that is very detailed and can be quite complicated. When trying to determine the value of a piece of property the appraiser much know what the selling price is for similar properties, how much the cost would be to replace the property today, what the costs would be to operate and repair the property, and how much it could be rented for. When the appraiser has determined these numbers they then have three ways of determining the value of the property. One way is to compare the property to similar properties that have sold recently. Another option is to determine how much it would cost to replace the property, less any depreciation, at today’s prices. The final way is to combine the first two options and also take into consideration the upkeep and maintenance costs involved with the property. This last option is normally used for rental property, business structures and other unusual types of buildings.

The site for the Highlands County Property Appraiser also contains links to other useful websites like Highlands County Tax Collector, Board of County Commissioners, Highlands County Clerk of Courts, Highlands County Supervisor of Elections, Highlands County Sheriff, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Florida Department of Revenue, State of Florida Phone Directory, International Association of Assessing Officers “IAAO”, Florida Chapter “IAAO”, and Florida Association of Counties.

Not only is the Highlands County Property Appraiser an important department dealing with the value and amount of taxation for properties within the county it is also an office that wants to help the citizens of Highlands County.