Real Estate Valuer (Ex CPA) - Jobs in Halifax, NS

Job Description

The OpportunityLooking for a change of direction If you are a recently qualified (or about to be qualified) CPA who wants to take a different path with your career, one opens that up new horizons but builds on your training and experience, this may be for you. A Chartered Valuation Surveyor blends many disciplines: accounting, legal, planning, building construction, economics, statistics, surveying, valuation, finance, negotiation… this is a career which offers challenge and variety. Humdrum it is not… you may find yourself providing advice to potato farmers expropriated for the Trans-Canada Highway on Monday; negotiating with multiple landowners for the purchase of land for an industrial park on Tuesday; valuing an office building on Wednesday; appearing in Court as an expert witness on Thursday; advising and negotiating the HST on a new apartment building on Friday. This is a career most have never heard of… but once discovered find exciting, challenging, satisfying, fulfilling, remunerative, where you will be limited only by your own ambition. The position requires a broad skill set (critical thinking, financial analysis, negotiation, court work, etc.) and further company funded study employing the University of British Columbias real estate degree by distance learning. From our offices in Halifax your work will take you throughout Atlantic Canada and Ontario. It will offer a good balance between office and field work. The work environment is friendly, supportive and (usually) good fun. Our IT resources are state of the art. Check out the Case Studies on our web sites www.turnerdrake.org and www.turnerdrake.net, or our corporate web site www.turnerdrake.com , to get a flavour of the scope of work involved.About UsNine of our thirty strong staff are Chartered Surveyors. We were founded in 1975 and started with a simple vision: (1) be the benchmark by which others are measured, (2) offer clients a unique product whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. To do so, we have assembled a multi-disciplinary team, with diverse but complimentary skills, created a common training program, nurtured a collegiate culture of working together, developed an industry leading IT system, and implemented an ISO 9001:2015 registered quality control system company-wide. We invest in people; they truly are our greatest asset. From our headquarters in Halifax we now undertake consulting assignments from British Columbia to Newfoundland and all provinces and territories in-between. Our consulting team provide a smorgasbord of complementary skills, whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. They provide clients with unique, seamless solutions to their real estate problems: Valuation & Appraisal, Property Tax, Urban and Rural Planning, Economic Intelligence (Geographic Information Systems), Counselling (Infrastructure Acquisition, First Nations Land Claims, Hydro Electric Projects…), Lasercad® Space Measurement and Brokerage (Sales & Leasing). You will enrich that mix and bring your own specialist skill set to the table.Operating ModelWe have offices in five provinces: Nova Scotia (Halifax), Newfoundland (St. Johns), Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown), New Brunswick (Saint John) and Ontario (Toronto). They are presently staffed from Halifax but are fully equipped with desks, work stations (tied into our Virtual Private Network) and printers to serve as a base whilst working in those cities.We have been operating electronically for decades: we installed our first computer terminal in 1978, started working remotely in the early 1980s, and our files have been electronic since 1990. When the pandemic burst onto the scene we pivoted seamlessly to working from home. However, we recognise that work of a creative or collaborative nature benefits from personal interaction, ideas are frequently the result of chance meetings, impromptu remarks and the accidental clash of opinion. The ability to readily bounce ideas off colleagues often opens up the pathway to a more optimum solution and relieves "writers block". Social interaction with peers reduces stress, and the opportunity to leave the workday behind after leaving the office is important to a civilised work-life balance. We pass this way once and family time lost to work can never be recovered. Work should be enjoyable, satisfying, social, enable self-esteem and contribute to society, as well as providing financial support for oneself and family. Our operating model is therefore firmly "office based" with the flexibility to work remotely when the situation demands it.Skills and QualificationsYou will be a recently qualified (or about to be qualified) CPA who is comfortable working with figures but is looking for a well-rounded multidisciplinary career that involves physical, legal as well as fiscal dimensions. You will have an insatiable desire to learn and take advantage of the companys training program which includes the University of British Columbias Bachelor of Business in Real Estate (BBRE) degree. You will be interested in building on your CPA by rapidly combining it with training and education in real estate. You will have private sector work experience and be well grounded. You will be interested in a career rather than just a job, something which will get you up in the morning with a spring in your step. You will want to work with colleagues who share your enthusiasm. You will enjoy variety and merit the respect of your peers. You will value working in a team environment, have an eye for detail, be thorough, trustworthy, reliable, and will benefit from the opinions of your colleagues. You will have an enquiring mind and a sense of humour. This position is the antithesis of a government job, so if you enjoy the mundane this is definitely not for you.TrainingWe have a choreographed training program which blends company funded study from the University of British Columbias real estate degree, our own 27 in house training modules, and on the job training under the guidance of a mentor. It is not our intention that you go through all of that program. We will escalate, modify and condense the training to take advantage of your CPA but may cycle you through our Lasercad® Space Measurement, Economic Intelligence, Valuation, Property Tax and Counselling Divisions where appropriate so that you can benefit from a broad exposure to real estate counselling. You will also work with our Planning and Brokerage Divisions. Our training program is designed to "stretch" you, so a keen interest in learning and a desire "to be the best" is essential. At the same time, we appreciate that you have already completed the grueling CPA program, much of which will be relevant, so our emphasis will be on identifying the areas that will benefit from education and training to round out a career as a Chartered Valuation Surveyor. This is something we would determine with you. 75% of your work will be valuation, the remainder counselling and property tax. This isnt a typical valuation, property tax or accounting position grinding out cookie cutter assignments. We need somebody with vision who can see the forest, not just the trees. A professional focused on assisting clients meet their strategic goals, not just their immediate needs.The Sexy StuffWe asked four members of our professional staff who had recently joined us after university what they enjoyed most about their careers with us. Whilst this is not directly applicable since you will be joining us at a senior level, this is what they said:"What I like most about the job is that Ive only been working full-time for just over a month and I have already been given the chance to do work on my own, which gave me a sense of pride and felt rewarding. Its something that I never thought that I would be doing (a career in real estate) but have found it very interesting and I am always learning new things"."Dealing directly with business owners… ability to be autonomous in my work… having the breadth of knowledge in the different Divisions means that Ive got access to colleagues who provide advice on so many facets of real estate: it would probably take three to four companies to amass the same type of exposure to these types of people if I hadnt come to Turner Drake. At my former employer (a bank) we also spanned several Divisions but generally the physical separation of employees prevented a lot of exposure to different business lines"."The workload is always changing and evolving. Unlike most office jobs we spend a fair amount of time in the field as well. Doing inspections allows us to interact with clients and continuously expand our knowledge of buildings and their structural/mechanical make-up which allows us to stay current with todays technology and building systems… The knowledge base which we are surrounded by is incredible and always available to us. We can walk across the hall and get advice from some of the industrys leading consultants while also having in-house training modules and post-secondary studies provided by the company… The training schedule provides structure and motivation looking forward to the future"."My favourite aspect of the job is the variety of work that I have been exposed to in my first two years with Turner Drake. I like that there is a mixture of time spent at the office doing desk work (CAD drawings, research, etc.) mixed in with inspections. Ive also really appreciated the mentor/mentee system. Having a senior staff member to work with early on has proven invaluable in my learning process. I also liked the opportunity to act as a Lead Consultant on large Lasercad® assignments within months of starting at TDP".CompensationThis is a salaried position with a benefits and pension package (after a vesting period).Commencement DateAvailable immediately.Application:Submit your CV (with proof of your professional qualifications) together with a letter (500 words) explaining why you believe you are suited for this position by email to:Mark Turner, B.Comm., DULE, BBRE, MRICS, MAI, AACIPresidentTurner Drake & Partners Ltd.Real Estate Counsellors6182 North StreetHalifax NS Canada B3K 1P5Email: markturner@turnerdrake.comApplicants will be interviewed as they apply.Date PostedNov 5, 2021TypeFull-time - PermanentCareer LevelExperiencedCategoryAccounting and FinancialCompetition NumberREVCPA1105-CBWebsitehttp://www.turnerdrake.comQuick Apply

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