Appraiser

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

• $125K — $163K *
Real Estate & Construction
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of experience in real property appraisal and valuation analysis.
  • Expertise in managing complex real estate contracts and appraisal processes.
  • Strong analytical skills for market data and financial analysis.
  • Ability to communicate valuation findings to diverse audiences.
  • Familiarity with USPAP and FIRREA standards.

Responsibilities

  • Manage appraisal activities for a nationwide portfolio of properties.
  • Develop and review complex property valuations and analyses.
  • Advise management on acquisitions, leasing, and site selection.
  • Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders on appraisal activities.
  • Ensure compliance with professional appraisal standards and regulations.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work in a diverse and collaborative environment.
  • Engagement in meaningful work that supports national security.
  • Potential for career advancement within the federal government.
  • Access to comprehensive training and professional development programs.
  • Flexible work locations across multiple states.
Full Job Description
Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Facilities and Asset Management, Integrated Services Division, Real Property Program Management Office located in Washington, DC; Indianapolis, IN; Euless, TX; and Aliso Viejo, CA..

The open period for this job opportunity announcement may be extended to allow for a sufficient applicant pool.

Duties

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This position is located within the Integrated Services (IS) Division, which brings together a diverse workforce, including Certified Program Managers, acquisition professionals, Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs), energy and environmental specialists, real estate professionals, architects, engineers, and technical designers to develop optimal solutions to meet the needs of OFAM and business partner. The Appraiser serves as CBP's senior real property valuation expert, managing appraisal activities and contracts for a nationwide portfolio of owned and leased properties. The position develops and reviews complex property valuations, analyzes market and financial data, advises on acquisitions, leasing, dispositions, and site selection, and ensures appraisal work meets applicable professional and legal standards.

This work supports CBP's mission by enabling informed, cost-effective real estate decisions that provide and preserve the facilities and property resources needed for effective operations.

This position starts at a salary of $125,776.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $163,514.00 (GS-14, Step 10).

GS Salary: Visit this link to view the locality pay tables by geographic area. If you do not see your geographic area listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level and location of the position.Please visit this link to view special pay rate charts.

  • Supports the Real Property Program Management Office (RPPMO) by providing well-supported valuation analyses to inform decisions involving potential condemnations, property-value disputes, or other real estate matters with legal implications.
  • Provides management with guidance on valuation methodologies and appraisal practices to support compliance with applicable professional standards, including the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), and relevant laws and regulations.
  • Coordinates appraisal activities with RPPMO staff, real estate specialists, attorneys, engineers, contractors, and internal and external stakeholders to integrate valuation information into overall real estate planning and management decisions.
  • Initiates, obtains, and critically reviews staff and contractor-prepared appraisals to ensure compliance with applicable appraisal standards, regulations, and contract requirements, including FIRREA, USPAP, and other relevant guidance.
  • Serves as a technical expert by developing and reviewing appraisal analyses and providing valuation findings and recommendations that support management decisions on property acquisition, leasing, disposition, site selection, and other critical real estate matters.


Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service
  • Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years (additional details below)
  • All pre-employment processes will be conducted in English
  • You may be required to pass a background investigation
  • CBP follows the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan for drug testing procedures
  • As an employee of CBP, you will be joining a workforce that is dedicated to accomplishing our mission while maintaining the trust of our Nation by strictly adhering to all government ethics standards. Your conduct will be subject to the ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, and to CBP employees specifically, as well as the criminal conflict of interest statutes. Once you enter on duty, these rules include obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity, to ensure such employment or business activity is not prohibited and does not interfere or conflict with performance of your official duties. Please review further details via the following link.
  • DHS uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities.
  • Financial Disclosure is required.
  • Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.
  • Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary, performed in an office setting. However, the position requires occasional
    travel to conduct site visits and property inspections. These visits may involve walking, bending,
    stooping, and climbing stairs. The employee may occasionally carry light objects such as appraisal
    reports, blueprints, or presentation materials. No extraordinary physical demands are required.


Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for the GS-14 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

  • Conducting, reviewing, or managing appraisals and valuation analyses for complex real property, such as commercial, industrial, mixed-use, specialized, or environmentally impacted properties.
  • Analyzing real estate market data, comparable sales, income and expense information, property characteristics, and cost data to develop or validate property-value, rental-rate, or restoration-cost estimates.
  • Managing appraisal or real estate service contracts, including developing scopes of work, reviewing contractor deliverables, monitoring performance, and resolving issues affecting cost, schedule, or quality.
  • Providing valuation findings, real estate recommendations, and technical briefings to senior leaders and stakeholders to support property acquisition, leasing, disposition, site-selection, investment, or portfolio-management decisions.
  • Reviewing appraisal reports for compliance with applicable professional appraisal standards, contract requirements, and valuation methodologies, and explaining appraisal conclusions to technical and non-technical audiences.


NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Please see the "Required Documents" section below for additional resume requirements.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You must meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process by 10/06/2026.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Background Investigation: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. For additional information on the preemployment process, review the following link: Applicant Resources | CBP Careers

Residency: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates (as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years. If you do not meet the residency requirement and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two of the last five years, you may request an exception to determine if you are eligible for a residency waiver by meeting one or more of the following conditions:

  • Working for the U.S. Government as a federal civilian or as a member of the military
  • A dependent who was authorized to accompany a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. government
  • Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university
  • Working as a contractor, intern, consultant or volunteer supporting the U.S. government


Probationary Period: All employees new to the federal government must serve a one year probationary period during the first year of his/her initial permanent federal appointment to determine fitness for continued employment. Current and former federal employees may be required to serve or complete a probationary period.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibilityon OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered eligible under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be placed in the Well-Qualified category for this position, as described within this announcement. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this job announcement.

Education

Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.

Additional information

The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. To preview the questionnaire please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/[redacted]

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.

Please upload your resume under the "Resume" document type. Any other relevant supporting documents should be uploaded under their appropriate document types as mentioned above. Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages wi

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