Course Descriptions

The IPAI offers a wide variety of exam and seminar courses throughout the year. To see our full list of course offerings, browse below or click on the file (pdf.) below for previous course descriptions. The IPAI has several new courses on the calendar, as well as updated qualifying courses. Any new courses are highlighted on the course descriptions file. Please note that this is a comprehensive list of IPAI courses, but many may not be on our current course schedule.

For more information about our courses, contact the IPAI staff.

Historical Course Descriptions


 

Course Descriptions

Over the years, several course titles have been changed. When determining whether you have taken a course or not, please refer to the course numbers, not the course titles. Course numbers have not changed. Students may not take both the seminar and exam sections of the same course. Credit will only be issued for one or the other. It is also important to read the “Special Notes” associated with each course to determine if there are restrictions associated with the course.

 

 

QUALIFYING CORE COURSES

Introduction to Assessment in Illinois
002-401 Exam Only
This is an introductory course and will introduce students to the Illinois property tax system. Topics of discussion include: definition of …
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Property Valuation
002-402 Exam Only
This is an introductory course that covers all three approaches to value. Additional topics include: discovery and listing property, value and …
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The Basics of Mass Appraisal
002-403 Exam Only
This is an introductory course and will focus on mass appraisal techniques. Topics of discussion will include: single property appraisal vs. …
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Ethics for New Assessment Professionals
002-404 Exam Only
Ethics for New Assessment Professionals encourages property assessment professionals to consider ethical decision making in their role as public servants. …
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CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES

Appraising After a Disaster or in Traumatic Events
002-210 Seminar Only
Stuff happens! Assessment officials are constantly faced with appraising property after a disaster – whether natural or man-made. Disasters discussed …
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Case Studies in the Appeal Process
002-127 Seminar
This course examines the legal basis for assessment administration in Illinois. Pivotal court decisions that have resolved issues in the …
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Commercial Complaints at the Local Level
Commercial Complaints at the Local Level is the much-anticipated counterpart to our residential course. This new class will discuss how …
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Exploring Assessment Ethics
002-310 Seminar Only
Exploring Assessment Ethics is the version of our ethics course available for CE credit. Those looking for qualifying credit need register …
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Homestead Exemptions in Illinois
002-301 Exam | 002-300 Seminar
The purpose of this course on homestead exemptions is to provide a comprehensive look at Illinois Homestead Exemptions from the …
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Illinois Tax Policy
002-213 Exam | 002-214 Seminar
This course is for assessment officials who are inquisitive about tax policy and how it relates to property assessment. The …
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Introduction to GIS
002-814 Seminar Only
The Introduction to GIS course is a 1-day seminar presented by Sidwell. The class will focus on the display, managing, …
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Introduction to Income Producing Properties
002-125 Exam | 002-130 Seminar
This course introduces students to basic income producing property appraisal terms and procedures. This course builds upon basic appraisal theory …
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Land Valuation
002-658 Seminar | 002-659 Exam
Determining the value of land is one of the fundamental responsibilities of assessing officials. This course will discuss everything needed …
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Legal Descriptions for Assessors
002-015 Exam | 002-014 Seminar
This course will cover several of the most common types of legal descriptions, along with the mapping principles behind them. …
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Neighborhood Analysis
002-273 Exam | 002-272 Seminar
The purpose of this course is to provide a comprehensive look at the importance of neighborhoods in mass appraisal. This …
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Office Management
002-144 Exam | 002-143 Seminar
Public attention is focused on financial operations of the office such as budgeting for public funds, output accuracy, performance skill, …
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Oil and Gas Assessments
This new one-day seminar will address the responsibilities of assessment officials in valuing oil and gas. The class will cover …
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Partial Interests and Taxable Leaseholds
002-226 Exam | 002-225 Seminar
Real estate transactions are routinely affected by conditions where some, but not all, of the property rights are transferred, such …
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Practical Math for Assessing Officials
002-255 Exam | 002-778 Seminar
This course focuses on basic mathematical functions that assessment official’s use regularly. Topics covered in this course include: mathematical symbols, decimals, …
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Preferential Assessments
002-312 Exam | 002-311 Seminar
The purpose of this course is to provide a comprehensive look at Illinois preferential assessments from the initial constitutional authority …
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Real Estate Law
002-994 Exam | 002-505 Seminar
This course is designed to familiarize assessing officials with the points of law regarding real property and real estate. An …
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Residential Complaints at the Local Level
002-223 Seminar Only
It is essential that assessors are competent and empowered to communicate with homeowners regarding values, to prepare professional and compelling …
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Residential Data Collection
002-353 Exam Only
Residential Data Collection takes the topic of residential fieldwork and explores further into in-office reviews, field visit planning, data collection …
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Residential Quality, Condition & Effective Age
002-431 Seminar Only
This workshop will review the characteristics that determine construction quality for residential properties by use of the Marshall & Swift …
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RETDs from Township to State
002-207 Exam | 002-206 Seminar
This course will provide both the novice assessor and the seasoned professional with a review of the basic procedures that …
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Sales Ratio Analysis Using Excel
002-212 Seminar Only
In this course, students will learn how to use Microsoft Excel to perform sales ratio studies. An overview of sales …
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The Income Approach: A Detailed Examination
002-818 Exam | 002-858 Seminar
This course is intended to provide students with a thorough review of the income approach so that they become very …
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Valuation of Farm Buildings
002-227 Exam | 002-217 Seminar
Rural assessors—this course is for you! In this course, you will learn how to locate new farm buildings in your …
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Valuation of High-End & Difficult Residential Properties
002-208 Seminar | 002-209 Exam
The purpose of this workshop is to provide some guidance and suggestions on the process of data collection and analysis …
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Valuation of Low-End Residential Properties
002-139 Seminar | 002-140 Exam
The purpose of this workshop is to provide assistance in the valuation of low-end and difficult residential properties that often …
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Valuation of Manufactured Housing
002-101 Seminar Only
Topics for this session include history, trends, how to distinguish between manufactured homes, modular homes, panelized homes and pre-cut or …
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Valuation of Self Storage Properties
002-141 Seminar Only
Almost every assessment jurisdiction has some type of self-storage property on their assessment roll.  Purpose of this workshop is to …
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