Description
Appraise real estate and develop credible opinions of market value for lending, sales, litigation, and other purposes by inspecting properties, analyzing market data, and preparing USPAP-compliant reports.
- • Compute final estimates of market value using the cost, sales comparison, and income approaches, accounting for depreciation and replacement costs.
- • Prepare USPAP-compliant written appraisal reports that document methods, analyses, and conclusions.
- • Inspect subject properties, including new construction and major improvements, to assess condition, quality, and functionality.
- • Collect and analyze market data to identify trends affecting value.
- • Maintain organized workfiles and property records for each assignment, including photos, maps, and notes.
- • Explain appraisal scope, methods, and conclusions to clients and stakeholders; defend opinions in reviews, mediation, or testimony.
- • Verify ownership, legal descriptions, easements, and encumbrances using public records.
- • Measure structures and create sketches to determine gross living area and building areas.
- • Review and verify sales, listings, and rentals of comparable properties; make adjustments and reconcile indications of value.
- • Analyze income and expense statements, rent rolls, and operating costs for income-producing properties.
- • Evaluate site, neighborhood, and location factors, including trends and external influences on value.
- • Monitor local real estate markets and maintain current knowledge of supply, demand, and regulatory changes.
- • Search public records, MLS, and data services for sales, leases, permits, and prior assessments relevant to the appraisal.
- • Assess zoning, land use, building codes, and flood or environmental constraints for their impact on use and value.
- • Interview property owners, brokers, contractors, and other knowledgeable parties to obtain pertinent information.
- • Photograph property interiors, exteriors, and site features to support analyses and reports.
- • Gather land values and comparable sales from county sources, MLS, and market participants.
- • Analyze access to services and amenities - schools, retail, parks, and transit - and their effect on value.
- • Estimate replacement and reproduction costs using cost manuals, construction data, and professional estimators.
- • Prepare site plans or land diagrams and include them in appraisal reports.
- • Provide expert witness testimony on real estate value in courts or administrative proceedings.
- • Adhere to confidentiality, ethics, and record-keeping standards, including USPAP and client requirements.
- • Develop highest and best use analyses for land and improved properties.
- • Identify and quantify physical, functional, and external obsolescence affecting improvements.
Related specializations
Interview options
Interview options
Interviewee gender
Interviewee accent
Interview time
Related Pathways
Financial Services
View
Source
Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
Learn more
Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
