Appraisal Work
Work Environment
Appraisers and assessors of real estate held about 83,700 jobs in 2012. About 27 percent were self-employed. The industries that employed the most appraisers and assessors of real estate in 2012 were as follows:
| Activities related to real estate | 30% |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 29 |
| Credit intermediation and related activities | 4 |
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 3 |
| Offices of real estate agents and brokers | 1 |
Although appraisers and assessors of real estate work in offices, they spend a large part of their day conducting site visits. Time spent on site versus in the office depends on the specialty. For example, residential appraisers tend to spend less time on office work than commercial appraisers, who might spend up to several weeks analyzing information and writing reports on one property. Appraisers who work for banks and mortgage companies generally spend most of their time inside the office, making site visits only when necessary.
Work Schedules
Appraisers and assessors of real estate typically work full time during regular business hours. However, self-employed appraisers, often called independent fee appraisers, usually work more than a standard 40-hour workweek, because they must often write reports during evenings and on weekends.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate,
on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/appraisers-and-assessors-of-real-estate.htm (visited September 06, 2014).