Extras · 1 of 4

A typical day

Two or three inspections in the morning, spread across town. At each one you measure the outside, sketch the layout, photograph every room, note the condition and the upgrades, and check what the owner tells you against what you can see. Then back to a desk for the longer half of the job: pulling comparable sales, adjusting for differences, writing the analysis and defending the number. A lender or a review appraiser may come back with questions, and you have to answer them from the file.