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Appraisers of Personal and Business Property

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeLower pressure

What they do

Appraise and estimate the fair value of tangible personal or business property, such as jewelry, art, antiques, collectibles, and equipment. May also appraise land.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $67,960 Median per year · $32.67/hr Most earn $40,030–$122,660

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Create and maintain a database of completed appraisals.
  • Calculate the value of property based on comparisons to recent sales, estimated cost to reproduce, and anticipated property income streams.
  • Create and maintain a database of completed appraisals.
  • Locate and record data on sales of comparable property using specialized software, internet searches, or personal records.
  • Write descriptions of the property being appraised.
  • Inspect personal or business property.

Job outlook

United States
4% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 5,200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't break this career out by industry.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Personal and business property appraisal is not usually an entry-level job. Most people earn a bachelor's degree and then spend about 2 to 4 years in related work, such as auction or antiques work, before appraising on their own. Your results are a starting point, so treat this as one possible route rather than the only one.

  1. Bachelor's degree in art history, finance, economics, or business

    4 years

    A degree gives you the broad knowledge and writing skills that appraisal work needs, and it is the typical education for this career.

  2. Auction Assistant or Antiques Shop Associate

    1-2 years

    You learn to handle, describe, and price real items, and you see how buyers and sellers talk about value.

  3. Junior Appraiser

    1-2 years

    You work under a senior appraiser, write reports, and build the experience needed to value items on your own.

  4. Appraiser of Personal and Business Property

    Ongoing

    You estimate the fair value of jewelry, art, antiques, collectibles, and equipment for clients such as owners, insurers, or courts.

Where it can lead

  1. Senior Appraiser

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take on harder, higher-value items, review other appraisers' work, and handle more complex clients and cases.

  2. Appraisal Manager

    5 years or more of experience first

    You oversee a team of appraisers, set quality standards, and manage the workload and client relationships for the group.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math, economics, and an art or history classMath helps with valuation and economics explains how markets set prices, while art or history gives you background on the items you will one day value.
  • Get a part-time job at a pawn shop, thrift store, or consignment shopHandling many different items and pricing them teaches you to judge condition and value early.
  • Volunteer at a local museum, historical society, or library archiveYou will learn how collections are cataloged and cared for, and you can meet people who work with valuable objects.
  • Join an art, history, or collectors clubClub members share knowledge about items and markets, and you can build a network of people who know the field.
  • Keep a notebook of items you see and their detailsRecording materials, marks, age, and condition builds the habit of careful observation that appraisers rely on.

In college

  • Choose a major in finance, economics, art history, or accountingAny of these gives you a solid base in value, markets, or the history of objects, which all support appraisal work.
  • Find an internship at an auction house, museum, or appraisal firmHands-on experience with real items and real clients is one of the best ways to get into this career.
  • Work a part-time job at an antiques, jewelry, or consignment storeRegular work with valuable goods builds your product knowledge and gives you references for later jobs.
  • Take writing and report-writing coursesAppraisers write detailed documents that clients and courts rely on, so strong writing is a real advantage.
  • Join a student business or art clubClub roles like treasurer or event organizer build the organizing and client-facing skills the job needs.

Tips for getting started

  • Build a habit of studying values: visit auctions, museums, and antique shops, and note what items sell for and why.
  • Learn to write clear, detailed descriptions and reports, since a large part of appraisal work is documenting what you found.
  • Look into professional appraisal credentials and organizations once you have some experience. Many appraisers earn them to build trust with clients.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

  • Finance and Financial Management Services Bachelor's degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $59,998 a year · typical debt $20,250
  • Accounting and Related Services Bachelor's degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $59,002 a year · typical debt $21,462
  • Business/Commerce, General Bachelor's degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $52,236 a year · typical debt $22,145
  • Fine and Studio Arts Bachelor's degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $30,942 a year · typical debt $21,500
  • Real Estate Bachelor's degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $61,645 a year · typical debt $19,970
  • Insurance Bachelor's degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $62,910 a year · typical debt $19,500

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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