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Real Estate Appraiser: Occupations in Alberta - alis
Can you figure out what something’s worth? Are you good at collecting the details needed to make a decision? Can you handle math and estimating space? Then you may want to calculate your career success as a real estate appraiser.
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Occupations in Alberta
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Real Estate Appraiser

Real estate appraisers estimate the value of vacant and improved residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and other real estate properties.

Contents Expand All
Also Known As

Appraiser, Property Appraiser, Real Property Appraiser, Residential Appraiser

NOC Codes

In Canada, the federal government groups and organizes occupations based on a National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This alis occupation may not reflect the entire NOC group it is part of. Data for the NOC group can apply across multiple occupations.

The NOC system is updated every 5 years to reflect changes in the labour market. Government forms and labour market data may group and refer to an occupation differently, depending on the system used.

Here is how this occupation has been classified over time.

2006 NOC

  • 1235.3: Appraisers

2006 NOC-S

  • B115: Assessors, Valuators and Appraisers

2011 NOC

  • 1314: Assessors, valuators and appraisers

2016 NOC

  • 1314: Assessors, valuators and appraisers

2021 NOC

  • 12203: Assessors, business valuators and appraisers

2023 OaSIS

  • 12203.03: Appraisers
Duties
Updated Mar 31, 2022

A real estate appraisal may be required when property is bought, sold, financed, insured, damaged, expropriated, divided by court settlement, or assessed for taxation.

Real estate appraisers thoroughly investigate and inspect a property before preparing an appraisal report. Real estate appraisers:

  • Read blueprints, mechanical drawings, and real estate data
  • Research public records, technical documents, and court documents
  • Check legal descriptions of properties, land use bylaws, and building codes
  • Review the type and location of area services such as roads, public transportation, shopping, schools, parks, municipal infrastructure like gas and sewer lines, and other neighbourhood features
  • Recognize the age, quality, and type of construction materials and workmanship
  • Estimate property value through sales comparisons, replacement costs, and income potential
  • Consider the general value of area real estate, property taxes, and special assessments
  • Consider current market trends in the various real estate sectors

Real estate appraisers may specialize in the valuation of residential, commercial, or industrial properties, or raw land. They may work as consultants or as expert witnesses in real-estate-related court cases.

Working Conditions
Updated Mar 31, 2022
  • Strength Required Lift up to 5 kg

Appraisal work is generally done during weekday office hours, but evening and weekend work is often required. Self-employed appraisers set their own hours.

Some property appraisals involve a certain amount of physical activity in the inspection phase, for example, when inspecting foundations. Travel may be required to view rural properties, industrial sites or timberland.

Interests & Abilities

In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2006 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.

Appraisers

2006 NOC: 1235.3

Interest Codes

Interest Codes for This NOC Group
METHODICAL

Interest in analyzing information for appraisal purposes when searching public records of sales, leases, assessments and other transactions

directive

Interest in submitting reports to corroborate appraised value of properties and in determining future values based on study of location, trends, impending changes and other potential influences

social

Interest in speaking with people to collect data and information used when appraising value of properties

Your Interest Codes

To identify or change your interest codes, complete the Interests Exercise in CAREERinsite.

Reading Interest Codes
A Quick Guide

The interest code helps you figure out if you’d like to work in a particular occupation. 

It’s based on the Canadian Work Preference Inventory (CWPI), which measures 5 occupational interests: Directive, Innovative, Methodical, Objective, and Social.

Each set of 3 interest codes for this NOC group is listed in order of importance.

A code in capital letters means it’s a strong fit for the occupation.

A code in all lowercase letters means the fit is weaker.

Learn About Interests

Abilities

Typical ability expectations for this NOC group
Your abilities

To fill in or change the values for your abilities, complete the Abilities Exercise in CAREERinsite.

Mental Abilities

General Learning Ability

Verbal Ability

Numerical Ability

Visual Abilities

Spatial Perception

Form Perception

Clerical Perception

Physical Abilities

Motor Coordination

Finger Dexterity

Manual Dexterity

Understanding Abilities

A Quick Guide

You are born with abilities that help you process certain types of information and turn it into action. These abilities influence which skills you can learn more easily.

The abilities or aptitudes shown for this NOC group come from the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB). The GATB measures 9 aptitudes. It groups them into 3 categories: mental, visual, and physical.

The abilities scores range from 1 to 5, with 5 being stronger.

Learn About Abilities

Traits & Skills
Updated Mar 31, 2022

Real estate appraisers need:

  • Patience and flexibility in working with a variety of people
  • Honesty and integrity
  • Confidence in their judgment and decisions
  • Spatial and mathematical perception to judge property size and layout
  • Oral and written communication skills
  • The ability to methodically gather and analyze data to arrive at a valuation
  • The ability to research and organize relevant property documentation
  • The ability to work irregular hours under pressure and within tight timelines

They should enjoy analyzing information and taking a methodical approach to their work, making decisions, and dealing with people.

Educational Requirements
Updated Mar 31, 2022
  • Minimum Education 4 years post-secondary

Post-secondary schools throughout Alberta offer related programs in business administration and assessment. Prior to enrolling in an education program, prospective real estate appraisers should contact associations and employers in this field to explore education and employment options.

Related Education

The following schools offer programs or courses that are related to this occupation but are not required to enter the field.

Lakeland College

To expand or narrow your search for programs related to this occupation, visit Post-Secondary Programs.

Completing a program does not guarantee entrance into an occupation. Before enrolling in an education program, prospective students should look into various sources for education options and employment possibilities. For example, contact associations and employers in this field.

Certification Requirements
Updated Mar 31, 2022
  • Certification Not Regulated

In Alberta, real estate appraisers do not need a license. They do need to have certified membership in good standing of one of the following institutes or associations:

Appraisal Institute of Canada - Alberta. The AIC-AB offers 2 professional designations for real estate appraisers:

  • The Canadian Residential Appraisers (CRA) designation, which qualifies an appraiser to appraise individual undeveloped residential dwelling sites and dwellings containing no more than 4 self-contained family housing units.
  • The Accredited Appraiser Canadian Institute (AACI) designation, which allows appraisers to appraise a wide range of real property.

Canadian National Association of Real Estate Appraisers. CNAREA offers 4 categories of membership, including:

  • The Designated Appraiser Residential (DAR) designation, which qualifies appraisers to perform appraisal and consultation assignments on residential properties of no more than 4 housing units.
  • The Designated Appraiser Commercial (DAC) designation, which qualifies appraisers to perform appraisal and consultation assignments on all types of real property (residential, commercial, industrial, and investment).

The Alberta Assessors’ Association (AAA) offers an Accredited Municipal Assessor of Alberta (AMAA) designation.

Employment & Advancement
Updated Mar 31, 2022

Real estate appraisers work for:

  • Private appraisal companies
  • Mortgage investment firms
  • Banks and other lending institutions
  • Real estate and insurance companies
  • Government agencies
  • Municipal assessment offices
  • Development companies

Real estate appraisers often begin as trainees with private appraisal firms, lending institutions, or government agencies. Many real estate appraisers work in private practice, either alone or with other appraisers.

Experienced appraisers may advance to supervisory and management positions, or they may start their own businesses. Alternately, they may move into mortgage lending, corporate real estate, property assessment, or real estate investment analysis.

Industry Concentration

This section shows the industries where the majority of people in this occupation work. The data is based on the 2016 Census.

In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups.

In the 1314: Assessors, valuators and appraisers occupational group, 86.7% of people work in:

Employment Outlook

Employment outlook is influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

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OCCinfo

Employment Outlook

Employment outlook is influenced by a wide variety of factors. Learn how these factors can affect your career decisions.
  • Time of year (for seasonal jobs)
  • Location in Alberta
  • Employment turnover (when people leave existing positions)
  • Occupational growth (when new positions are created)
  • Size of the occupation
  • Trends and events that affect overall employment, especially in the industry or industries from the previous list

In Alberta, the 1314: Assessors, valuators and appraisers occupational group is expected to have a below-average annual growth of 1.3% from 2019 to 2023. In addition to job openings created by employment turnover, 20 new positions are forecasted to be created within this occupational group each year.

Note
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For example, only some of the new positions to be created will be for this occupation. It also applies to other data for the NOC group such as number of people employed.

Source: 2019-2023 Alberta Regional Occupational Demand Outlook

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

Related Alberta Job Postings
Wage & Salary
Updated Mar 31, 2022

Appraisers’ earnings vary depending on their experience and qualifications. Self-employed appraisers charge a fee for each appraisal based on time spent, distance travelled, and type of report required.

In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.

Assessors, valuators and appraisers

2016 NOC: 1314
Average Wage
$36.34
Per Hour
Average Salary
$73,433.00
Per Year
Average Hours
39.4
Per Week
Average Months on Payroll
12
Survey Methodology Survey Analysis

Source
 2021 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey

NOC 1314 Wage Profile

Unless otherwise noted, the data shown here is for all industries and all regions in Alberta.

All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production), and other forms of compensation.

To see the full survey data for this NOC group, visit the wage profile.

Other wage sources
To make an informed wage and salary decision, research other wage sources [pdf] to supplement this data.

B: Good Reliability
Data Reliability Code Definition

Good Reliability, represents a CV of between 6.01% and 15.00% and/or fewer than 30 survey observations and/or if survey observations represent less than 50% of all estimated employment for the occupation.

Hourly Wage

For full-time and part-time employees
  • Low
  • High
  • Average
  • Median
Starting
Overall
Top

Hourly Wage

For full-time and part-time employees
Wages* Low (5th percentile) High (95th percentile) Average Median
Starting $19.23 $44.87 $31.91 $30.18
Overall $30.18 $57.85 $36.34 $30.18
Top $33.65 $67.67 $50.69 $51.92

Swipe left and right to view all data. Scroll left and right to view all data.

* All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production) and other forms of compensation.

Pay brackets for hourly wages

  • Starting pay: average pay offered for entry-level positions
  • Overall pay: average pay across all employees in this occupation
  • Top pay: average pay offered to top-paid employees

Industry Information

ALL INDUSTRIES
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Leasing
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services
Public Administration
ALL INDUSTRIES $73,433
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Leasing $80,980
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services $65,147
Public Administration $97,876

Skills Shortage

Employers that Recruited in the Last 2 Years
28%
28%)
Recruiting Employers that Experienced Hiring Difficulties
2%
2%
Employers with Unfilled Vacancies of over 4 Months
0%
0%
Vacancy Rate
N/A
Related High School Subjects
  • Business, Administration, Finance and IT
    • Financial Management
    • Information Processing
    • Management and Marketing
Related Post-Secondary Field of Study
  • Business, Management and Administrative Studies
Other Sources of Information
Updated Mar 31, 2022

Alberta Assessors’ Association website: www.assessor.ab.ca

Appraisal Institute of Canada Alberta (AIC-AB) website: www.aicanada.ca/province-alberta/alberta

Canadian National Association of Real Estate Appraisers (CNAREA) website: cnarea.ca

Get information and referrals about career, education, and employment options from Alberta Supports.

Updated Mar 31, 2022. The information contained in this profile is current as of the dates shown. Salary, employment outlook, and educational program information may change without notice. It is advised that you confirm this information before making any career decisions.

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