What tools do real estate appraisers use?

Real estate appraisers work with public records (sales, leases, and assessment data), cameras to photograph interiors and exteriors, and comparable-sales databases such as multiple listing service (MLS) data. They prepare written reports with appraisal software, and they use financial calculators for income analysis (the HP-12C is the only alpha-programmable calculator allowed on the national exam). Newer tools include automated valuation models, regression software, and generative AI, which a USPAP advisory opinion adopted April 23, 2026 now addresses.