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Appraiser vs underwriter

The differences between appraisers and underwriters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an underwriter has an average salary of $61,751, which is higher than the $42,223 average annual salary of an appraiser.

The top three skills for an appraiser include commercial property, appraisal reports and customer service. The most important skills for an underwriter are customer service, investor guidelines, and mortgage loans.

Appraiser vs underwriter overview

AppraiserUnderwriter
Yearly salary$42,223$61,751
Hourly rate$20.30$29.69
Growth rate7%-4%
Number of jobs1,1868,510
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4944
Years of experience4-

What does an appraiser do?

An appraiser is someone who assesses the monetary value of a property such as an automobile, real property, and personal claim. His/Her or her responsibilities include resolving disparities between a property's monetary values and preparing narrative reports for projects. The essential skills that an appraiser should possess to accomplish such responsibilities include a keen eye for details, strong communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills, and the ability to work under pressure. The education requirements for the job vary depending on the area of focus.

What does an underwriter do?

An underwriter's duties depend on the line of work or industry involved, such as mortgage companies, insurance, or lending firms. However, an Underwriter's responsibility will mainly revolve around using their extensive expertise on how a company will achieve financial gains, and assessing the possible financial risks of a client by reviewing various aspects to determine their capacity to uphold monetary obligations. Most of the time, the Underwriter's tasks will also involve evaluating a client's credit history, health, assets, overall financial history.

Appraiser vs underwriter salary

Appraisers and underwriters have different pay scales, as shown below.

AppraiserUnderwriter
Average salary$42,223$61,751
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $59,000Between $39,000 And $96,000
Highest paying CitySan Mateo, CABoston, MA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaMassachusetts
Best paying companyCity National BankGoogle
Best paying industryInsuranceManufacturing

Differences between appraiser and underwriter education

There are a few differences between an appraiser and an underwriter in terms of educational background:

AppraiserUnderwriter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Appraiser vs underwriter demographics

Here are the differences between appraisers' and underwriters' demographics:

AppraiserUnderwriter
Average age4944
Gender ratioMale, 67.8% Female, 32.2%Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.8% Asian, 2.9% White, 81.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 5.6% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage8%9%

Differences between appraiser and underwriter duties and responsibilities

Appraiser example responsibilities.

  • Cross-Train in numerous banking/lending fields relate to real property appraisal such as underwriting, loan processing, and loan origination.
  • Experience in appraising single family residences, condominiums, raw land, develop lots, construction appraisals, and final inspections.
  • Complete commercial appraisal assignments in Illinois under a supervising MAI.
  • Prepare analysis of valuation issues for federal agency rent appeals, federal acquisitions, and litigation.
  • Provide oversight of the appraisers, to insure they are FHA approve.
  • Handle total losses by obtaining CCC reports, obtaining DMV documents and contacting lien holders.
  • Show more

Underwriter example responsibilities.

  • Attain Jr. underwriter status and AUS underwriting authority.
  • Manage AUS findings and analyze approvals and results accordingly.
  • Complete initial review of appraisals, borrower credit documents, and DU/LP findings according to Fannie Mae and investor guidelines.
  • Research and develop SBA program.
  • Work on project putting together HPR policy.
  • Resolve issues preventing final disposition of REO properties.
  • Show more

Appraiser vs underwriter skills

Common appraiser skills
  • Commercial Property, 13%
  • Appraisal Reports, 12%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • MAI, 6%
  • Discounted Cash Flow, 5%
  • Market Research, 4%
Common underwriter skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Investor Guidelines, 6%
  • Mortgage Loans, 5%
  • Underwriting Guidelines, 5%
  • Financial Statements, 4%
  • FHA, 3%

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