No Jobs Like Homes: Careers in Helping Home Buyers and Sellers

Millions of people buy and sell homes each year. And because these transactions are often complex, many home buyers and sellers turn to workers who can help with the search or the sale--or both. From preparing to put a home on the market to filing the sales documents, many workers are involved in helping a home change hands. Other key industries that employ workers involved in home-sale transactions include banking and insurance. This article focuses on eight occupations--including home inspectors, loan officers, and title examiners--whose workers provide services for buying or selling a home. The first section has details about these workers' job duties and includes data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The second section describes pros and cons of the work. The third section explains how workers prepare for these occupations. And the final section gives sources for more information.