What kind of data is information personally compiled by an appraiser?

• A. Secondary data
• B. Primary data
• C. Tertiary data
• D. Qualitative data

Answer: (B)

The main idea is data collected directly by the appraiser for the assignment. When the appraiser inspects the property, measures rooms, notes condition, collects rent or expense information from the owner or tenants, and documents firsthand observations, that information is primary data. It’s data you personally compile, giving you control over relevance, timeliness, and accuracy for the subject property.

Secondary data, in contrast, comes from sources compiled by others—MLS listings, assessor records, prior appraisal reports, published market studies—and while useful for context, it may be less current or tailored to the specific property. Tertiary data are even more summarized materials that rely on primary and secondary sources, such as general market overviews or encyclopedic compilations, and aren’t as directly tied to the current assignment. Qualitative data describes non-numeric attributes, which can appear in either primary or secondary sources, but the distinction here is who collected the data. So the information personally compiled by an appraiser is primary data.