Appraisals have a wide field of application - in finance, property taxation, federal tax liabilities, insurance, litigation, accounting, taxation, business, and buy-sell decisions.

The intended use of an appraisal is the way in which the client will use the appraiser's reported opinions, conclusions, or analyses. The intended use is identified by the client during the initial client interview or at the time of the assignment. 

Examples of intended uses for monetary appraisals include:

• selling or buying property
• transit-related or insurance casualty loss damage claims
• equitable distribution of property such as in the case of a divorce or estate division
• acquiring insurance coverage
• federal tax liability uses 
• present worth of investment property
• liquidation
• litigation 
• ad valorem property tax
• bankruptcy
• mergers
• accounting to determine book value