The art and antiques market is greatly diverse. At one end are the collections in museums and in other public ownership, together with art and antiques owned by private individuals.

But it is an area accessible to everyone regardless of wealth – many items, for example collectables, can be bought for very little money.

Professional advice is sought on a wide variety of antiques and unusual objects.

The work of chartered surveyors in this area covers all types of real estate used for business purposes.

The principal sectors within commercial property are: retail; office; industrial and leisure.

Commercial property serves a vast array of purposes supporting public and private sector businesses and services, from service industries to government to civil infrastructure. The exception is real estate related to agricultural or residential use.

Facilities management (FM) is the total management of all services that support the core business of an organisation.

Good facilities management makes a huge difference to the efficiency and productivity of a company, its staff and even its clients. Using best business practice, a company’s operating costs can be reduced while its productivity is increased.

Property investment takes many forms, ranging from the traditional, direct ownership and trading of tenanted land and buildings, to contemporary capital markets where property revenues are traded as securities or indeed derivatives.

Greater flexibility and availability of indirect property investment products, plus improved performance benchmarking data means that property has attracted growing interest as an investment asset class.

Housing management and development surveyors are spread across the world and will be required to adjust their work to the specific housing policies and processes that apply at both a national, regional and local level.

Given the diverse nature of work undertaken, those operating in this market are subject to continual legislative, political, economic and social influences in their day-to-day activities.

In the same way that property surveyors advise and act on property use for business purposes, machinery and business assets surveyors provide valuation and agency services for all aspects of machinery and business assets in the industrial, commercial and government sectors.

Found in every non-domestic property globally, machinery and business assets encompasses heavy industrial machinery through to IT and telecoms equipment, and ancillary equipment and services.

Management Consultants provide independent, impartial advice in all areas of the business and real estate lifecycle. 

In the main, they identify and implement business solutions to real estate problems. 

They are natural strategists within any organisation where real estate plays a significant part in the business. 

Planners, developers, agents, mortgage lenders, professional advisers (such as valuers and building surveyors), private and institutional investors and property managers are just some of the key professional figures that allow the property market to operate smoothly.

Most chartered surveyors in this area specialise in one or more of these key areas.

Surveys and valuations of residential property combine property market expertise with an understanding of buildings. 

These two distinct but connected areas of competence are core to the work of professionals in this area, who are appointed to advise on the market and condition of a property.

Property valuation is a core skill and forms part of the professional services provided by many RICS members.

Accurate valuations are vital to a healthy property market and a stable economy, forming the basis of performance analysis, financing decisions, transactional or development advice, dispute resolution and taxation.