Towards Specialization or Extension? Searching for Valuation Services Models Using Cluster Analysis

The paper delivers original data on specialization in property valuation services in Poland. Its aim is to identify relatively homogeneous groups of property appraisers taking into consideration the scope of services performed by them and the types of clients served. Based on the survey results, it was possible to indicate major models in property valuation services consistent with market applications, which allows us to verify the thesis on specialization in doing business in property valuation.The research strategy approach is twofold. Firstly, we have used the agglomerative cluster method to divide the types of valuation services and appraisers’ clients in order to find groups of similar valuation services and represent the main models of business in property appraisals. Secondly, we have applied the k-means partition methods to find relatively homogenous groups of respondents, taking into account the frequency of carrying out the particular types of valuations and clients served.As a result of our research, we present four clusters combining valuations and client types which reflect the models of property valuers’ professional activity, i.e: the market-oriented housing valuation model, market-oriented commercial valuation model, non-market-oriented judicial valuation model and non-market- oriented public valuation model. Research findings confirm the existence of three out of the four specialization clusters within the professional activity. We also extracted a group of appraisers operating on a broad scale, both when it comes to the types of services offered and clients served.