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. In May 2011, the real estate industry accounted for about 1.4 million jobs, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show. 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.

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