How someone becomes a real estate appraiser

Who sets the requirements to become an appraiser?

The Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) of The Appraisal Foundation sets the national minimums, and each state turns them into its own licensing rules. The AQB's rulebook is the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria. Under Title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, states must adopt requirements that are no less stringent than the Criteria.

In practice, that means your state agency defines your actual path. The Appraisal Foundation itself advises talking to the state agency early, before signing up for courses.

Where does the path usually start?

For many people it starts at the trainee level, working under a certified supervisory appraiser. According to The Appraisal Foundation's Real Property Appraisal page (checked September 2026), a trainee needs 75 hours of qualifying education completed in the last five years, plus a course for supervisory and trainee appraisers. No experience or exam is required to become a trainee.

A trainee can work on the kinds of property the supervisor is credentialed and competent to appraise. Not every state offers a trainee classification, and some require trainees to register before any experience hours count.

How much education and experience does each credential need?

Each credential has its own minimums, and they rise with the scope of work. The figures below come from the same Appraisal Foundation page, checked September 2026.

• Licensed Residential: 150 hours of qualifying education and 1,000 hours of experience over no fewer than 6 months.
• Certified Residential: 200 hours of qualifying education and 1,500 hours of experience over no fewer than 12 months, plus a college level requirement. That can be met with a bachelor's degree, a qualifying associate degree, set college coursework or CLEP exams, or five years as a Licensed Residential appraiser where that level exists.
• Certified General: 300 hours of qualifying education, a bachelor's degree, and 3,000 hours of experience over no fewer than 18 months, with 1,500 of those hours in nonresidential work.

Qualifying education has to follow the Required Core Curriculum in the Criteria and come from a provider your state accepts. The coursework includes the 15 hour National USPAP Course, which every new real property appraiser completes once. For what that course covers, see what USPAP requires of an appraiser.

Is working under a supervisor the only way to gain experience?

No. The Appraisal Foundation describes three pathways, and states decide which ones they accept.

• Supervisor and trainee. The traditional route. The Foundation does not match trainees with supervisors, so it suggests asking your state for help finding one.
• Practicum courses. Structured, instructor led courses with approved assignments that count as experience rather than education.
• PAREA. Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal is a virtual, competency based program. The Foundation says it can cover all the experience for Licensed Residential and Certified Residential, and half for Certified General.

Finding a supervisor has long been the hardest step for many newcomers. The practicum and PAREA options exist partly to widen that door.

What comes after the education and experience?

The last step is the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination, taken only after the state has verified your education and experience. Each credential has its own exam. The Appraisal Foundation's exam page (checked September 2026) says the Licensed Residential and Certified Residential exams each allow four hours, and the Certified General exam allows six.

Your state arranges the testing vendor and scheduling. After the credential is issued, the learning continues: practicing appraisers complete the 7 hour National USPAP Update Course once every two calendar years, along with any continuing education their state requires.