How do you become a real estate appraiser?

How the four appraiser levels fit together

The Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB), part of The Appraisal Foundation, sets national minimums in the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria. Your state issues the actual credential and can be stricter than the AQB. The Criteria recognize four classifications: Trainee Appraiser, Licensed Residential, Certified Residential and Certified General. Every state offers the two certified levels. Some states have no trainee category, and a few have dropped Licensed Residential.

Each step widens what you may appraise. In Texas, a Licensed Residential appraiser handles non-complex one-to-four unit homes under $1,000,000 and complex ones under $400,000. Certified Residential removes the value and complexity limits on one-to-four unit homes. Certified General covers every type of real property, including commercial and industrial.

Education and experience minimums in 2026

Since January 1, 2026, every new applicant must take an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations course as part of qualifying education. That pushed the totals up. New York's rule update shows the pattern: a trainee needs 87 hours (Basic Appraisal Principles 30, Basic Appraisal Procedures 30, USPAP 15, the supervisor/trainee course 4, fair housing 8), and Licensed Residential needs 158.

Texas requires 200 hours of education for Certified Residential and 300 for Certified General. Experience minimums are 1,000 hours over at least 6 months for Licensed Residential and 1,500 hours over at least 12 months for Certified Residential. Certified General takes 3,000 hours over at least 18 months, and at least 1,500 of those hours must be non-residential.

Certified Residential applicants need a bachelor's degree or one of the listed alternatives. Those include a business or real estate associate degree or 30 semester hours of set college courses. In Texas, five years as a Licensed Residential appraiser with a clean record also qualifies. Certified General requires a bachelor's degree.

Finding a supervisor, or using PAREA instead

Finding a supervisor is usually the hardest part. Under the AQB rules, a supervisor must have held a Certified Residential or Certified General credential for three years. The Appraisal Foundation cannot match you with one. The supervisor signs your reports and answers to the state for your work. Texas lets a supervisor take up to five trainees, but anyone supervising more than three must file a supervision plan.

If you cannot find a supervisor, there are two other routes to experience. Practicum courses use structured, simulated assignments. PAREA (Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal) is a virtual program built around demonstrating competence, with mentoring from certified appraisers and at least three USPAP-compliant reports per level. It can supply all the experience for Licensed Residential or Certified Residential, and part of it for Certified General, but it never counts as non-residential hours. States are not required to accept PAREA.

Rule changes the AQB is proposing

The AQB published a Third Exposure Draft of proposed Criteria changes in September 2026 and took comments until October 25, 2026. The draft would drop the college degree for both certified levels, remove calendar minimums while keeping the hour totals, and let candidates sit the exam once education is done. It would also add PAREA at Certified General. None of this is in effect yet. If the draft is adopted as written, the AQB expects it to take effect July 1, 2027.

Pay

USD a year, before tax. Ranges run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, from BLS OEWS May 2025 for the real estate appraiser and assessor series, moved to 2026 with the Employment Cost Index. The U.S. median is $70,100. BLS counts employees only, so most self-employed fee appraisers are not included. Credential level, property type and fee volume move the figure most. Refer to the Appraisal & Valuation salary guide for figures from live adverts.

What you need

• Trainee educationAbout 87 hours under the 2026 Criteria: 75 hours of core courses, the 8-hour fair housing course and a 4-hour supervisor/trainee course. Texas sets it at 83 hours plus the 4-hour course.
• SupervisorA Certified Residential or Certified General appraiser who has held that credential for three years. The supervisor signs your reports.
• Licensed Residential158 hours of qualifying education, plus 1,000 hours of experience over at least 6 months or a completed Licensed Residential PAREA module.
• Certified Residential200 hours of education in Texas, 1,500 hours of experience over at least 12 months or the Certified Residential PAREA module, and a degree or an approved college alternative.
• Certified General300 hours of education, a bachelor's degree, and 3,000 hours of experience over at least 18 months with at least 1,500 hours non-residential.
• National examThe AQB writes a national exam for each licensed and certified level. In Texas you can sit it only after your education and experience are approved.
• Background checkStates review your fitness for a license. Texas requires fingerprints through the Department of Public Safety.

State by state

How to get there

1. Week 1Check your state's levelsFind out whether your state has a trainee category and Licensed Residential, and whether it accepts PAREA.
2. Months 1-3Complete trainee educationTake the core courses, USPAP, fair housing and the supervisor/trainee course from state-approved providers.
3. Months 2-6Secure a supervisor and registerFind a certified appraiser with three years at that level, then apply for your trainee credential.
4. Year 1-2Earn Licensed ResidentialLog 1,000 hours over at least 6 months, finish 158 hours of education and pass the exam.
5. Year 2-3Upgrade to Certified ResidentialReach 1,500 hours over at least 12 months and 200 hours of education, meet the college requirement, then pass the exam.
6. Year 3-5Move to Certified GeneralBuild 3,000 hours over at least 18 months, half of them non-residential, and finish 300 hours of education.

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Certified Residential Appraiser (Columbus OH)First American · Columbus, Ohio

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Certified Residential Appraiser (Cleveland, Ohio)First American · Cleveland, Ohio

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Sources

1. The Appraisal Foundation: Real Property Appraisal
2. The Appraisal Foundation: PAREA
3. The Appraisal Foundation: Practicing Appraisers Q&As
4. TALCB: Become an Appraiser Trainee
5. TALCB: Become a Licensed Residential Appraiser
6. TALCB: Become a Certified Residential Appraiser
7. TALCB: Become a Certified General Appraiser
8. TALCB: Finding a Supervisory Appraiser
9. TALCB: AQB Third Exposure Draft of proposed changes
10. New York Department of State: 2026 AQB update notice