How to Become a Certified Property Appraiser
Property appraisers help to establish the value and cost of a property through research and examination. An appraiser may specialize on a specific area, such as residential or commercial. An appraiser may be self-employed, work for a business or work for the government. Becoming a property appraiser involves some training and education before certification or a license is issued.
- Complete your high school education. The first step in the process of becoming an appraiser is to obtain your high school diploma or GED (General Education Development). Classes that are beneficial include mathematics, mechanical drawing and shop class.
- Obtain an associate's degree. You will need a solid foundation in order to become an appraiser, so you can major in mathematics, marketing or engineering. A person who wants to become a residential real estate appraiser must have an associate's degree while an aspiring commercial real estate property appraiser needs to have at least a bachelor's degree.
- Obtain a bachelor's degree. Depending on a particular state's requirements, a bachelor's degree may be needed in order to be eligible for a higher level of licensure. Some states issue licenses that limit the complexity of transactions that an appraiser may handle. An Appraiser who is a bachelor's degree holder may be issued license that does not limit the amount of transactions he can complete. Helpful college courses include mathematics, finance, economics, business, English, real estate law and computer science.
- Complete appraiser training and education. You need to complete the minimum number of hours required by your state. This is required for certification or licensing. You can find out about appraiser educational programs by visiting the website of the Appraisal Institute at appraisalinstitute.org.
- Become certified. Take the certification exam, and after passing the exam you will be issued your certification. In addition, you will need to take continuing education courses in order to maintain certification or licensing.