Become An Appraiser

To become an licensed/certified appraiser in the State of Utah, you will want to do the following:

• Contact the Division of Real Estate at 801-530-6747 or Division of Real Estate for licensing requirements.  The Division of Real Estate is the licensing entity for appraisers.  Any questions you have on licensure, including approved education and mentorship requirements should be directed to them.  You must obtain 75 hours of education before you sign up as a trainee with the State of Utah.

• Contact an approved school for your education.  The Appraisal Institute is a nationwide organization that provides the highest quality pre-licensure and continuing education available.  For upcoming classes, please check our Education Calendar.  Always check with the Division of Real Estate on educational requirements. 

• Education - The three courses, provided by the Appraisal Institute, to obtain your 75 hours of trainee education are:  

• Basic Appraisal Principles

• Basic Appraisal Procedures

• 15-hour USPAP Course

• These courses will be offered again in beginning in March 2008. Details are on the Chapter website under Education.

• Contact a mentor.  Check with the Division of Real Estate on this requirement.  The mentorship/apprentice relationship is your responsibility to procure and the agreement is between you and the mentor.  Be certain you have your 75 hours of education before you sign up as a trainee.

Note:  Information on this page is taken from the Division of Real Estate website at www.commerce.utah.gov/dre.  Check this website for current information.

                                                           TEN STEPS ON 

HOW TO BECOME A REAL ESTATE APPRAISER  

Under the Utah Rules Effective September 10, 2004, as

Published in “ Utah Real Estate Appraiser Review”, August 2004,

and Interpreted by J Allan Payne, MAI, SRA

And Updated February, 2005

 Step #1: Take and complete 75 credit hours of pre-license real estate appraisal classes, including USPAP.  The classes must be approved by the State and completion requires attending 90% of the scheduled classroom hours and passing a test.  

Step #2: Find a position as an appraiser’s trainee.  To be a trainee you have to have a designated superior.  

Step #3: Apply to the State to be an Appraiser Trainee and fill out the two-page Registration Form.  This requires that you have a supervisor and that your supervisor provide his or her license number, place of business, and signature.  It also requires that you document the classes you have completed.   

Please note that if you have appraisal experience credits prior to September 10, 2004, you have to declare the number of points that you claim at the time you turn in this registration form.  The points also have to be signed off by your supervisors with whom you have work.  

As an Appraiser Trainee in residential, you will be required to have your supervisor accompany you on at least 100 inspections.  As an Appraiser Trainee in the General category, you will be required to have the supervisor accompany you on inspections until you have accumulated 20 experience points.  

Step #4: From this point, in order to become a Licensed Appraiser, you will have to take an additional classes so that your total class hours will equal 150.  Note that these have to be pre-approved, pre-license appraisal classes.  In addition, you will have to keep track of your experience points until you have the required points.  This can be done in as short as two years or as long as five years.  The points have to be recorded on the state approved form and signed off by your supervisor.  Your supervisor is responsible for training you and his or her license or certification is in jeopardy for any mistakes you commit.

Step #5: When you have all of the experience points and education credits you need, you can then apply for the State License Examination.  You do that by turning in your application, with documentation and a sample of your appraisals, to the State to be reviewed by the Experience Review Committee.  Also, you will have to turn in proof that you have completed the classes you have taken.  Once the State approves your education and your experience, you will be given permission to take the examination.   

Step #6: Sign up for the examination, take it, and pass it.  Show the State proof that you have passed the examination and pay your license fee.  You will then be a Licensed Appraiser.   

As a Licensed Appraiser, you are able to go on inspections by yourself, sign or co-sign appraisals, appraise any type of property (as long as it is under $250,000), and you can appraise any one-to-four family residence that is under $1,000,000 and non-complex in nature (meaning no Income Approach is required) all without the assistance of a supervisor and you can split fees.  

Step #7: Once Licensed, you can pursue a Certification, which is the next level.  Certified Residential Appraiser requires classes, bringing your education credits to 210 hours and an associate’s degree or equivalent education as stated by the Appraisal Qualification Board (AQB).  It also requires additional experience points.  A Certified Residential Appraiser must have three quarters of all their experience points in residential properties.  They are allowed to have one quarter of their points in non-residential properties.  A candidate for the Certified Residential Appraiser designation must have a minimum of 24 months experience as well as 500 points.  

Step #8: A Certified General Appraiser applicant must increase their experience points to 600, of which ˝ of the total points must be non-residential; that is, only half can be 1-4 family residential.  An applicant for Certified General Appraiser must bring their education hours up to 300 hours and a bachelor’s degree or equivalent educaton.  A Certified General Appraiser must have 30 months of total experience as well as 600 points.  

Step #9: Once you have become Licensed and completed your experience and education to become Certified (either Residential or General), you can apply for the appropriate examination.  Again, this requires turning in a sample of your work and proof of your classes and waiting for the State to review your application.  Once this is done, you can sign up for the examination, take the examination, and pass it.  When you show proof of passing the examination to the State, you can pay your required fee and you become a Certified Appraiser.  

As a Certified Residential Appraiser, you will be allowed to appraise all residential properties, complex or non-complex, up to and including four units of any value.  As a Certified General Appraiser you will be allowed to appraise all kinds of property in the State of Utah .  

How Long Does it Take to Become an Appraiser?

 

Licensed	1-5 Years
Certified Residential	2-7 Years
Certified General	2 ˝ to 7 ˝ Years
Professionally Designated	3 to 10 Years

 How Much Does it Cost to Become an Appraiser?

 How Much Can a Full Time Appraiser Earn?

$30,000 to $300,000 per year.  The range varies widely depending upon specialty and level of professionalism.  The field is open and there is room at the top of any of the appraising subcategories.