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What Are the Qualifications for a Real Estate Appraiser?

Luanne Kelchner

By Luanne Kelchner, eHow Contributor April 25, 2011

Real estate appraisers assess the value of residential and commercial properties. The appraiser may focus on one type of property such as residential or commercial real estate. States license real estate appraisers to protect the public from faulty information in determining the value of a piece of property.

1.  Education

• Real estate appraisers must have state certification to appraise properties. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, appraisers may have a bachelor’s degree, but the minimum requirement to assess the value of residential properties is an associate’s degree. Courses for the appraiser may include real estate law, mathematics, finance, economics and business law. State certification requires a bachelor’s degree for commercial real estate appraisers.

Licensure

• Real estate appraisers of properties that have a loan value of more than $250,000 must obtain a state license. States may require the candidate to have additional training that is specific for appraisers and work experience to qualify for a residential real estate appraiser license. Higher value properties require a more advanced education and more work experience to qualify for licensure. In addition to appraiser-specific training, the candidate will be required to pass an examination.

Certification

• Professional real estate appraisers with a Certified General Real Property Appraiser credential may assess the value of any type of property regardless of value. The candidate for the credential must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree or 30 semester hours of specific education at the college level. The appraiser must have 300 hours of real estate appraiser training and 3,000 hours of experience. The work experience must take place over at least a 30-month period and half of the experience hours must be in properties other than residential.

Skills

• A real estate appraiser must have good math skills to assess the value of a property. In addition, the appraiser must have good written and verbal communication skills to provide homeowners with detailed explanations of the real estate appraisal. When assessing the value of a property, pay attention to detail is needed to value the property correctly.