State-certified general real estate appraiser

Education and experience requirements

Before you are eligible to become a state-certified general real estate appraiser, you must meet all of the following education and experience requirements.

There is no specific order required to gain this education and experience. After you have completed these requirements, you are eligible to take the state-certified general appraiser examination.

Experience

Before you may take the examination, you must:

  • find a certified appraiser willing to supervise your work experience as a trainee.
  • work under the supervisory appraiser to get a minimum of 2½ years’ real estate appraiser experience (30 months and 3,000 hours). At least 1,500 hours of this experience must be in non-residential appraising. Hours may be treated as cumulative in order to achieve the necessary hours of appraisal experience.

Education

To be eligible to take the examination, you must successfully complete:

  • an bachelor’s degree or higher in any field or 30 semester hours in specific subject matter courses, including:
    • English composition
    • Principles of economics (micro or macro)
    • Finance
    • Algebra, geometry, or higher mathematics
    • Statistics
    • Introduction to computers: Word processing/spreadsheets
    • Business or real estate law
    • Two elective courses in accounting, geography, agricultural economics, business management, or real estate
  • AND
  • a total of 300 classroom hours of approved real estate appraisal courses, including all of the following:
Subject Hours required
Basic appraisal principles 30 hours
Basic appraisal procedures 30 hours
Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) 15 hours
General appraiser market analysis and highest and best use 30 hours
Statistics, modeling, and finance 15 hours
General appraiser sales comparison approach 30 hours
General appraiser site valuation and cost approach 30 hours
General appraiser income approach 60 hours
General appraiser report writing and case studies 30 hours
Electives 30 hours

How to apply to take the certification examination

  1. Complete a Adobe PDF iconReal Estate Appraiser Certification Application. If you are an applicant from outside Washington State, please complete the Consent of Service section of the application form included in the application.
  2. Attach copies of all education documentation.
  3. Enclose a completed experience log. No credit will be granted for restricted appraisal reports.
  4. Enclose the $246 application fee as a check or money order payable to “Washington State Treasurer.” Fees are non-refundable.
  5. Mail the application, documentation, and fee to us at the address shown on the application.
  6. Allow a minimum of 2 weeks for processing. We will review the application and determine if you are eligible for examination. We will send you an examination approval letter notifying you that you are approved to take the examination, or a letter explaining why your application was denied.
  7. Call the toll-free number provided in the approval letter to schedule the examination date and location. Examinations are by appointment only. You must have an approval letter from the Department of Licensing to be admitted into the examination.