State-certified general real estate appraiser
Education and experience requirements
To be eligible to become a state-certified general real estate appraiser, you must meet all of the following education and experience requirements.
There’s no specific order required to gain this education and experience. After you have completed these requirements, you’re eligible to take the state-certified general appraiser exam.
Experience
Before you may take the exam, 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 exam, you must successfully complete:
- A bachelor’s degree or higher in any field or 30 semester hours (at least 3 semester hours each) in all of the following:
- English composition
- Principles of economics (micro and 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 exam
- Complete a Real Estate Appraiser Certification Application. If you’re from outside Washington State, please complete the Consent of Service section of the application form included in the application.
- Attach copies of all education documentation.
- Enclose a completed experience log. You won’t be granted credit for restricted appraisal reports.
- Enclose a check or money order for the $370 application fee (payable to the Department of Licensing). Fees are non-refundable.
- Mail the application, documentation, and fee to us at the address shown on the application.
- Allow a minimum of 2 weeks for processing. We’ll review the application and determine if you’re eligible for exam. Then we’ll send you a letter stating you’re approved to take the exam, or explaining why your application was denied.
- Schedule your exam online, by phone, or by mail with Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP). For more information, see the Candidate Handbook on the AMP website.
