How to Get a Illinois Real Estate Appraiser License

Requirements to Become a Licensed Real Estate Appraiser in Illinois

The Illinois Office of Banks and Real Estate have identified three levels of real property appraisal classification:

  • Associate Real Estate Appraiser (157)
  • Certified Residential Appraiser (156)
  • Certified General Appraiser (153)

Please Note: New rules from the Illinois Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation do not allow Associate Appraiser Licensing courses to be administered online by any school. This includes the 15-hr USPAP course. Please contact the Illinois Division of Professional Regulation with questions concerning this policy.

Current Illinois Real Estate Appraiser License Requirements

The Illinois Office of Banks and Real Estate has established the minimum educational requirements for an appraisal license. The minimum educational requirements include the following:

Associate Real Estate Appraiser (157)

Courses in the following topics are required to take the Associate Real Estate Appraiser examination:

  1. At least 75 hours of appraisal education and training, including 15 hours of ethics and standards of practice, and passing the Level A licensing examination.
  2. No appraisal experience is required.
  3. College-level requirements: None

Certified Residential Appraiser (156)

Courses in the following topics are required to take the Certified Residential Appraiser examination:

  1. At least 200 hours of appraisal education and training, including 15 hours of ethics and standards of practice; 2,500 hours (including 1,500 hours non-residential) of appraisal experience across at least 30 months; and passing the Level B licensing examination.
  2. Twenty-five hundred hours of appraisal experience during no fewer than 24 months
  3. College-level requirements: Associate degree or higher. In lieu of the required degree, 21 semester credit hours covering the following subject matter courses: English Composition; Principles of Economics (Micro or Macro); Finance; Algebra, Geometry or higher mathematics; Statistics; Computer Science; and Business or Real Estate Law.

(If an applicant is upgrading from a 154 or 157 license, they only need to submit proof of curriculums 4 and 5 above.)

Certified General Appraiser (153)

Courses in the following topics are required to take the Certified General Appraiser examination:

  1. At least 300 hours of appraisal education and training, including 15 hours of ethics and standards of practice; 3,000 hours (including 1,500 hours non-residential) of appraisal experience across at least 30 months; and passing the Level C certification examination.
  2. Three thousand hours of appraisal experience during no fewer than 30 months, of which 1,500 hours shall be in non-residential appraisal work
  3. College-level requirements: Bachelors degree or higher. In lieu of the required degree, 31 semester credit hours covering the following subject matter courses: English Composition; Principles of Economics (Micro or Macro); Finance; Algebra, Geometry or higher mathematics; Statistics; Computer Science; and Business or Real Estate Law; and 2 elective courses in accounting, geography, ag-economics, business management, or real estate.

(If an applicant is upgrading from a 157 license, they only need to submit proof of curriculums 4 through 9 above. If an applicant is upgrading from a 156 license, they only need to submit proof of curriculums 6 through 9 above.)

Illinois Appraisal Regulatory Agency

Illinois Department of Financial of Professional Regulation,

320 West Washington Street, 3rd floor
Springfield, IL 62786
217-785-0820

Recent Changes to Real Property Appraiser Qualifications

Beginning January 1, 2015, the AQB has made significant changes to appraisal qualifications. Some states may choose to implement the changes sooner, so be sure to check with your state regulator.

Several important changes are outlined below, with complete details available on this AQB publication:

Upcoming Changes to Real Property Appraiser Qualifications

Important Change: Increased College Degree Requirements

Implications: After January 1, 2015, you must hold a bachelor's degree to obtain the Certified Residential license level or beyond. If you achieve this license level prior to January 1, 2015, you will be grandfathered in under the old regulations.

Important Change

Experience Hours are Required BEFORE taking the licensing exam.

Implications: For the Licensed, Certified Residential and Certified General license levels, the required coursework must be completed prior to taking the licensing exam. If you intend to upgrade your license prior to the January 1, 2015 rules change, you need to be sure that you have enough time to complete your experience hours.