How to Get a Washington Real Estate Appraiser License

All state appraiser regulatory agencies are required to implement real property appraiser licensing and certification requirements that are no less stringent than those issued by the AQB (Appraisal Qualifications Board) in the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria.

The AQB has statutory authority to develop mandatory Criteria for Supervisory Appraisers, and for the Trainee Appraiser, Licensed Residential, Certified Residential, and Certified General appraiser classifications. If a state has these classifications, they are required to adopt these Criteria for federally-related transactions at a minimum.

Check your state’s Appraisal Board website for more detailed licensing requirements, confirmation of the license levels outlined below, and background on how Supervisory Appraisers must track and report training hours.

Current Washington Real Estate Appraiser License Requirements

• Trainee Real Property Appraiser

  1. An applicant must have completed 75 creditable hours of qualifying education as specified in the Required Core Curriculum. All qualifying education must be completed within the five (5) year period prior to the date of submission of a Trainee Appraiser application.
  2. There is no examination requirement for the Trainee Appraiser classification, but the Trainee Appraiser shall pass the appropriate end-of-course examinations in all of the prerequisite courses in order to earn credit for those courses.
  3. No experience is required as a prerequisite for the Trainee Appraiser classification

• Licensed Residential Real Property Appraiser

  1. 30 semester hours of college-level education from an accredited college, junior college, community college, or university. Applicants holding an Associate degree, or higher, from an accredited college, junior college, community college, or university satisfy the 30-hour college-level education requirement. Applicants with a college degree from a foreign country may have their education evaluated for 'equivalency'.
  2. One hundred fifty (150) creditable class hours as specified in the Required Core Curriculum and the AQB-approved Licensed Residential Real Property Appraiser examination must be successfully completed.
  3. Two thousand (2,000) hours of qualifying experience in no fewer than twelve (12) months.

• Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser

  1. Applicants for the Certified Residential credential must hold a Bachelor’s degree, or higher, from an accredited college or university. Applicants with a college degree from a foreign country may have their education evaluated for 'equivalency'.
  2. (200) creditable class hours as specified in the Required Core Curriculum and the AQB-approved Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser examination must be successfully completed.
  3. Two thousand five hundred (2,500) hours of experience obtained during no fewer than twenty-four (24) months is required.

• Certified General Real Property Appraiser

  1. Applicants for the Certified General credential must hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university. Applicants with a college degree from a foreign country may have their education evaluated for 'equivalency'.
  2. Three hundred (300) creditable class hours as specified in the Required Core Curriculum and the AQB-approved Certified General Real Property Appraiser examination must be successfully completed.
  3. Three thousand (3,000) hours of qualifying experience obtained in no fewer than thirty (30) months, where a minimum of one thousand five hundred (1,500) hours must be obtained in non-residential appraisal work

Washington Appraisal Regulatory Agency

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.