How to Become an Appraiser in Texas
Whether you want to own your own business, have more control over your income, or enjoy a flexible schedule, obtaining your Texas appraiser license is a great option. And if you’re already an appraiser, upgrading your license can provide you with more opportunities to diversify your income, take on more challenging projects, and grow your existing business. No matter where you are in your career journey, whether you’re just starting out or well on your way, McKissock Learning will help you meet your education requirements.
TX Appraiser Trainee QE Requirements
Steps to Earn Your TX Appraisal License
The first step to become an appraiser in Texas is to be an Appraiser Trainee. During this stage, you’re learning how to evaluate properties, conduct research, and write reports.
Step 1: Complete the required education which includes:
- Complete 75 hours of Qualifying Education
- Complete a 4-hour Appraiser Trainee/Supervisory Appraiser Course
Step 2: Pass the background check by submitting your fingerprints to the Texas Department of Security (DPS). If a background investigation is required, there could be a delay in processing the application.
Step 3: Choose a supervisory appraiser who will provide diligent supervision over all appraisal work. You can start seeking a supervisory appraiser while you are completing your qualifying education to ensure you have one lined up.
Step 4: Once you’ve met these requirements, you can submit your application to become an Appraiser Trainee either online or through the mail to the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB). This usually only takes about a week, but it can vary. You will also need to pay a licensing fee of $250 plus a $5 Texas Online Fee.
Once TALCB processes and approves your application, they will send your trainee license to you. After receiving your trainee credentials, you can begin working with your supervisor and earning an income as an appraiser.
What does a Texas real estate appraiser do?
An appraiser determines the current fair market value of a property. This is primarily used for a potential buyer or for a homeowner seeking to refinance their mortgage, though appraisers are also needed to determine a property’s value during estate planning, a divorce settlement, or a tax assessment.
An appraiser determines the value of the property by performing a comprehensive on-site inspection, including the condition of the interior and exterior, amenities, lot size, property square footage, and other property-specific details. However, the on-site inspection is only a portion of the project. An appraiser also conducts research into the current real estate market and comparable local properties to provide the most accurate value. Once they have their on-site inspection and off-site research complete, they’ll use the information to draft their appraisal report.
Texas Trainee Appraiser (75 hours) – AQB recommended course order
- Basic Appraisal Principles – 30 hours
- Basic Appraisal Procedures – 30 hours
- National USPAP Course or Equivalent – 15 hours
Online Info
Required Education:
79 Hours.
Basic Appraisal Principles – 30 hours
Basic Appraisal Procedures – 30 hours
National USPAP Course or Equivalent – 15 hours
AQB Supervisor/Trainee Course – 4 hours
2015 AQB Supervisor/Trainee Course Requirement: Both the Trainee Appraiser and Supervisory Appraiser shall be required to complete a course that, at minimum, complies with the specifications for course content established by the AQB. The course must be completed by the Trainee Appraiser prior to obtaining a Trainee Appraiser credential, and completed by the Supervisory Appraiser prior to supervising a Trainee Appraiser.
Experience: N/A
College Education: N/A
Online Limitations
Roster
Governing Agency
Good To Know
Texas appraisers have a distinct advantage over appraisers in other states because the housing market is stronger and more stable than it is in most other locations which means there’s a continued demand. While this is especially true in cities like Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston, even areas with lower populations have a need for real estate appraisers.
TX Licensed Residential QE Requirements
Becoming a licensed residential appraiser in Texas
A Licensed Residential Appraiser in Texas is permitted to appraise:
- Non-complex 1-4 residential units with a transactional value of less than $1 million
- Complex 1-4 residential units with a transaction value less than $400,000
- Vacant or unimproved land for which the highest and best use is for 1-4 family purposes
Total Hours Required: 150 (this includes 75 Trainee hours, plus an additional 75 hours of other QE to obtain trainee license). This will likely take you between 8 months and a year and a half to complete.
To complete your licensure, you must pass the 4-hour long National Uniformed Licensing and Certification Examination for Licensed Residential Appraisers. The exam is made up of 125 questions, with 15 practice questions that do not affect your score.
You are allowed to take the test multiple times; as many as three times according to The Appraisal Foundation. If you fail to pass the exam after your third attempt, you will need to take another 15 hours of appraiser QE before you can take the exam again.
Texas Licensed Residential Appraiser (150 hours) – AQB recommended course order
- Basic Appraisal Principles – 30 hours
- Basic Appraisal Procedures – 30 hours
- National USPAP Course or Equivalent – 15 hours
- Supervisor/Trainee Course – 4 hours
- Residential Market Analysis and Highest And Best Use – 15 hours
- Residential Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach – 15 hours
- Residential Sales Comparison and Income Approaches – 30 hours
- Residential Report Writing and Case Studies – 15 hours
Online Info
Required Education:
154 Hours.
Basic Appraisal Principles – 30 hours.
Basic Appraisal Procedures – 30 hours.
National USPAP Course or Equivalent – 15 hours.
AQB Supervisor/Trainee Course – 4 hours.
Residential Market Analysis & Highest and Best Use – 15 hours.
Residential Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach – 15 hours.
Residential Sales Comparison and Income Approaches – 30 hours.
Residential Report Writing and Case Studies – 15 hours.
Experience: 1,000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience in not less than 6 months.
College Education: No college-level education required.
Online Limitations
Roster
Governing Agency
Good To Know
Once I have my Texas appraiser license, then what?
Whether you are a Licensed Residential, Certified Residential, or Certified General Appraiser, you need to renew your license every two years. To do this, you must complete 28 hours of Continuing Education, including a 7-hour National USPAP Update Course within each two-year renewal period.
How much do appraisers make in Texas?
While the average salary for an appraiser in Texas is around $76,000 per year¹, a real estate appraiser’s income is dependent on a variety of factors, including:
- License level: Trainee Appraisers, Licensed Residential Appraisers, Certified Residential Appraisers, and Certified General Appraisers all have different average salaries, increasing with higher licensing levels.
- Location: Appraisers in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and other higher cost-of-living areas tend to have a higher income than appraisers in rural or lower COL areas in the state.
- Experience: Even with the same license level, an appraiser who has been on the job longer tends to make more than one just starting out as the experienced appraiser may have more connections and has had time to build their business.
- Self-employment or working as an appraiser for a company.
In Texas, Trainee Appraisers have an average salary of around $45,441 but upgrading to a Licensed Residential Appraiser brings a significant increase. So, just like in most fields, the more experience and the higher your certification, the more you can expect to earn.
Can I appraise property in Texas with an out-of-state appraisal license?
You can perform work with an out-of-state license by filling out the Texas Real Estate Appraiser Reciprocity application.
You can apply if you:
- Are listed in the national ABQ registry
- Haven’t received any disciplinary actions that limit appraising
- Haven’t lost your license due to revocation, suspension, or voluntary surrender
TX Certified Residential QE Requirements
Texas Appraiser License: Certified Residential
A Certified Residential Appraiser in Texas is permitted to appraise 1-4 unit residential properties without regard to transaction value or complexity as well as vacant or unimproved land for which the highest and best use is for 1-4 family purposes.
Total Hours Required: 200 (125 required hours on top of Trainee QE). To complete your licensure, you must pass the National Uniformed Licensing and Certification Examination for Licensed Residential Appraisers.
Texas Certified Residential Appraiser (200 hours) – AQB recommended course order
- Basic Appraisal Principles – 30 hours
- Basic Appraisal Procedures – 30 hours
- National USPAP Course or Equivalent – 15 hours
- Supervisor/Trainee Course – 4 hours
- Residential Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use – 15 hours
- Residential Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach – 15 hours
- Residential Sales Comparison and Income Approaches – 30 hours
- Residential Report Writing and Case Studies – 15 hours
- Statistics, Modeling or Finance – 15 hours
- Advanced Residential Applications and Case Studies 15 hours
- Appraisal Subject Matter Electives 20 hours
Online Info
Required Education:
204 Hours.
Basic Appraisal Principles – 30 hours.
Basic Appraisal Procedures – 30 hours.
National USPAP Course or Equivalent – 15 hours
AQB Supervisor/Trainee Course – 4 hours
Residential Market Analysis & Highest and Best Use – 15 hours.
Residential Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach – 15 hours.
Residential Sales Comparison and Income Approaches – 30 hours.
Residential Report Writing and Case Studies – 15 hours.
Statistics, Modeling and Finance – 15 hours.
Advanced Residential Applications and Case Studies – 15 hours.
Appraisal Subject Matter Electives – 20 hours.
Experience: 1,500 hours of acceptable appraisal experience in not less than 12 months.
College Education:
1) Bachelor’s Degree in any field of study;
2) Associate’s Degree in a focused field of study, such as business, economics, or real estate;
3) Successful completion of 30 college semester credit hours in specified topics;
4) Successful completion of College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)1 exams equivalent to a minimum of 30 semester credit hours in specified subject matter areas; or
5) Any combination of #3 and #4 above that includes all of the topics identified.
6) A LICENSED RESIDENTIAL appraiser who has been licensed for a minimum of 5 years and in good standing for at least 5 years with no disciplinary actions that would affect the individual’s ability to appraise may upgrade to CERTIFIED RESIDENTIAL without completing any college coursework.
Online Limitations
Roster
Governing Agency
TX Certified General QE Requirements
Certified General Appraisers in Texas are permitted to appraise all types of property, including residential, multi-family, vacant land, and commercial property.
Total Hours Required: 300 (225 additional hours following trainee hours). To complete your licensure, you must pass the National Uniformed Licensing and Certification Examination for Licensed Residential Appraisers.
Steps to upgrade your appraiser license in the state of Texas
Step 1: Hold a valid appraisal license and successfully complete the additional required qualifying education courses (see course requirements below by license level). Successful completion of qualifying education courses requires passing the course final examination for each course with a proctor. (Course Online Proctoring Policy and Requirements)
Step 2: Complete and document all required experience hours for your upgrade level. Certified General Appraiser – Provide 3,000 hours of acceptable and verifiable appraisal experience acquired over a minimum of 18 months of which a minimum of 1,500 hours must be non-residential real property appraisal experience
Step 3: Complete courses and maintain copies of transcripts for all college level requirements: Certified General Appraiser must have a Bachelor’s degree or higher
Step 4: Submit the Application package which includes:
- Forms: Certified General Application
- Fees (on application)
- Education – completion certificates and/or official college transcripts
- Experience (Experience Log Instructions) (Experience Log)
- Background information for criminal records check. (Fingerprint Requirements)
Step 5: Examination process must pass the national examination approved by AQB and TALCB. Texas national exam provider is Pearson VUE.
Texas Certified General Appraiser (300 hours) – AQB recommended course order
- Basic Appraisal Principles – 30 hours
- Basic Appraisal Procedures – 30 hours
- National USPAP Course or Equivalent – 15 hour
- Supervisor/Trainee Course – 4 hours
- General Appraiser Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use – 30 hours
- Statistics, Modeling and Finance – 15 hours
- General Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach – 30 hours
- General Appraiser Sales Comparison Approach – 30 hours
- General Appraiser Income Approach – 60 hours
- General Appraiser Report Writing and Case Studies – 30 hours
- Appraisal Subject Matter Electives – 30 hours
Online Info
Required Education:
304 Hours.
Basic Appraisal Principles – 30 hours.
Basic Appraisal Procedures – 30 hours.
National USPAP Course or Equivalent – 15 hours
AQB Supervisor/Trainee Course – 4 hours
General Appraiser Market Analysis & Highest and Best Use – 30 hours.
General Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach – 30 hours.
General Appraiser Sales Comparison Approach – 30 hours.
General Appraiser Report Writing and Case Studies – 30 hours.
Statistics, Modeling and Finance – 15 hours.
General Appraiser Income Approach – 60 hours.
Appraisal Subject Matter Electives – 30 hours.
Experience: 3,000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience in no less than 18 months. A minimum of 1,500 hours of the required experience must be in non-residential appraisal work.
College Education: Must have a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
Online Limitations
Roster
Governing Agency
Good To Know
Why become a certified general appraiser in Texas?
As an appraiser, what do you do when the housing market slows down? Is an appraiser’s business still secure? Yes, because you can upgrade to certified general appraisal license to work on commercial properties or multi-unit dwellings, or focus on a niche, such as sustainable homes, farms, or even luxury homes.