Learn what the requirements are to become certified as a general real estate appraiser and how to apply for a license.
Who needs a license?
Anyone who provides appraisal services for all types of real property. A certified general appraiser license has more requirements than a regular appraiser license.
How to apply
Follow the steps below to apply for a state-certified real estate appraiser license.
1. Meet the requirements
You must meet all of the following education and experience requirements.
Education
To be eligible to take the exam, you must have:
- A bachelor's degree or higher (in any field) from an accredited college or university, 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 Appraisal subject matter electives 30 hours
Experience
Before you may take the exam, you must:
- Find a certified appraiser willing to supervise your work experience as a licensed state-registered appraiser trainee. Visit the State-registered real estate appraiser trainee page for more information.
- Work under the supervisory appraiser to get 3,000 hours of appraisal experience over a continuous period of 18 months or longer. You must keep a log of your experience from the first date through the last date.
- At least 1,500 hours of this experience must be in non-residential appraising.
- Hours may be treated as cumulative to achieve the necessary hours of appraisal experience.
2. Apply to take the exam
Before you apply for the exam
- Complete the Real Estate Appraiser Applicant Experience Log in chronological order. You won't be granted credit for restricted appraisal reports. Trainees won't be granted credit for review appraisal reports.
- Every page must be signed by you. All pages with supervised experience must also be signed by your supervisor. If you have multiple supervisors, a separate log must be maintained for each supervisor. If you are a returning appraiser using experience from when you were licensed, you do not need to sign twice.
- Request official college transcripts be sent to:
Real Estate Appraiser Section
Department of Licensing
PO Box 9021
Olympia, WA 98507-9021 - Gather your appraiser education course completion certificates.
- Be ready to answer legal background questions and provide documents if needed.
Apply for the exam online
Set up a SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account or log into your existing SAW account to apply to take the exam online.
Apply for the exam by mail
Mail a completed Real Estate Appraiser Certification Application and the following documents to the address shown on the application:
- Copies of your appraiser education course completion certificates.
- Appraiser Applicant/Trainee Assignment Log(s). We recommend you keep copies of your signed logs.
- An official college transcript if it was not sent directly by the college.
- Check or money order for the non-refundable application fee payable to the Department of Licensing.
We'll review the application to determine if you're eligible for the exam, and we'll notify you if you're approved to take the exam or explain why your application was denied.
After you're approved for the exam
Schedule your exam online, by phone, or by mail to PSI Services. For more information, see the Candidate Handbook.
3. Submit your score and pay the certification fee
Submit your score online
Set up a SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account or log into your existing SAW account to apply and pay your certification fee online.
Submit your score by mail
Mail your original passing score report from the exam vendor with a check or money order for the certification fee (payable to the Department of Licensing) to:
Real Estate Appraiser Section
Department of Licensing
PO Box 3917
Seattle, WA 98124-3917
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For veterans, military personnel, and partners
Your military experience or training might help you meet licensing requirements. You may also be able to get a temporary license if you're moving here with a current license from another state. Learn more about using your military training to meet professional license requirements.
If you're a U.S. veteran, you may be eligible for partial reimbursement of your fees. Learn more about getting reimbursed for fees.