Become a Licensed Residential Appraiser
A Licensed Residential Appraiser is a person who is licensed by TALCB and has met the educational, experience, and examination requirements for licensing. The scope of work includes appraisal of non-complex residential 1-4 unit properties with a transactional value less than $1,000,000 as well the authority to complete complex federally related transactions (FRT) and non FRT transactions with a value less than $400,000.
Qualifications
- 18 years of age or older
- 150 hours of qualifying appraisal education outlined by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) and TALCB.
- 1,000 hours of acceptable and verifiable appraisal experience acquired over a minimum of 6 months
- Meet TALCB’s qualifications for honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity
Requirements
Complete Qualifying Education
- 150 hours of qualifying appraisal education outlined by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) and TALCB.
Complete Experience Requirement
- Gain 1,000 hours of acceptable and verifiable appraisal experience acquired over a minimum of 6 months
File Your Application
Apply Online
Submit your application to become a Licensed Residential Appraiser using our Online Services. If you don’t already have a username and password for My License Online Services register now. If you have done business with TALCB or TREC online in the past, log in now. Once you have applied and made the application payment, submit your course completion certificates, experience log, experience affidavit, and any supporting background documents via email.
Apply by Mail
If you prefer, you can also apply for your Licensed Residential Appraiser license using our paper application. This may take longer to process and you will need to include copies of your course completion certificates, experience log, experience affidavit, and any supporting background documents.
Track the status of your application using the Application Status Tracker.
Get Your Fingerprints Taken and Pass Your Background Check
You are required by law to have fingerprints on file with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) so a background check can be performed. If you have previously submitted fingerprints for a TALCB or TREC license, no additional fingerprints are required. Fingerprints on file for other agencies will not be accepted. A license will not issue if the background check has not been passed. Expect a delay if you are notified of an investigation into your background history.
Take The Exam
License exams are administered by PearsonVUE, a testing service company.
After you pass the appraisal experience audit, you will be sent a notice with instructions for scheduling the exam. Information on exam design, content, timing, and practice questions can be found on the Appraisal Foundation’s website. The Candidate Handbook can be found on the PearsonVUE website.
Information on exam topics and success rate for each topic can be found here. Applicants may find this information helpful in studying for the exam and determining areas of focus.
If you fail the exam three times, additional education will be required.
You will be notified to submit the National Registry fee once all requirements are successfully completed.
Upgrading from a Residential Appraiser License
If you are a Licensed Residential Appraiser and your license is current, you may work towards meeting the requirements for a Certified Residential Appraiser or a Certified General Appraiser. To upgrade a current Residential Appraiser License, you need to meet the additional education, experience, and examination requirements.
Upgrade Requirements
Licensed Residential Appraiser to Certified General Appraiser
Additional Education Requirements:
A Bachelor’s Degree or higher from an accredited college or university AND
- General Appraiser Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use (15 hours)
- General Appraiser Sales Comparison Approach (15 hours)
- General Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach (15 hours)
- General Appraiser Income Approach (45 hours)
- General Appraiser Report Writing and Case Studies (15 hours)
- Statistics, Modeling and Finance (15 hours)
- Appraisal Subject Matter Electives (30 hours) (**may be satisfied with courses in Residential modules or overage hours taken for another required course)
Experience Requirements:
Provide 3,000 hours of acceptable and verifiable appraisal experience acquired over a minimum of 18 months (1 1/2 years) of which a minimum of 1,500 hours must be non-residential real property appraisal experience. Experience may be acquired anytime during the appraiser's career when that person had legal authority to perform real estate appraisals. Appraisals must comply with USPAP.
Licensed Residential Appraiser to Certified Residential Appraiser
Additional Education Requirements:
One of six college-level education requirements set out by the AQB AND
- Statistics, Modeling and Finance (15 hours)
- Advanced Residential Applications and Case Studies (15 hours)
- Appraisal Subject Matter Electives (20 hours) (**may be satisfied with courses in Residential modules or overage hours taken for another required course)
Experience Requirements:
Provide 1,500 hours of acceptable and verifiable appraisal experience acquired over a minimum of 12 months (1 year). Experience may be acquired anytime during the appraiser's career when that person had legal authority to perform real estate appraisals. Appraisals must comply with USPAP.