The short answer is: at least two years.

You will have to accumulate 200 hours of qualifying (which basically means tested) appraisal education courses. Most of these courses are mandated at the national level. You have to acquire 2,500 hours of mentored experience over not less than two years. You will need to have an associate’s degree from an accredited college or, alternatively, 21 semester hours of college credit in specific courses. You have to pass the state licensing exam. Depending on how long it takes you to actually do all of this, you may have to pick up some continuing education courses along the way. These are the requirements to become a certified residential appraiser.

Do not do anything or spend any money before contacting your state board and thoroughly understanding the process. By far, your most difficult task will be locating a mentor to oversee your training.

Pennsylvania State Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers:

Vacant land. Buy some..

Jessica,

There will be several hot areas when the market settles. The problem is knowing when it will settle. I personally opt to put my money in markets where the economics are sound. I’m a long term kinda guy. I believe in slow and steady…a turtle race if you will. Just like in the stock market…there are opportunities to get rich or lose it all when taking on such risks. The only way to hedge this bet is with sheer education…long hours spent determining where and when to buy or by taking a look at some basic factors that can tell you whether a given area is a steady achiever. I work and invest in Tulsa, OK b/c it is steady and the fundamentals are sound. Throughout this entire mortgage and financial crisis, OK has remained strong and has boasted gains in home prices. OK is number one right now in appreciation according to OFHEO
and has steadily given appreciation results to their owners. Now don’t get me wrong, we are only appreciating at 5-6% but we are appreciating which is more than can be said for most of the country right now. So this question needs to be addressed at its core. Do you want to take large risks or are you concerned with results that are more secure and will take care of you over the long term. If you are at all risk averse, I would recommend investing in somewhere like Tulsa, OK. If you have a strong propensity to risk equity in a property, then you might want to look elsewhere. CA has some deals…but are they really deals…is the market finished going down…and if so…the values aren’t going to magically jump back up to overinflated values of 2 years ago. Hope this helps a little. I have found that there really are no get rich quick programs out there but rather success can be found in looking at sound and organized investments that represent your ultimate desire for wealth. Don’t get carried away in the best case scenario all the time. Those times will come soon enough but only if they aren’t forced. I recently started a blog for the company I work for which can be seen at
We specialize in real estate investments and have had many California customers happy with their decision to invest outside of their state. It has certainly paid off. Check us out if you’re interested. If not, at least maybe you can take some of this advice and apply it down the road.

REPORT THEM TO THE NEW YORK BOARD OF REAL ESTATE AND REALTOR.ORG

Above is a list of appraisal licensing websites listed by state.

These links are good and many show how to get licensed, where to go for education, etc. A good example if your state’s website is not informative is the link below for Illinois.

Ideally an existing appraiser would take you under his wing as an apprentice, but the schools will have a lot of good information too.

In many places, stock brokerage houses and real estate companies selling single family residences are cutting down on branch offices and generally reducing office floor space. This is going to put many landlords who own office buildings into bankruptcy. There will be some buys out there.

Each state is different. First if I were you I would familarize myself with the state requirements for becoming a licensed or certified appraiser. After that the state appraisal board will be able to inform you of what schools are approved to provide credit in your state. Depending on your state requirements you may be required to obtain a appraiser trainee license. Again check with your state appraisal board. Once you get your education out of they way you have to find an appraiser that will be your mentor. This is the hard part. Alot of appraisers will only hire family or friends, and now that the real estate market is slowing they have less business and less of a need for trainees. In some states you don’t have to have any of your education requirements to become a trainee but it should help when looking for a job. It shows potential employers that you are serious and are willing to do what it takes to become an appraiser.

Good luck

Real estate board for New York along with NY Attorney General office also New York dept of state. I’ve attached links to hopefully help you.

You need to go through specific appraiser’s courses mandated by the state you live in. Then pass the state exam and get licensed. Then you may sign up with a certified appraiser in that state. Look under the yellow page under real estate schools and you will find it. You an go to the web and search as well.

Why would you want to? J/K. Yes, i would say certainly you would, but the area is so small you may be in stiff competetion!