Learn what the requirements are to become licensed as a real estate appraiser and how to apply.
Who needs a license?
Anyone who provides appraisal services for all types of real property.
How to apply
Follow the steps below to apply for a real estate appraiser certification.
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 successfully complete a total of 150 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 |
| 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 appraiser report writing and case studies | 15 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.
- Work under the supervisory appraiser to get at least a year of real estate appraiser experience (12 full months, first date through last date of experience log, and 2,000 hours).
2. Apply to take your 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 reviewing 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
Log into SecureAccess Washington (SAW) or create an account to apply, upload your paperwork, and pay the exam fee.
Apply for the exam by mail
Complete:
Include:
- 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.
Mail your forms and a check or money order (payable to the Department of Licensing) for the non-refundable application fee:
Department of Licensing.
Real Estate Appraiser
Department of Licensing
PO Box 3777
Seattle, WA 98124-3777
Allow at least 2 weeks for processing. 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. For more information, see the Candidate Handbook.
3. Submit your score and pay the certification fee
Submit your score online
Log in or sign up to submit your score and pay your 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 3777
Seattle, WA 98124-3777