How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser in Nebraska: Your
5-Step Guide

How to Become a Licensed Residential Real Property Appraiser in Nebraska

Now let's take a more in-depth look at the steps recommended to really start your appraisal career as a licensed residential appraiser.

1. 1. Obtain Your Nebraska Trainee Real Property Appraiser License

   NOTE: Your state may accept PAREA or Practicum as an alternative to Trainee license with Trainee/Supervisory model.

   Qualifying Education. Before you can become a licensed residential appraiser in Nebraska, you’ll need to complete 75 hours total of Nebraska Appraiser Qualifying Education (QE), broken up as follows:

   • 30 hours of appraisal principles
   • 30 hours of appraisal procedures
   • The 15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course, or an equivalent course

   You’ll also need to complete a 4-hour Appraiser Trainee/Supervisory Appraiser Course. Before signing up for the course, you need to find a supervisory appraiser who will act as your mentor through completion of your experience hours (Step 3).

   All Qualifying Education must be approved by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) and the Nebraska Real Property Appraiser Board. You must complete all Qualifying Education prior to submitting your trainee appraiser application.

   Before applying for your license, take a moment to read through Nebraska’s trainee appraiser application requirements.

   Once you’ve met all of the above requirements, you can apply for your Trainee Real Property Appraiser license by submitting a paper application. There is a $195.25 application fee.

2. 2. Complete Your Appraiser Education

   After becoming a Nebraska trainee appraiser, it’s time for the next step toward becoming a licensed residential appraiser: 150 total hours of Appraisal Foundation-approved appraiser education. Take a look at the breakdown of coursework. (Please Note: You’ve already satisfied 75 of these hours through your Trainee Real Property Appraiser license – nice work!)

3. 3. Conduct Your Appraisal Work Experience

   Once you’ve finished your education, you must conduct and log at least 1,000 hours of actual appraisal experience. Those 1,000 hours must be completed:

   • Under the supervision of an endorsed certified appraiser; and
   • Over a period of at least six months.

   This means that you must take no less than six months to complete your 1,000 hours of appraisal experience. To put things in perspective, if an apprentice works 40 hours per workweek, they will complete their training in a little over six months. If, however, they put in any fewer than 40 hours per week, it would take longer.

   You can search Nebraska’s Supervisory Appraiser Contact List to find certified residential and general appraisers who are approved to mentor trainees.

   Once you’ve completed your appraiser education and experience requirements, you’ll need to submit proof of completion to the Nebraska Real Property Appraiser Board for verification. Once approved, the board will notify you that you can schedule your licensing exam.

4. 4. Complete the National Uniform Licensing & Certification Examination

   After the Nebraska Real Property Appraiser Board approves your education and experience, you can take the National Uniform Licensing & Certification Exam. You will receive a candidate handbook and instructions for contacting the testing company to schedule your exam. The Appraisal Foundation publishes tips on the exam structure that can help you prepare. Here’s an overview:

   • The exam is four hours long. The Licensed Residential Examination can take up to four hours to complete.
   • There are 125 questions on the test. The National Uniform Licensing and Certification exam is composed of 125 total questions. Fifteen of these questions are considered practice, and answering those questions wrong does not negatively affect your score.
   • A score of 75 points is passing. Scores for the National Uniform Licensing and Certification exam range between 0 and 110 points. Each question carries an equal weight of 1 point. In order to pass, you must earn a minimum of 75 points.
   • You can take the test more than once. The Appraisal Foundation allows you to take the test up to three times.

5. 5. Submit Your Application for Nebraska Licensed Residential Real Property Appraiser

   After passing your exam, it’s time to apply for your license. Generally, candidates can expect this process to take up to six weeks, but it may vary.

   To apply, you'll need to complete the application and submit it to the Nebraska Real Property Appraiser Board. There is a $195.25 fee to apply, which includes the fee for fingerprinting and your background check. More info on this process can be found here. After your application has been approved, you’ll need to pay a $300 credentialing fee as well as a $40 National Registry fee.

   Nebraska appraiser licenses are valid for two years after an initial one-year renewal period. Continuing Education (CE) must be completed during every renewal period.

Appraiser License Types in Nebraska

It’s important to understand how Nebraska classifies real estate appraisers across four separate categories, each with their own qualifications for licensure:

• Trainee Real Property Appraiser
• Licensed Residential Real Property Appraiser
• Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser
• Certified General Real Property Appraiser

After receiving your Trainee Real Property Appraiser license, you can “upgrade” to any of the subsequent license levels. Today, we’ll be focusing on how to become a licensed residential real property appraiser. But first, here’s a quick overview of the requirements for the first four licensing levels.

Find extra details here regarding Nebraska's fingerprinting and background check process.

Trainee Real Property Appraiser

Nebraska, like most states, recommends a pilot program for potential appraisers to begin their path toward becoming fully licensed. Known as a trainee real property appraiser, this first level of licensure is required before you can become fully licensed and start appraising real estate on your own.

Here's a quick overview of everything you’ll need to become a trainee appraiser:

Licensed Residential Real Property Appraiser

The next level up is a licensed residential real property appraiser. At this level, you can appraise:

• Non-complex 1-4 unit residential properties (transaction value < $1,000,000)
• Complex 1-4 unit residential properties (transaction value < $400,000)

Here’s a quick overview of everything you’ll need to become a Nebraska licensed residential appraiser:

Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser

Certified residential real property appraisers may appraise:

• 1-4 unit residential properties without regard to value or complexity

Certified General Real Property Appraiser

(h3) Certified General Real Property Appraiser Certified general real property appraisers are the highest level of appraiser professionals in Nebraska. They can appraise all types of residential or commercial property without regard to value or complexity.