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

How to Become a Licensed Residential Appraiser in Washington

Now let’s take a deeper look at the steps necessary to really start your career as a state licensed real estate appraiser in Washington.

1. 1. Obtain Your Washington State Registered Real Estate Appraiser Trainee License

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

   Before you can become a state licensed real estate appraiser in Washington, you first must get your State Registered Real Estate Appraiser Trainee license. In order to qualify for your trainee license, you’ll need to complete 79 hours of Washington Appraiser qualifying education, broken up as follows:

   • 30 hours of appraisal principles
   • 30 hours of appraisal procedures
   • 15 hours to uniform standards of professional appraisal practice (USPAP)

   Once your qualifying education is complete, Washington requires you to take an AQB-Approved Supervisor-Trainee Course (4 hours). Before signing up, you’ll need to find a supervisory appraiser who will act as your mentor through completion of your experience hours. (Your supervisory appraiser will also need to complete the AQB Supervisor-Trainee Course if they haven’t already done so.) And finally, you and your supervisor must complete and mail in the Supervisor Registration form.

2. 2. Complete Your Washington State Licensed Real Estate Appraiser Education

   After getting your State Registered Real Estate Appraiser Trainee license, it’s time for the next step toward becoming a state licensed real estate appraiser in Washington: 150 hours of Washington-approved qualifying education. Remember: you’ve already completed 75 of these hours with your trainee license, so only 75 to go – nice work!

   Washington requires a very specific breakdown of this coursework.

3. 3. Conduct Your Appraisal Work Experience

   Once you’ve finished your education, you must conduct at least 2,000 hours of actual appraisal experience. Additionally, those 2,000 hours must be completed:

   • Under the supervision of a certified appraiser; and
   • Over a period of at least 12 months.

   This means you must take no less than 12 months to complete your 2,000 hours of appraisals. To put things in perspective, if a trainee works around 38 hours per workweek, they will complete their training in a little over 12 months. If, however, they put in any fewer than 38 hours per week, it would take longer. See our table below for a helpful overview of the timeframes you’d be looking at:

   Number of Hours Per Week	Length of Time to Complete 2,000 hours
   ≈38 Hours	≈12 Months
   ≈26 Hours	≈18 Months
   ≈19 Hours	≈2 Years
   ≈15 Hours	≈2.5 Years

   * Must be completed under the supervision of a certified Washington appraiser. *

4. 4. Submit Your Application

   After you complete your required work experience hours, it’s time to apply for your license with the Washington State DOL. Here’s a list of what you’ll need to get started:

   • Read through the application carefully
   • Gather all of your supporting documentation (e.g., transcripts; proof of coursework; experience log; etc.)
   • Be prepared to answer legal background questions and provide documents, if needed
   • Prepare the $370 application fee

   The Washington State DOL encourages you to submit your application online, but it can also be mailed to the address listed on the paper application.

5. 5. Pass the National Uniform Licensing & Certification Examination

   After completing your courses and logging your appraisal experience, you are now eligible to take the National Uniform Licensing & Certification Exam .

   In Washington, the exam is administered by AMP, a company owned by PSI. There is a $105 fee to take the exam, and The Appraisal Foundation has tips on the exam structure and some example questions that you can use to prepare. Additionally, we’ve compiled a few extra pieces of information to help you prepare:

   • The exam is four to six hours long. Both the Licensed Residential Examination and the Certified Residential Examination take four hours to complete, and the Certified General Examination takes six hours to complete.
   • There are 125 questions on the test. The National Uniform Licensing and Certification exam is composed of 125 total questions. 15 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. 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.

   The Washington Real Estate Appraisers Program also published a candidate handbook if you’d like more details on the exam.

If I Have an Out-of-State Appraiser License, Can I Appraise Real Estate in Washington?

Yes, as long as you meet these requirements, summarized below:

• You must be currently licensed or certified in another state
• You must be in good standing with that state’s regulatory board
• You must apply online or by mail for a Washington State real estate appraiser license

Appraiser License Types in Washington

Washington recognizes four different levels of appraisal licensure, so it’s important to understand the differences as each has their own unique qualifications. The four license types are:

• State Registered Real Estate Appraiser Trainee
• State Licensed Real Estate Appraiser
• State Certified Residential Appraiser
• State Certified General Appraiser

Real Estate Appraisal Trainee

Like most states, Washington offers a pilot program to help potential appraisers begin their path toward becoming fully licensed. Known as a state registered real estate appraiser trainee, this is the first level you must achieve before you can become fully licensed and start performing valuation services on real property – including appraising homes – on your own. You must work under the direct supervision of a certified appraiser.  

State Licensed Real Estate Appraiser

The next level up is a state licensed real estate appraiser. At this level, you can provide appraisal services in transactions with:

• Non-complex 1-4-unit residential properties (transaction value < $1,000,000)
• Complex 1-4-unit residential properties (transaction value < $250,000)
• Nonresidential property (transaction value < $250,000)

State Certified Residential Appraiser

The next level up is a state certified residential appraiser. At this level, you can provide appraisal services for:

• All types of residential property of one to four units without regard to transaction value or complexity
• Nonresidential property (transaction value < $250,000)

State Certified General Appraiser

State certified general appraisers are the highest level of appraiser professionals in Washington. They can provide appraisal services with all types of residential or commercial real property without regard to value or complexity.