How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser: Career Overview - Urban Splatter (2024)

Real estate appraisers are professionals tasked with estimating the value of buildings and pieces of land. They work on a single piece of land or building at a time. This is different from the job of an assessor, who works on many pieces of land or buildings at the same time.

A real estate appraiser specializes in either residential or commercial properties or land. Before land or property is developed, insured, taxed, mortgaged, or even sold, a real estate appraiser is required to appraise them.

They first visit the land or property, evaluate it and its characteristics as well as those of the location, and then analyze it compared to other properties or land they have worked on, something that is important in helping buyers make the right offer.

However, different states and organizations have different job requirements for a real estate appraiser.

For instance, looking at different real estate appraisers’ job descriptions, some of them require these professionals to gather, analyze, and verify data on commercial or residential properties including physically inspecting the interior and exterior of properties, measuring different structures, analyzing the property market, taking photographs of buildings, and verifying the quality of properties.

Becoming a Real Estate Appraiser

Since most states require one to be licensed, it means that you need to have a license. Different real estate appraiser schools offer courses that will allow you to become a certified professional and start a career as a real estate appraiser.

If the transactions you are involved in the process of your job are linked to financial institutions and banks that are federally insured, you will need to have a license issued by the state where you work.

The AQB (Appraiser Qualifications Board) comes up with the minimum requirements for both education and experience. They also set the requirements of the real estate appraiser examinations for different states to follow.

Skills Needed for a Career as a Real Estate Appraiser

For a successful career as a real estate appraiser, you will need to possess skills in different areas such as mathematics and customer service. You can gain these skills from school and work experience. The most important skills include;

Communication

You will need to always communicate with your clients, either verbally or on written reports. This is because you will find yourself working with individuals, banks, construction companies, or even developers who lack experience in the real estate industry.

This means that you need communication skills for you to make sure that every person you are dealing with understands everything.

Customer Service

Real estate appraisers work with different clients all the time, meaning that they should possess amazing customer service skills to ensure that their clients are happy. They should also learn how to remain professional at all times to discharge their duties accurately and in a timely manner.

Mathematics

A successful real estate appraiser should find it easy when using things like algebra, arithmetic, statistics, and trigonometry. They also need to be knowledgeable about the different fundamentals of finance.

This is because, for instance, the real estate industry involves different steps when buying a house, with the steps varying depending on the transaction process and state regulations.

Construction and Building

Since they deal with commercial or residential properties, real estate appraisers need to understand different aspects of construction and building.

This includes things such as construction methods and materials used as well as the tools required for remodeling or the repair of properties.

Education Needed

The type of education needed for a career as a real estate appraiser varies from one state to another as well as the type of license one needs. It, therefore, means that students need to evaluate these things before choosing the education program that they need.

It is important to note that if you want to be certified as a real estate appraiser, you must possess a college education.

Real Estate Associate Degree

It takes about twenty-four months to complete a real estate associate degree. The degree program covers different topics, key among them mathematics, appraisal, finance, and marketing.

Some of them also require students to go through internships, something that is vital for students to gain some work experience. You can get an associate degree on campus or online.

Real Estate Bachelor’s Degree

A real estate bachelor’s degree requires about four years, but this might be different especially for students who enroll on a part-time basis or those who take accelerated programs.

A degree in real estate will cover topics such as management, marketing, finance, appraisal techniques, and real estate law. You will also be required to go through an internship in a real estate agency or company.

In conclusion, becoming a real estate appraiser is not as complicated as most people think. All you need is the right education and guidance, as well as an understanding of the regulations governing the career in your state.

How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser: Career Overview - Urban Splatter (2024)

FAQs

Is an appraiser a stressful job? ›

Appraisers have a huge job of trying to appraise a property fairly. The stress of making sure that they are choosing the "right" appraisal value can be stressful and some people dislike that aspect. Difficult clients. As appraisers work closely with people's finances, there is a lot at stake.

What qualifications and qualities would you look for if you were hiring an appraiser? ›

Factors like motivation, communication skills, problem-solving skills, and education are the top things that supervisors look for when choosing a trainee appraiser.

What is the day in the life of an appraiser? ›

Sometimes an appraiser might spend an entire day “out on the road” looking at properties. On other days, the appraiser might spend an entire day in the office doing research and writing reports. Many days involve a combination of property inspections and research/paperwork.

What type of appraiser makes the most money? ›

The highest level of appraisers, certified general appraisers, earn about $15,000 more per year than certified residential appraisers.

What is the personality type of an appraiser? ›

Appraisers are perceived as assertive rather than aggressive. They elicit cooperation of others by showing consideration. They use persuasion to involve others in projects. They are creative, direct, and accomplish results.

What is one skill needed to conduct an appraisal interview? ›

Being able to listen actively, empathize with employees, and effectively evaluate performance are crucial for a successful appraisal process.

What is the first thing an appraiser does? ›

The first step is the appraisal inspection, where appraisers traditionally review the home's interior and exterior to make sure it is in sound structural shape, confirm that there aren't any safety issues, note the number of rooms, and see if there have been any major upgrades or renovations since the last real estate ...

What is the lifespan of an appraisal? ›

Technically, appraisals don't expire, but lenders may refuse to honor them if they think the appraisal is too old. Most appraisals will be accepted for 90 days and many for up to six months. Rapidly changing market conditions can reduce the time frame to as little as 30 days.

Should you be home when an appraiser comes? ›

During the appraisal process, a licensed appraiser will visit the home and review MLS sales data in order to render an opinion on the property's value. Unlike the home inspection, we very often advise our sellers to be present when the appraiser visits their home.

How do appraisers get clients? ›

Become active and visible in your appraisal association. Appraisers do give referrals, and some of your best clients are probably appraisers. Join your local chamber of commerce or service clubs such as Rotary. They are excellent sources of regular business, so say appraisers who are long-term members.

Are appraisals stressful? ›

While most organizations conduct performance reviews, only about 1/3 of the managers look forward to delivering the reviews to their team members. Performance appraisals don't have to be a “scary” experience for the manager (or employee).

Do appraisals usually go well? ›

The above issues might seem concerning but, according to Fannie Mae, “the vast majority of appraisals confirm contract price.” In fact, they come back low less than 10% of the time. So, chances are, you won't run into this issue.

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