Become Licensed
I. General
A. The Certified General Real Property Appraiser classification qualifies the appraiser to appraise all types of real property.
B. All Certified General appraisers must comply with the COMPETENCY RULE of USPAP.
II. Examinations
A. The AQB-approved Certified General Real Property Appraiser examination must be successfully completed. There is no alternative to successful completion of the exam.
B. The prerequisites for taking the AQB-approved examination are the completion of:
1. Three hundred (300) creditable class hours as specified in the Required Core Curriculum; and
2. Completion of the college-level education requirements specified in III.A. ”Qualifying Education”; and
3. Three thousand (3,000) hours of qualifying experience obtained in no fewer than eighteen (18) months, where a minimum of one thousand five hundred (1,500) hours must be obtained in non-residential appraisal work.
III. Qualifying Education
A. Applicants for the Certified General credential must hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university. The college or university must be a degree-granting institution accredited by the Commission on Colleges, a national or regional accreditation association, or by an accrediting agency that is recognized by the US Secretary of Education. Applicants with a college degree from a foreign country may have their education evaluated for “equivalency” by one of the following:
- An accredited, degree-granting domestic college or university;
- A foreign degree credential evaluation service company that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES); or
- A foreign degree credential evaluation service company that provides equivalency evaluation reports accepted by an accredited degree-granting domestic college or university or by a state licensing board that issues credentials in another discipline.
B. The Certified General Real Property Appraiser classification requires completion of three hundred (300) creditable class hours as specified in the Required Core Curriculum. As part of the 300 required hours, the applicant shall complete the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, or its AQB-approved equivalent, and the examination. There is no alternative to successful completion of the USPAP Course and examination.
C. Applicants must demonstrate that their education includes the core courses listed in these Criteria, with particular emphasis on non-residential properties. Residential is defined as “composed of one-to-four residential units.”
D. Appraisers holding a valid Trainee Appraiser credential may satisfy the educational requirements for the Certified General Real Property Appraiser credential by successfully completing the following additional educational hours:
1. General Appraiser Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use - 30 Hours
2. Statistics, Modeling and Finance - 15 Hours
3. General Appraiser Sales Comparison Approach - 30 Hours
4. General Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach - 30 Hours
5. General Appraiser Income Approach - 60 Hours
6. General Appraiser Report Writing and Case Studies - 30 Hours
7. Appraisal Subject Matter Electives - 30 Hours
TOTAL - 225 Hours
E. Appraisers holding a valid Licensed Residential Real Property Appraiser credential may satisfy the educational requirements for the Certified General Real Property Appraiser credential by successfully completing the following additional educational hours:
1. General Appraiser Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use - 15 Hours
2. Statistics, Modeling and Finance - 15 Hours
3. General Appraiser Sales Comparison Approach - 15 Hours
4. General Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach - 15 Hours
5. General Appraiser Income Approach - 45 Hours
6. General Appraiser Report Writing and Case Studies - 15 Hours
7. Appraisal Subject Matter Electives - 30 Hours
TOTAL - 150 Hours
F. Appraisers holding a valid Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser credential may satisfy the educational requirements for the Certified General Real Property Appraiser credential by successfully completing the following additional educational hours:
1. General Appraiser Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use - 15 Hours
2. General Appraiser Sales Comparison Approach - 15 Hours
3. General Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost - 15 Hours
4. General Appraiser Income Approach - 45 Hours
5. General Appraiser Report Writing and Case Studies - 10 Hours
TOTAL - 100 Hours
G. Trainee Appraisers, Licensed Residential Real Property Appraisers, and Certified Residential Real Property Appraisers wishing to change to the Certified General Real Property Appraiser classification must also satisfy the requirements in III.A. and III.C.
IV. Experience
Three thousand (3,000) hours of experience are required to be obtained during no fewer than eighteen (18) months. One thousand five hundred (1,500) hours must be in non-residential appraisal work. While the hours may be cumulative, the required number of months must accrue before an individual can be certified.
Click here to access all Certified General Appraiser forms.