How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser in Texas

To become a real estate appraiser in Texas, you must first apply to be authorized by the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB) as an Appraiser Trainee.

Real estate appraisers inspect and take measurements of real property (land, homes, apartments, office buildings, etc.) in order to arrive at an accurate value of the property.

In any real estate transaction that needs a loan, a real estate appraisal will be required by the bank or lender. This includes purchase as well as refinancing transactions.

Consequently, there are many career opportunities for real estate appraisers in active real estate markets.

Real estate appraisers can be self-employed and work for themselves or they can work for mortgage firms, banks, lenders and government agencies.

Here's what you need to know to become a real estate appraiser in Texas:

1) Real Estate Appraiser Licensing Requirements in Texas

2) Real Estate Appraiser Job Duties

3) Income Potential

4) Texas Real Estate Appraisal Schools

How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser in Texas

1) Real Estate Appraiser Licensing Requirements in Texas

In Texas, real estate appraisers MUST be licensed by the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB).

To become an authorized Appraiser Trainee, you must:

be a citizen of the United States or a lawfully admitted alien
be at least 18 years of age
be a legal resident of the State of Texas for at least 60 days immediately before the filing of the application, and
satisfy the board as to the prospective trainee's honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity
find a sponsor who is a TALCB certified appraiser
complete and file a notarized application along with a $75 application fee.

If you're unable to find a sponsorship as an Appraiser Trainee from at least 2 certified appraisers after making a diligent and good faith search, you can apply for a Provisional Licensed Real Estate Appraiser.

To do so, you'll need to:

complete 90 hours of approved education including at least 15 hours of Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP)
take and pass the state licensed appraiser exam
Submit a completed application along with a $175 fee

After receiving a minimum of 2000 hours of appraisal experience in no less than 2 years, an Appraiser Trainee may apply to become a State Licensed Real Estate Appraiser.

There are 3 levels of real estate appraiser licensing in Texas:

State Licensed Real Estate Appraiser
Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser
Certified General Real Estate Appraiser

License Levels Education Requirements Experience Requirements Exam Scope of Practice

Licensed Appraiser A minimum of 90 hours of required appraisal education , including 15 hours on USPAP. Minimum 2,000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience over at least 2 years. Must pass the AQB approved residential examination. May appraise non-complex 1-to-4 unit residential property up to a transaction value of $1 million, and commercial properties up to $250,000.

Certified Residential Appraiser A minimum of 120 hours of approved appraisal education, with at least 15 hours on USPAP. Minimum 2,500 hours of acceptable appraisal experience over at least 2 years. Must pass the AQB approved certified residential examination. May appraise all 1-to-4 unit residential property.

Certified General Appraiser A minimum of 180 hours of approved appraisal education and 15 hours on USPAP. Minimum 3,000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience, over at least 2.5 years. Must pass the AQB approved certified general examination. May appraise all types of real estate.

NOTE: Education, Experience, Testing, and Continuing Education are subject to change based upon criteria established by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) of The Appraisal Foundation.

2) Duties of Real Estate Appraisers

A real estate appraiser's job is to estimate the value of real property. Real property consists of land, buildings, and even natural resources such as water, oil, or minerals.

The estimate of value is known as an appraisal. A real estate appraisal is made when real property is bought, sold, assessed, taxed, condemned, insured, or mortgaged.

A real estate appraiser's job duties also include:

obtaining land values from county sources and sales information about nearby properties to help establish property value
examining the income records and operating costs of income properties
estimating building replacement costs using building valuation manuals and professional cost estimators.
examining the type and location of nearby services such as shopping centers, schools, parks, and other neighborhood features in order to evaluate their impact on property values.
verifying legal descriptions of property with county records, measuring the property and comparing the measurements with the legal descriptions.
photographing interiors and exteriors of properties to help estimate property value, substantiate findings and complete appraisal reports
preparing written reports that estimate the property value, outline methods used in estimations and meet appraisal standards

3) Income Potential in Texas

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the 2003 median salary of Real Estate Appraisers in Texas was approximately $49,300/year.

Salaries ranged from under $22,000/year to over $86,000/year.

4) Real Estate Appraisal Schools in Texas

If you are interested in becoming a real estate appraiser in Texas, you will need to take classes that are approved by the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB).

Please call the Board at (512) 465-3950 prior to signing up for classes.

Name of Provider

Real Estate Appraisal Schools for Texas

Abilene Christian University

713.981.9647

Academy of Real Estate

915.779.0096

All State Professional Training Inc.

972.641.0077

Amarillo College

806.371.5262

Austin Community College

512.223.7724

Austin Institute of Real Estate

512.453.0900

Baylor University

713.270.6061

Center for Career Education

214.221.0971

Champions School of Real Estate

281.893.4484

Collin County Community College

972.985.3707

Columbia Institute

210.804.0044

Houston Community College System

713.718.5240

Leonard-Hawes Real Estate School

877.332.2630

Lon Morris College

903.589.4000

National Association of Master Appraisers / Lincoln Graduate Center (NAMA)

210.271.0781

Real Estate University

972.331.8977

Richland Community College

972.238.6216

Robinson Real Estate School

713.663.7363

Sam Houston State University

409.297.3701

San Jacinto College

281.458.4050

Texas A&M University - Commerce

888.333.3735

University of Houston Clear Lake

713.988.2284

University of Texas At San Antonio

210.458.6315

USA Training Company Inc.

512.346.4204

Back to Texas Real Estate Agent

License Levels	Education Requirements	Experience Requirements	Exam	Scope of Practice
Licensed Appraiser	A minimum of 90 hours of required appraisal education , including 15 hours on USPAP.	Minimum 2,000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience over at least 2 years.	Must pass the AQB approved residential examination.	May appraise non-complex 1-to-4 unit residential property up to a transaction value of $1 million, and commercial properties up to $250,000.
Certified Residential Appraiser	A minimum of 120 hours of approved appraisal education, with at least 15 hours on USPAP.	Minimum 2,500 hours of acceptable appraisal experience over at least 2 years.	Must pass the AQB approved certified residential examination.	May appraise all 1-to-4 unit residential property.
Certified General Appraiser	A minimum of 180 hours of approved appraisal education and 15 hours on USPAP.	Minimum 3,000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience, over at least 2.5 years.	Must pass the AQB approved certified general examination.	May appraise all types of real estate.