Become a Certified General Appraiser
Scope of Practice
A Certified General Appraiser may appraise all types of real property without regard to complexity or transaction value.
Requirements
To become a Certified General Appraiser, applicants must pass a background check; satisfy education requirements; satisfy appraisal experience requirements; and pass the National Certified General Real Property examination.
Complete Qualifying Education
- 300 hours of qualifying appraisal education outlined by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) and TALCB.
Complete College Education
- You must have a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
Complete Experience Requirement
- Gain 3,000 hours of acceptable and verifiable appraisal experience acquired over a minimum of 18 months of which a minimum of 1,500 hours must be non-residential real property appraisal experience;
- Complete (1) the AQB approved Licensed Residential PAREA training module and (2) 2000 hours (1500 non-residential hours) of acceptable and verifiable appraisal experience acquired over a minimum of 12 months; or
- Complete (1) the AQB approved Certified Residential PAREA training module and (2) 1500 non-residential hours of acceptable and verifiable appraisal experience acquired over a minimum of 6 months.
Pass the Background Check
- Satisfy TALCB as to the applicant’s honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity through a background history review.
- Applicants are required to submit fingerprints to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). If a background investigation is required, there may be a delay in processing the application.
- Applicants will be required to submit relevant documents for the background history review, including final orders, judgments, and a written explanation.
- Before applying, individuals may submit a preapplication fitness determination to see if their criminal or disciplinary history may keep them from becoming licensed. More information on this can be found in this article Will Your Criminal Record or Disciplinary History Keep You from Getting Licensed?
Pass the National Examination
Applicants must pass the National Certified General Real Property exam (exam), which is developed and maintained by the AQB. TALCB does not have any involvement in the development or content of the exam.
An applicant may sit for the exam once education and experience requirements have been satisfied and TALCB issues an exam clearance.
The exam is administered by Pearson VUE. The Pearson Vue Candidate Handbook can be found on the Pearson VUE website.
Resources for individuals preparing for the exam include:
- Information on exam design, content, timing, and practice questions can be found on the Appraisal Foundation’s website and the AQB Criteria Q&As.
- Information on exam topics and success rate for each topic can be found on the TALCB Website. Applicants may find this information helpful in studying for the exam and determining areas of focus.
Individuals who fail the exam three times will be required to complete additional appraiser qualifying education before reapplying.
Successful completion of an exam is valid for 24 months.
File Your Application
Apply Online or By Mail
Submit an application to become a Certified General Appraiser using TALCB Online Services. Once you have applied and paid the fee, submit your course completion certificates, experience log, experience certification, PAREA certificate, and any supporting background documents via email.
You can also apply by mail, although processing will take longer. To apply by mail, send the completed the Certified General paper application and supporting documents to Texas Appraiser Licensing & Certification Board, P.O. Box 12188, Austin, TX 78711-2188.
Application Status
Track the status of your application using the Application Status Tracker.