Become a Certified Residential Appraiser

Scope of Practice

Certified Residential Appraisers may:

• Appraise 1-4 unit residential properties without regard to transaction value or complexity;
• Appraise Vacant or unimproved land for which the highest and best use is for one-to-four family purposes;
• May not appraise subdivisions; and
• Associate with a state certified general real estate appraiser, who shall sign the appraisal report, to appraise non-residential properties.

Requirements

To become a Certified Residential Appraiser, applicants must pass a background check; satisfy education requirements; satisfy appraisal experience requirements; and pass the National Certified Residential Real Property examination.

Complete Qualifying Education Requirement

• Complete 200 hours of qualifying appraisal education.

Complete College Education Requirement

• Complete one of the following college-level education requirements:
  • Option 1: Bachelor’s degree in any field of study;
  • Option 2: Associate's degree in a field of study related to Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Economics, or Real Estate;
  • Option 3: Successful completion of 30 semester hours of college-level courses in each of the following specific topic areas:
    • English Composition (3 hours)
    • Microeconomics (3 hours)
    • Macroeconomics (3 hours)
    • Finance (3 hours)
    • Algebra, Geometry, or Higher Math (3 hours)
    • Statistics (3 hours)
    • Computer Science (3 hours)
    • Business Law or Real Estate Law (3 hours)
    • Two elective courses in any of the above topics or in Accounting, Geography, Agricultural Economics, Business Management, or Real Estate (3 hours each);
  • Option 4: Successful completion of at least 30 hours of College Level Examination Program^® (CLEP^®) examinations that cover each of the specific topic areas in Option 3 (see Equivalency Table for applicable exams);
  • Option 5: Any combination of Option 3 and Option 4 that includes all of the topics identified; or
  • Option 6: No college-level education required for appraisers who have held a Licensed Residential credential for at least 5 years and have no record of adverse, final, and non-appealable disciplinary action affecting the Licensed Residential appraiser's legal eligibility to engage in appraisal practice with the 5 years immediately preceding the date of application for a Certified Residential Appraiser credential.

Complete Experience Requirement

• Gain 1,500 hours of acceptable and verifiable appraisal experience acquired over a minimum of 12 months;
• Complete the AQB approved Certified Residential PAREA training module; or
• Complete (1) the AQB approved Licensed Residential PAREA training module and (2) 500 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 Residential 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 Residential 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 Residential 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.

Upgrading from a Certified Residential Appraiser

Certified Residential Appraisers holding a valid credential may upgrade to a Certified General appraiser by satisfying the background check and completing additional education, examination, and experience requirements.