How Do I Become a Home Appraiser in Ohio?

Ohio requires many years of education and experience in order to obtain a certificate to become a home appraiser.

The state of Ohio has standardized the requirements to become a general certified home appraiser. Education and work experience qualifications must be met to work independently appraising homes. Once you become an appraiser, you may need to take additional courses to keep your certification up to date.

Things You'll Need

• Bachelors degree
• Home appraisal experience
• General certificate for home appraisers

Instructions

1. Attend a four-year college or university and obtain a bachelor's degree. While there is no specific degree required to become a home appraiser, courses in business, economics, communication, composition, finance, mathematics and real estate law are often helpful to achieving a certificate for home appraisal. If you do not have a bachelor's degree, you must complete at least 30 credit hours at a college or university in the previously mentioned subjects, in addition to courses in statistics, computer science and business management. To become an appraisal assistant you need only to complete an associate's degree, but to become a general appraiser, you will need to complete all education requirements.

2. Begin working for an experienced certified home appraiser. One of the main licensing requirements to be a general home appraiser is 3,000 hours of work in at least 30 months under the supervision of a certified home appraiser who is still in good standing. You can complete one quarter of the time working in the state-approved mentorship program. The Appraisal Institute provides many links to continuing education programs for home appraisers.

3. Take additional real estate and appraisal courses. These include at least 225 hours of courses in subject matter such as market analysis, finance, statistics, general sales comparison, general appraisal courses, report writing and case studies. All of the courses must be approved by Ohio Department of Commerce's Central Accreditation Matrix.

4. Apply for a home appraiser license/certificate from the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing. You can access the correct form on the Ohio Department of Commerce's website by following the links to the Appraiser License/Certificate Application PDF. The application fee is $175.

5. Take the required appraisal test. If you pass, the state will issue you a license/certificate and you may begin working as a home appraiser.

Tips & Warnings

• Fulfill all the requirements of the home appraiser license, including taking additional or continuing education courses, to keep your certification in good standing with the state of Ohio.

References

• Ohio Department of Commerce: Appraiser Requirements
• Ohio Department of Commerce: Central Accreditation Matrix

Resources

• Appraisal Institute
• Ohio Department of Commerce: General Appraiser Certificate Application Form