How To Become a Certified Residential Appraiser in Florida

As long as you are at least 18 years old, have a social security number, and have a high school diploma (or equivalent), you meet the basic requirements to be a Florida appraiser. Real estate appraisal is a hot career because it provides solid income potential with no college degree required.

As a certified appraiser in Florida, you’ll likely earn around $76,000 per year, which is the average amount for the state. But those in the top ninetieth percentile are earning more like $116,580 per year! When you choose to work independently, you set your own hours and can unlock your income potential. But if you’d prefer stability to big bucks, you can always take a job with an appraisal firm.

Here are the simple steps you can follow to become a Florida real estate appraiser.

Step 1: Complete Your Education Requirements

To begin your real estate appraiser career in Florida, you’ll need to complete 100 hours of appraisal education from a DBPR-approved Florida real estate school:

1. Basic Appraisal Principles (30 hours)
2. Basic Appraisal Procedures (30 hours)
3. Appraisal Subject Electives (25 hours)
4. National USPAP Course (15 hours)

These courses will give you the foundation of knowledge needed to be successful in your new career as a Florida appraiser.

Completing your real estate appraisal education will allow you to apply with the DBPR as a Registered Trainee Appraiser You’ll just need to submit the application along with a $230 application fee and official fingerprints.

Step 2: Find a Certified Appraiser to Supervise Your Work

Registered Trainee Appraisers must be supervised by a Florida-Certified Appraiser in good standing. And you’ll need to log some serious work experience under your supervising appraiser before you can apply to be a Certified Residential Appraiser.

You’ll need to use the DBPR-approved experience log to record a minimum of 1,500 working hours over a period of at least 12 months. This experience must include a minimum of 150 appraisal reports.

Step 3: Apply to the Florida DBPR as a Certified Residential Appraiser

With your on-the-job training complete, you can make the leap from Registered Trainee Appraiser to Certified Residential Appraiser. You just need to apply to the DBPR as a Certified Residential Appraiser. This application can be a bit of a process. You’ll need to submit an application, along with documentation of your education, work experience, and fingerprinting. Don’t forget the application fee of $351.

At this point, you’ll also need to sit the National Residential Exam and the Florida Supplemental Exam. With so much education and experience under your belt, you’ll be very comfortable with the material covered by the exam. But all professional exams have some questions that are more relevant to appraisal theory than actual practice. So make sure you brush up on your theory knowledge by reviewing your old appraisal textbooks.

How Do I Maximize My Florida Appraiser Income?

Aside from working full-time rather than part-time, there are several ways to boost your income as a Florida appraiser.

• Work independently. You might have a more stable income working as an in-house appraiser for a company. But when you go into business for yourself, you can be selective about the jobs you accept. This gives you the power to choose only high-paying assignments.

• Work the luxury markets. The higher the property values, the more you can charge to complete an appraisal.

• Expand into commercial real estate. Valuing residential real estate is the perfect starting point for your appraisal career. But the big money is in commercial appraisal. You’ll need to become a Certified General Appraiser (a step higher than a Certified Residential Appraiser), but it’s a smart move for those who are motivated.

It all starts with your education. So enroll in your Florida real estate courses today and get ready to launch your new career!