State Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser

Tennessee Real Estate Appraiser Commission

To become a State Certified Residential Real Estate  Appraiser, an applicant must file an upgrade application with the Commission and meet the minimum requirements set forth by the Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) of the Appraisal Foundation.

A State Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser can appraise all types of non-complex one-to-four family residential property without regard to transaction value and other types of real property having a transaction value less than $250,000. Agricultural properties, including agricultural properties with up to two (2) dwelling units, with a value up to, but not including, $1,000,000.

Requirements

Education Requirements

Applicants must meet the college-level education requirements and the qualifying education requirements outlined below.

Qualification Criteria Options for College-Level Education

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 the equivalency table here.

Option 5: Any combination of Option 3 and Option 4 that includes all of the topics identified.

Option 6: No college-level education is required.

This option applies only to appraisers who have held a Licensed Residential credential for a minimum of five (5) years and have no record of any adverse, final, and non-appealable disciplinary action affecting the Licensed Residential appraiser’s legal eligibility to engage in appraisal practice within the five (5) years immediately preceding the date of application for a Certified Residential credential.

Qualifying Education Courses: Completion certificates must be submitted with the application. Approved appraisal education courses completed with successful passage of course final exams in the following categories and credit hours:

  • Basic Appraisal Principles – 30 hours in not less than 15-hour increments
  • Basic Appraisal Procedures – 30 hours in not less than 15-hour increments
  • Residential Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use – 15 hours
  • Residential Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach – 15 hours
  • Residential Sales Comparison and Income Approaches – 30 hours in not less than 15-hour increments
  • Residential Report Writing and Case Studies – 15 hours
  • Statistics, Modeling, and Finance – 15 hours
  • Advanced Residential Applications and Case Studies – 15 hours
  • Electives – 12 hours. Electives must contain an exam. See the Approved Course List here. 
  • Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations Course – 8 hours
  • The Appraisal Foundation's National USPAP Course or its equivalent – 15 hours

Experience Requirements

  • 1,500 hours in no fewer than six (6) months. An experience log in a PDF format documenting acceptable appraisal experience must be submitted with the upgrade application. The work product claimed for experience credit must conform to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice and be verifiable.
  • Experience obtained before trainee registration will not be accepted. When measuring the beginning and ending of the experience period under AQB criteria (currently 12 months for certified residential), the Commission will review each appraiser’s experience log and note the dates of the first and last acceptable appraisal activities performed by the applicant. Then, the Commission will calculate the time period spanned between those appraisal activities. The supervisor and trainee have shared responsibility to ensure the appraisal experience log for the Trainee Appraiser is accurate, current, and complies with the requirements of the Laws and Rules of Tennessee. 
     

Application & Fees

Complete the upgrade application online at core.tn.gov. The fee is $405.
 

Next Steps

Examination: The exam is scheduled after receipt of the upgrade application.

The tests will be administered by an approved provider under contract with the Tennessee Real Estate Appraiser Commission. An electronic examination provides test/fail reports to candidates immediately upon completion of the examination. The examinations are given at established test center locations.  An applicant will be allowed four opportunities to pass the examination.  The applicant must successfully pass the examination within twelve (12) months of their exam approval date.  Any applicant who has taken and failed four examinations shall be required to submit a new application.

A registered trainee must obtain licensure or certification within twenty-four (24) months of the examination date, or they will lose credit for the examination.

If all other requirements are not met prior to the expiration of a trainee's registration and the registered trainee fails to renew, then he or she loses credit for passing the examination.

Interview: Appraisals will be requested from the applicant after receipt of a complete application. An interview will be scheduled with the Commission to discuss those appraisal reports.
 

Reciprocity

An applicant from a reciprocal state may complete the reciprocal application online at core.tn.gov. The fee associated with this application is $405.

Applicants must be AQB compliant and in “good standing” in a state/jurisdiction. Contact your state/jurisdiction for a Letter of Good Standing – this must accompany your online application. After receipt of the complete application and fees, the application takes approximately five (5) business days to process.