NOTE: Your state may accept PAREA or Practicum as an alternative to Trainee license with Trainee/Supervisory model.

Qualifying Education. Before you can become a state licensed residential real estate appraiser in New York, you’ll need to complete 83 hours total of New York Appraiser Qualifying Education, broken up as follows:

• 30 hours of appraisal principles

• 30 hours of appraisal procedures

• 8 hours of valuation bias and fair housing laws and regulations

• The 15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course

You’ll also need to complete a 4-hour Appraiser Trainee/Supervisory Appraiser Course. In New York, this course must be completed before entering a new Supervisory/Trainee relationship.

All Qualifying Education must be approved by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) and the New York Department of State Division of Licensing Services. You must complete all Qualifying Education prior to submitting your appraiser assistant application.

Before applying for your license, take a moment to read through New York’s detailed real estate appraiser application requirements.

Once you’ve met all the above requirements, you will need to apply with the state for your State Licensed Real Estate Appraiser Assistant license. This requires a $250 fee.

After getting your State Licensed Real Estate Appraiser Assistant license, it’s time for the next step toward becoming a state licensed residential real estate appraiser in New York: 158 total hours of Appraisal Foundation-approved appraiser education. Take a look at the breakdown of coursework. (Please Note: You’ve already satisfied 83 of these hours by earning your appraiser assistant license – nice work!)

Once you’ve finished your education, you must conduct and log at least 1,000 hours of actual appraisal experience in no less than 24 months. These 1,000 hours must be completed under the supervision of a certified residential or general appraiser.

You can find a list of approved New York supervisory appraisers here.

Once you've completed your education, logged your 1,000 experience hours, and gained at least 24 months of appraisal work experience, it’s time to apply for your license. Generally, candidates can expect the entire application process to take two to four weeks.

To apply, you’ll need to download and complete your application, print it, and submit it to the New York Department of State Division of Licensing Services.

When you first apply for your license, you’ll need to pay a $250 application fee, a $25 exam application fee, and an $80 National Registry Fee for a total of $355. A separate exam fee of $125 will be assessed by your test vendor at the time you take your national exam (the next and final step!).

After the New York State Department of Licensing receives your application and determines it is complete, you’ll be directed to take the National Uniform Licensing & Certification Exam.

New York requires that the exam be administered by a testing vendor approved by the AQB. You can find a list of AQB-approved exam administrators here. There is a $125 fee to take the exam, a $25 exam application fee, and an exam application to submit. The Appraisal Foundation publishes tips on the exam structure that can help you prepare. Here’s an overview:

• The exam is four hours long. The Licensed Residential Appraiser Examination can take up to four hours to complete.

• There are 125 questions on the test. The National Uniform Licensing and Certification exam is composed of 125 total questions. Fifteen of these questions are considered practice, and answering those questions wrong does not negatively affect your score.

• A score of 75 points is passing. Scores for the National Uniform Licensing and Certification exam range between 0 and 110 points. Each question carries an equal weight of 1 point. In order to pass, you must earn a minimum of 75 points.

• You can take the test more than once. The Appraisal Foundation allows you to take the test up to three times.

New York appraiser licenses are valid for two years. At the end of your renewal period, you’ll need to complete the required Continuing Education (CE) to renew your license.