Getting your Texas real estate appraiser license is a lucrative decision. On average, a licensed Texas real estate appraiser will make around $56,200 per year, with this number rising to $110,000 with relevant experience in the field. There are many different directions a professional may go with their Texas real estate appraiser license, and 81% within the state find or choose full-time work in any of these various fields or institutions.
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Online Learning For Getting Your Texas Real Estate Appraiser License Online
One of the biggest benefits of the modern age has been the internet, and this rings true for those looking to get their Texas real estate appraiser license online in particular. The option for online learning allows working professionals to change course in their careers by getting their Texas real estate appraiser license on their own time, so they can work to put themselves through school and without much trouble in terms of juggling a busy schedule. You can choose when and where you complete your online education hours, and anything goes as long as you have a laptop and internet connection on hand.
How To Earn A Texas Real Estate Appraiser License
Earning your Texas real estate appraiser license will mean meeting a few requirements. The steps one should take in order to become a real estate appraiser in the state of Texas are:
- Complete and submit 75 hours of education – The state of Texas requires all people earning their real estate appraiser license to complete 75 hours of required education. Through sources like AceableAgent, these course credit hours can be completed entirely online and in your own time. The pre-trainee programs include 30 hours of Appraisal 1, 30 hours of Appraisal 2, and 15 hours of USPAP, and these will allow you to begin your mandatory training period.
- Complete your hours of experience – Texas is somewhat unique in its requirement of completing 2000 hours of experience as a trainee under a certified appraiser as your sponsor. After completing your initial 75 credit hours, you will then need to find a certified appraiser to sponsor you in order to gain 2000 hours of experience in the course of around a year’s time, which typically amounts to around 250 to 300 residential appraisals.
- Continue your education – While training, you will also be completing the rest of your education. The licensed appraiser program consists of 15 hours of Appraisal 3, 15 hours of Appraisal 4, 30 hours of appraisal 5, and 15 hours of appraisal 7, which consists of residential report writing.
- Submit your licensure application – Once you’re finished with your education and training periods, you’re then ready to submit the application to obtain your Texas real estate appraiser license. In order to ensure your license will be approved, a fee of $350 must be paid and the applicant must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the state of Texas for at least 60 days.
- Take your exam – After submitting your application, you’re then ready to take your final Texas real estate appraiser license exam. This exam is not an online exam, although online prep courses are available through outlets like AceableAgent and Colibri Real Estate. Online prep courses can prepare you for what you can expect to see on your exam and ensure that you put yourself in a good position to pass the exam on your first try. The licensure exam consists of 150 multiple choice questions that applicants are given 6 hours to complete. The exam must be taken at a Pearson Vue exam center, and the fee to take the exam is $54. You may schedule your exam time either online or by phone.
If you pass your exam, you will receive your Texas real estate appraiser license upon completion. If you do not pass your exam, the exam fee will need to be repaid and the exam is retaken.
Where Can I Take My Texas Real Estate Appraiser License?
Your Texas real estate appraiser license gives you quite a few options in terms of where you wish to take your career. While it’s true that around 81% of licensed Texas real estate appraisers work full time, there are part-time options as well if you wish to work as a real estate appraiser on top of another job or keep time open for taking care of your family.
The two main focuses of Texas real estate appraiser career paths are commercial and residential, although some appraisers do choose to work with both types of properties. A residential real estate appraiser typically prepares form appraisals of single-family residences, two to four-unit residential properties, or properties that are being rented to tenants living in the space. Someone who chooses to work only in residential appraisals may not have the skillset or experience to suddenly jump into commercial appraisals without further training.
Commercial real estate appraisers’ work is a bit more complex. The commercial property appraiser will appraise all different types of properties, and may even do residential as well, and complete narrative reports compared to the form reports most often found in residential appraisals. The commercial appraiser will not only appraise the property, but the earning potential of a property using more complex math concepts than those typically found in your average residential-only job.
Obtaining your Texas real estate appraiser license online gives you not only options for furthering your earning potential, but options in the path you want your career to take. For working professionals, parents, or young people looking for an alternative to a traditional 4-year degree, the ability to earn your Texas real estate appraiser license online is the ability to pursue the career and earnings you want on your own time and in your own way. Whether you choose to go into commercial or residential real estate appraising, your license opens doors for you to take your career to entirely new heights.