How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser in Kansas? (Complete Career Guide)

(**) Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning our company, JCHQ Publishing will get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through the links, but at no additional cost to you.

So are you thinking of becoming a real estate appraiser in Kansas? If so, this is the perfect guide for you!

Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board is the regulatory agency which governs individuals and companies that appraise the value of real estate, and also appraisal management companies (AMCs), in accordance with federal guidelines.

There are 4 license levels of appraisers in Kansas, which are Provisional Appraiser (Trainee), Licensed Residential Appraiser, Certified Residential Appraiser, Certified General Appraiser.

To become a real estate appraiser in Kansas, an applicant must:

1. Complete 75-hour pre-licensing appraisal courses (including 15 hours of USPAP) and an AQB approved Supervisory/Trainee course)
2. Apply for the Provisional Appraiser license
3. Work under the supervision of a certified appraiser
4. Complete the LR/CR/CG appraisal courses
5. Pass the state appraisal exam
6. Acquire work hours experience (2000 for LR, 2500 for CR, 3000 for CG)
7. Submit a license application and fees to the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board
8. Upgrade to a Licensed Residential/ Certified Residential/ Certified General Appraiser license.

As a real estate appraiser in Kansas, your role is to evaluate the market value of properties for your clients. Your assessment could be used by for home purchasing/selling, refinancing, tax assessment, divorce settlement, estate arrangement and many other purposes.

No matter of who is hiring for your appraisal services, your assessment must remain objective, unbiased and professional.

If you’re wondering what a real estate appraiser does and if it might be a good career for you, keep reading. I’ll explain all the steps to obtain a real estate appraiser license. Plus everything you need to know about this profession (i.e. pre-licensing course, exam format, income updates). So whether you’re just starting out in your career or you’re looking for a new challenge, read on!

But before we start, I want to give a brief disclaimer. This post is not intended as legal advice or state/federal real estate appraisal training. It is for general information only. Always follow your State Laws and best practices.

The first step to your appraisal career is to complete the pre-licensing courses from a trusted education provider. McKissock received an incredible rating from its students, and their online lessons are taught by instructors who have actual experience in the appraisal industry. You may click here to find out more about their courses. (**)

Infographic on Becoming a Real Estate Appraiser in Kansas

What is it like to be a Provisional Appraiser (Trainee) in Kansas?

To begin your career in the appraisal field, your first step is to become a Provisional Appraiser. This is actually the trainee equivalent to most other states.

At this early stage, you will be trained and supervised by a certified appraiser. An experienced supervisor could guide you into the right direction in this career.

The supervising appraiser should provide you with hands-on appraisal techniques, effective ways to research on a property, and how to analyze the data.  Most importantly, how to determine an unbiased estimation of the property’s market value.

Your daily duties could involve doing property and market research, working on appraisal reports, or inspecting real estate together with the supervisor.

To get out the most from this training phase,  it is recommended you to walk through each and every step in the appraisal process, observe carefully on how your supervisor inspect and evaluate real estate, and always raise your questions.

How to Become a Provisional Appraiser (Trainee) in Kansas?

Step 1: Meet the Basic Requirement

• You must be at least 18 years old
• Have a valid Social Security Number
• No prior related experience is needed
• No college-level education is required

Step 2: Complete the Appraisal Education

You need to complete the Supervisor/Trainee Appraiser course. When choosing an education provider, be sure to choose one with long-term teaching experience and good rating from students.

Here’s a review of an institution that I like.

Step 3: Register with the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board

Now you have completed the education prerequisites, your next step is to get registered. To do so, you need to submit an application and fees to the Appraisal Board.

Step 4: Work under the supervision of a Certified Appraiser

So how do you find a supervisory appraiser? The Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board has an online directory with all the appraiser licensees. It will display the mailing address and phone number of the registered appraisers.

Furthermore, you can start connecting with Certified Appraisers through industry associations in your city, forums or even on LinkedIn. The more appraisers you connect to, the bigger the chance you could find a supervisor. 

Once you start working alongside with a supervisor, you and your supervisor would need to inform the Appraisal Board about the mentoring relationship.

You also need to keep track of your working hours with the board-approved experience log. This document is important for the purpose of upgrading your appraiser license in the future.

Keep in mind that you and the supervising appraiser are required to sign on every page of the experience log.

Here’s a snippet of what a Certified General Appraiser recommends when looking for a supervisor

“Along with the PROFESSIONAL resume you send by snail mail and email, enclose a document that thoroughly describes your house (or someone else’s house). I am talking about a thorough description.

In appraisal, we start with the big picture and work our way down to the details. So start with the community you live in and tell your prospective mentor about the community…”

Timothy S. Evans, SRA, Certified General Appraiser at Monroe Valuation, Inc 

Still unsure how to find a supervisor? No problem, here’s another post for you: “How to Find a Supervisory Appraiser? (Tips from CG Appraiser and Trainee).” In there, you will find full details of Timothy’s recommendation and 11 incredibly helpful ideas in finding a supervisory appraiser.

What is it like to be a Licensed Residential Appraiser in Kansas?

As a Licensed Residential Appraiser, you can evaluate non-complex residential properties with 1-4 units, while the transaction value is cannot be more than $1,000,000. Although you can also evaluate complex properties, the maximum value is up to $250,000.

When working as a fee-based appraiser, you could be writing appraisal reports for clients such as individuals, lenders, banks, or appraisal management companies (AMC). Your job duties could include doing research online, going on the field to inspect properties, and writing the appraisal reports.

On the other hand, you could also be hired by an appraiser company or financial institution as their in-house appraiser, where you could enjoy the stable income and employee’s benefits.

This license could be worth considering for those who have not fulfilled the necessary work experience or college-level education to become a certified appraiser but wish to excel their career beyond the trainee.

How to Become a Licensed Residential Appraiser in Kansas?

Step 1: Meet the basic requirement

• You must be at least 18 years old
• Have a valid Social Security Number
• Hold an Associate Degree or higher. Or complete 30 semester credit hours which cover specific subjects recognized by the Appraisal Board.

Step 2: Obtain the appraisal work experience

You must have at least 2000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience, where they need to be acquired for over a 12 months period.

Step 3: Fulfill the appraisal education requirement

You’ll need to complete 150 hours of qualifying appraisal education from an approved course provider. The curriculum must include:

• 30 hours Basic Appraisal Principles
• 30 hours Basic Appraisal Procedures
• 15 hours Residential Market Analysis &
• 15 hours Residential Appraisal Site Valuation & Highest & Best Use Cost Approach
• 30 hours Residential Sales Comparison &
• 15 hours Residential Report Writing & Income Approach Case Studies
• 15 hours USPAP

Step 4: Register with the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board

Once you have fulfilled the education and working experience requirement, you should submit the application to the the Appraisal Board along with other necessary documents. 

Whenever possible, I strongly encourage you to make the submission electronically online. Not only this is the quickest and most convenient way, but less paper mailing is also good for the environment.

Step 5: Pass the Licensed Residential Appraiser Exam

Now it’s the time to write the exam! The LR is a 4-hour exam consisting of 125 questions. Only 110 questions will be scored, the other 15 are pretest questions. The required passing score is 75.

Doing multiple sets of practice questions is an excellent way to prepare for the exam and also boost your confidence.

What is it like to become a Certified Residential Appraiser in Kansas?

As a Certified Residential Appraiser, you can assess for:

• residential properties with 1 to 4 residential units regardless of the transaction value or complexity.
• non-residential 1-4 units property given that the transaction value is no more than $250,000

Just like a Licensed Residential Appraiser, you could a self-employed appraiser running your own practice, servicing clients such as individuals, lenders, banks, or appraisal management companies (AMC).

Alternatively, you could work for an appraiser firm or financial institution to become their in-house appraiser, where you could enjoy the stable income and company’s benefits.

However, there is no restriction on the transaction value of residential properties you could assess. The scope of your practice and business opportunity would be a lot wider than being a Licensed Residential Appraiser. In fact, many reputable lenders and financial institutions in only accept assessment work from Certified Appraiser.

That being said, let’s review the steps for you to become a Certified Residential Appraiser.

How to Become a Certified Residential Appraiser in Kansas?

Step 1: Meet the Basic Requirement

• You must be at least 18 years old
• Have a valid Social Security Number
• Hold a Bachelor’s Degree or higher

Step 2: Obtain the appraisal work experience

You need to complete at least of 2500 hours of acceptable appraisal experience in not less than a 24 months period.

Step 3: Complete the appraisal education

You’ll need to complete 200 hours of qualifying appraisal education from an approved course provider.

Since you should have taken some of the courses when becoming a Licensed Residential Appraiser,  you are only required to complete the extra classes. 

Study tip: Whenever possible, I prefer to take online courses. You can study at your own pace at the convenient of your home, library, or wherever there is internet access. Here’s an article review of an online school that I like.

Step 4: Register with the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board

Once you have fulfilled the education and working experience requirement, it’s time to submit the license application. More details will be discussed later in this post.

Step 5: Pass the Certified Residential Appraiser Exam

The CR is a 4-hour exam consisting of 125 questions. Only 110 questions will be scored, the other 15 are pretest questions. The required passing score is 75.

Most test centers would require you to bring at least two valid IDs to verify your identity. Don’t forget to bring them along. Else you won’t be able to write the exam.

Here’s a Snippet of What Jamie Owen Thinks About Being a Real Estate Appraiser!

“The more you learn, the more you will enjoy being an appraiser.”

“I think that humility and honesty are the most important attributes. Humility is important because if we think we know it all, we are going to be in trouble. Being appraiser requires not being thin-skinned and defensive. Others have their opinions and we have ours. Both may be supportable in one way or another.

Being humble helps us to respect the views of others and not be offended if others have a different view. Humility also helps with business relationships, as well as accepting guidance and reminders when we need them, from peers and others.”

– Jamie Owen, Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser at Aspen Appraisal Services

Here’s an exclusive interview with Jamie. He shared with us his journey and valuable experience in the appraisal industry. You’ll also learn what it is like to be a real estate appraiser nowadays. 

What is it like to Become a Certified General Appraiser in Kansas?

So you want to explore appraising for commercial real estate? Then becoming a Certified General Appraiser would be the way to go!

This designation is the highest credential you could get in the appraisal industry. You could assess all types of real estate regardless of the transaction value or complexity. There is no limitation on the scope of your appraisal work.

Although you still could evaluate for residential properties, you could also be appraise a portfolio of commercial real estates for institutional investors.

Since your clients depend on your appraisal reports in making an informed investment decision, you must be extremely careful and responsible when handling your work. Extensive research and site inspections are often required. It is your responsibility to provide your clients with an objective appraised value as accurate as possible.

Due to the requirement of low margin of error in your work products, the amount of work experience and education required to become a Certified General Appraiser is the most challenging among all the levels of licensing.

So let’s go through the steps to help you obtain this designation.

How to Become a Certified General Appraiser in Kansas?

Step 1: Meet the basic requirement

• You must be at least 18 years old
• Have a valid Social Security Number
• Bachelor’s Degree in any field of study; or higher

Step 2: Obtain the appraisal work hours

You must have at least 3000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience where they need to be obtained for over a 30 months period. At least 1500 hours needs to be from non-residential appraisal work.

Step 3: Fulfill the appraisal education requirement

You’ll need to complete 300 hours of qualifying appraisal education from an approved course provider.

You should have completed some of the courses when the previous license(s). Therefore, you are only required to complete the extra classes.

Step 4: Register with the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board

Once you have completed all the education and working experience prerequisites, you should fill out the license application.

Step 5: Pass the Certified General Appraiser Exam

The last step is to pass the Certified General Appraiser Exam. The CG is a 6-hour exam consisting of 125 questions. Only 110 questions will be scored, the other 15 are pretest questions. The required passing score is 75.

Actual Feedback from a Commercial Real Estate Appraiser

“Be willing to work extremely hard in the beginning as it will work out well in the long term.”

“I appraise a variety of commercial properties. Although, I do more investment types than any thing else (office, shopping center, multi-family), I do a little bit of everything, excluding marinas, hotels/golf courses, single-family residential.

I started working for a commercial appraiser in college. I have never done any residential work.

There are several challenges in the field, but overall, it has been wonderful for me. I really enjoy the flexibility the career offers… Every day is a new property and a new challenge and that helps break up the monotony.

Jeffrey Harris, MAI. Commercial Real Estate Appraiser and Consultant at Harris Property Advisors

Want to know whether being a commercial real estate appraiser is a good career? Check out this complete career guide. In there, you’ll find the type of work involved as a CRE appraiser, the income potential, and the training you need to become one. You’ll find the full sharing from Jeffrey Harris as well!

Table of the Required Courses for Kansas Real Estate Appraiser Licenses

	Licensed Residential Appraiser (Credit Hours)	Certified Residential Appraiser (Credit Hours)	Certified General Appraiser (Credit Hours)
National USPAP Course or Equivalent	15	15	15
Basic Appraisal Principles	30	30	30
Basic Appraisal Procedures	30	30	30
Residential Market Analysis and Highest & Best Use	15	15
Residential Appraisal Site Valuation and Cost Approach	15	15
Residential Sales Comparison and Income Approaches	30	30
Residential Report Writing and Case Studies	15	15
Statistics, Modeling and Finance		15	15
Advanced Residential Applications and Case Studies		15
Appraisal Subject Matter Electives		20	30
General Appraiser Market Analysis and Highest & Best Use			30
General Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach			30
General Appraiser Sales Comparison Approach			30
General Appraiser Report Writing and Case Studies			30
General Appraiser Income Approach			60
Total	150 hours	200 hours	300 hours

Study tip: Whenever possible, I prefer to take online courses. You can study at your own pace at the convenient of your home, library, or wherever there is internet access. Here’s an article review of an online school that I like.

Here’s how to register at the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board

Once you have fulfilled all the prerequisites, you could submit the application to the Appraisal Board. The board has two separate applications. One is for filling out the education information, while the other is for the working experience.

In additional to the application, you must provide the following:

• Registration fee (The amount is listed on the application)
• Supporting legal documents
• Evidence which shows you have completed the required hours of Board-approved appraisal courses. (i.e., Official transcripts, course completion certificates).
• Proof that you have fulfilled the specific requirement of post-secondary education for your license (i.e.: Diploma, official transcripts, certificates.)
• Stated Approved Appraiser Experience Log  (Only if you are applying to become Licensed/Certified Appraiser)

If you have any questions, you could contact the the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board.

What is the format of the Kansas Real Estate Appraiser Exams?

Once the State Board accepts your application, they will send you a notice with instruction to schedule the exam. PSI will administer the exam, where you can take it on a computer at their examination center.

• Licensed Residential Appraiser Exam is a 4 hours exam,
• Certified Residential Appraiser Exam is a 4 hours exam;
• Certified General Appraiser Exam is a 6 hours exam

The licensed and certified exams consist of 125 questions. Only 110 questions will be scored, the other 15 are pretest questions. The required passing score is 75. You will immediately know your score once you finish writing the test.

Be sure to check out our “Top 10 tips on how to pass the real estate appraiser exam!“

FAQ on being a real estate appraiser in Kansas

How long does it take to become a real estate appraiser in Kansas?

It takes 12 to 30 months to become a real estate appraiser in Kansas. That is the minimum period to complete the work experience so the duration would hugely depend on which appraiser license you are pursuing, the time it takes you to complete the work experience, pre-licensing courses and pass the appraiser exam.

It takes 2,000 hours of work experience to become a Licensed Residential Appraiser in Kansas and 2,500 hours to become a Certified Residential Appraiser, and 3,000 hours to become a Certified General Appraiser.

How much does it cost to become a real estate appraiser in Kansas?

It costs between $1,770 to $2,400 to become a real estate appraiser in Kansas. Here’s the breakdown:

• Pre-licensing education: $1,680 to $2,310
• Application fee: $50
• National Registry Fee: $40

In addition to the above, there will be other expenses such as exam fee, continuing education courses, E&O insurance, and business supplies such as a laptop, cell phone, and measuring device.

Some companies may pay or reimburse you if you work as their employee. But if you are running your own practice, these are the cost you need to account for yourself.

How much do real estate appraisers make in Kansas?

Your income as a real estate appraiser depends on many factors such as your skills, licensing level, the type of properties you specialize in appraising, the company size, its location, and most importantly, the amount of effort you are willing to put into this career.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2021), real estate appraisers in Kansas make an average yearly income of $48,390. The income range typically ranges between $37,630 and $63,040. Top earning property appraisers in Kansas make over $80,510.

The average cost of a home appraisal is $315 – $395 in Kansas. However, the cost may vary depending on the complexity of the property, the time and skills it takes to complete the assignment. Commercial property appraisals could cost between $2,000 to $10,000.

Here’s a complete income guide on real estate appraisers in Kansas. In there, I will uncover the income updates, the percentage of appraisers that are making a good living, and whether being a commercial or residential appraisers has any effect on the income. So be sure to check it out!

How to renew a Kansas real estate appraiser license?

All real estate appraisers in Kansas are required to renew their license every two year. In addition to the application, below are the requirements to renew your appraiser license:

• Finish 28 hours continuing education every 2 years, of which must include 7 hours of National USPAP Update course.
  • If your license has only been in force for less than 184 days, then you just need to complete 2 hours of course work.
  • If your license has only been in force for more than 184 days but less than one year, then you need to complete 14 hours of course work.
  • There is no restriction in the number of courses you can take online. 
• Pay the renewal fee ($150 for Trainee, $190 for Licensed/Certified Appraiser)

To prevent interruption to your appraisal practice and paying the late fee, you should renew it and complete all continuing education requirement before the license expiry date.  

Career Tips for Aspiring Real Estate Appraisers in Kansas

Tip#1: Compete the appraisal education ASAP

You could read as much about the appraisal career as you want, but your journey would not begin unless you start taking action.

Taking the real estate appraiser classes would be your first step. Not only you could gain valuable knowledge and practical skills, but you will also have a better understanding about what is like to be an appraiser.

Besides, most states would require you to complete all the trainee education before your working experience could count toward the licensing requirement.

Study tip: Whenever possible, I prefer to take online courses. You can study at your own pace at the convenient of your home, library, or wherever there is internet access. Here’s an article review of an online school that I like.

Tip#2: Network with Other Real Estate Professionals in Kansas

Getting to know other appraisers in Kansas could help you gain a better understanding about the appraisal industry. You could do so by joining industry associations, online forums or even social media groups. For instance,

• Kansas County Appraisers Association (KCAA)
• AppraisersForum.com – Kansas Forum
• The Kansas City of the Appraisal Institute

Let them know that you are starting your career as an appraiser, ask them if they have any tips or advice for newbies to the industry.

Furthermore, you should network with other professionals in the real estate field. Mortgage agents, lenders, and realtors can all provide you with valuable insight, which could be very helpful to your career building in the long run.

Tip#3: Specialize appraisal niche

Just like many other states, the business to appraise for residential properties could be quite competitive. As you could imagine, there is a considerable overlap of targeted customers for the first three levels of licensing.

To differentiate your skills and broaden your scope of practice, you could consider getting the CG Appraiser license or the MAI designation as your long-term goal. This opens a lot more doors of opportunities such as commercial properties, farmland, or being an expert witness.

If you are reading up to this point, I bet you must be interested in the real estate appraiser profession. Your first step is to complete the pre-licensing courses. You should select one that has an excellent reputation and long-term track record of satisfying students. McKissock is exactly that! You may click here to check it out yourself. (**)

(**) Affiliate Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you. Our company, JCHQ Publishing will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking on the link. Please understand that we include them based on our experience or the research on these companies or products, and we recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something through the links. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.

Disclaimer: The information in this post is for general information only, and not intend to provide any advice. They are subjected to change any notice, and not guaranteed to be error-free. For full and exact details, please contact the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board .

Reference:

• The Appraisal Foundation- National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examinations: (source)
• sokanu – How much does a Real Estate Appraiser make in  Kansas? https://www.sokanu.com/careers/real-estate-appraiser/salary/Kansas
• salary.com- Salary for Appraiser (Commercial Real Estate) in Kansas: https://www1.salary.com/KS/Appraiser-Commercial-Real-Estate-Salary.html
• salary.com- Salary for Appraiser (Residential Real Estate) in Kansas:  https://www1.salary.com/KS/Appraiser-Residential-Real-Estate-Salary.html
• Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board  (source)
• HomeAdvisor – How Much Does A Home Appraisal Cost? (source)