(**) 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.
As a real estate appraiser in Ohio, you could be evaluating properties for a family who is purchasing a home, for a mortgage lender who wants to know the value of their loan collateral, for tax assessment purposes or even negotiation of a lease.
Regardless of who you are providing your service to, your responsibility is to come up with an objective opinion about the market value of properties.
To become a real estate appraiser in Ohio, you need to fulfill the education, work experience requirement and pass the exam. Also, you are required to register at the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing. This is the regulation body which establishes the industry standard, regulates and issues the license for appraisers.
There are 4 license levels of appraisers in Ohio:
- Registered Appraiser Assistant
- Licensed Residential Appraiser
- Certified Residential Appraiser
- Certified General Appraiser
How to Become a Registered Appraiser Assistant in Ohio?
Being a Registered Appraiser Assistant is the start of your journey in the appraisal industry. A certified appraiser will be mentoring you. Your job could involve researching properties, working on reports, or inspecting properties alongside with the supervisor.
An experienced and knowledgeable supervisor could guide you into the right direction in this career. The supervisory appraiser should provide you with hands-on training on appraisal tactics, how to conduct research on a property, how to extract important information from the data. Most importantly, to come up with a fair market value of the property.
The most effective way to gain your knowledge is to go through every step in the appraisal process, observe carefully on how your supervisor appraise properties, and always raise your questions or concerns.
4 Steps to Become a Registered Appraiser Assistant in Ohio
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
Step 2: Complete the Pre-License Education
You need to complete 75 hours of qualifying appraisal-related education, AQB Supervisor/Trainee Course and OH Fair Housing Course.
I included some details which could be helpful to your studying on our education resources page. Be sure to check it out.
Step 3: Submit Application to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing
Now you have completed the education requirement, your next step is to begin the registration process. If the OH Division has the online submission available, then I would strongly encourage you to use that option. Not only this is the quickest and most convenient way, but less paper mailing is also good for the environment.
Step 4: Work under the supervision of a Certified Appraiser
In Ohio, to ensure you can receive the proper training, a Certified Appraiser cannot supervise more than 3 Appraiser Assistants at any given time.
Your assignment could involve appraising commercial property, but only given your mentor is a Certified General Appraiser.
You might wonder how to find a mentor. You could start connecting with Certified Appraisers through different industry associations, forums or even on LinkedIn. For instance,
- Ohio Chapter of the Appraisal Institute
- Ohio Chapter of the Appraisal Institute LinkedIn Group
- AppraisersForum.com
Don’t jump right away and ask them if they were hiring. Start with a casual conversation first. Let them know that you are exploring the career path in becoming an appraiser, ask for their opinion about the industry.
Many people are willing to share their experience and insights. As the relationship establishes, ask them if they know anyone who is willing to supervise an Appraiser Assistant. The greater your network, the bigger the chance you could find a supervisor.
Once you and your supervisor decide to work together, you both need to fill out the “Appraiser Assistant and Supervisor Notification Form”. Here’s the link to download the form.
Here’s what I asked a Real Estate Appraiser Trainee about working with a supervisor
Jacob: “Is there anything you have learned in the field or from your supervisor that was not covered in the class?”
Katie: “Yes, I have learned so much through both my supervisor and working in the field. Through this, it has taught me how to properly measure a home, how to notice differences in materials used throughout the home, how to properly deal with clients (answering such questions that may come about or just overall explaining the process of how the appraisal works.)”
I conducted a full interview with Katie Holland, where she shared her journey and thought about the real estate appraisal industry. Be sure to check it out!
How to Become a Licensed Residential Appraiser in Ohio?
Not every state still has this license, but Ohio is one of those who does.
As a Licensed Residential Appraiser, you are authorized to appraise for non-complex residential properties with 1-4 units, while the transaction value is to be less than $1,000,000. Although you can also evaluate complex properties for both federally related or non federally related transaction, the value cannot be over $250,000.
You could working as a fee-based appraiser, providing services to clients such as individuals, lenders, banks, or appraisal management companies (AMC). Your daily routine could include doing research online, going on the field to inspect properties, and writing the appraisal reports.
Alternatively, you could be hired by an appraiser firm or financial institution to become their in-house appraiser, where you could enjoy the stable salary and company’s benefits.
5 Steps to Become a Licensed Residential Appraiser in Ohio
Step 1: Meet the Basic Requirement:
- You must be at least 18 years old
- Have a valid Social Security Number
- No college level education is required
Step 2: Complete the Required Hours of Working Experience
You must have at least 1000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience where they need to be acquired for over a 6 months period.
If your experience is obtained from part of AQB/State approved a case study or practicum course, then half of the experience hours could be recognized.
Step 3: Fulfill the Education Requirement
You’ll need to complete 150 hours of qualifying appraisal education from an approved course provider.
Since you should have completed some of the courses when becoming a Registered Appraiser Assistant, you just need to complete the additional courses.
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: Submit Application to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing
Once you have fulfilled the education and working experience requirement, you should submit the application to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing along with other required documents.
Step 5: Pass the Licensed Residential Appraiser Exam
Now it’s the time to write the exam! The purpose is to test your appraisal knowledge, especially the subjects that are covered in the pre-licensing courses.
Doing multiple sets of practice questions is an excellent way to prepare for the exam and also boost your confidence.
How to Become a Certified Residential Appraiser in Ohio?
As a Certified Residential Appraiser, you can appraise for:
- family properties with 1 to 4 residential units regardless of the transaction value or complexity.
- other kind of real property given that the transaction value is less than $250,000
Similar to a Licensed Residential Appraiser, you could running your own appraisal practice, servicing clients such as individuals, lenders, banks, or appraisal management companies (AMC).
On the other hand, 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.
Unlike a Licensed Residential Appraiser, there is no restriction on the transaction value of residential properties you could appraise. The scope of your practice and business opportunity would be a lot wider.
In fact, many reputable lenders and financial institutions in Ohio only hire or work with appraisers that have the certified designation.
An example to give you a better understanding of what is like to be a Residential Appraiser. There was a job opening in Ohio City at the time we were writing this post. It was from a nationwide firm where they would provide high-quality analyzed data to the financial services industry.
They were looking for a Certified Residential Appraiser, where the candidate is required to gather, verify and analyze data. Of course, the ultimate goal is to determine an objective market value of properties. The method used must comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).
Since they require their Residential Appraiser to physically inspect the interior and exterior of properties, they were very forthcoming about the physical requirements. They wanted to make sure applicants would be comfortable:
- Working in extreme weathers
- Climb up and down stairs and ramps
- Stand and walk on surfaces that could be incline, decline, narrow or even slippery
- Moving heaving items that are interfering with the inspection
We couldn’t find out the salary they offered, but this is a part-time position. But we will talk about the appraisal job market later in this post.
5 Steps to Become a Certified Residential Appraiser in Ohio
Step 1: Meet the Basic Requirement:
- You must be at least 18 years old
- Have a valid Social Security Number
- Fulfill 1 of the following 6 options:
- Bachelor’s Degree in any field of study; or higher
- Associate’s Degree in a focused field of study, (i.e.: Business, Economics, or Real estate;)
- Completion of 30 college semester credit hours in specified topics;
- Completion of College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)1 exams equivalent to a minimum of 30 semester credit hours in specified subject matter areas; or
- Any combination of #3 and #4 above that includes all of the topics identified.
- Licensed Residential Appraiser who has their license in good standing for at least 5 years
Step 2: Complete the Required Hours of Working Experience
You must have at least 1500 hours of acceptable appraisal experience where they need to be acquired for over a 12 months period.
Step 3: Fulfill the Education Requirement
You’ll need to complete 200 hours of qualifying appraisal education from an approved course provider.
Since you should have completed some of the courses when becoming a Registered Appraiser Assistant or Licensed Residential Appraiser, you are only required to complete the additional classes.
Step 4: Submit Application to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing
Once you have fulfilled the education and working experience requirement, you should submit the application to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing along with other required documents.
Most Licensing Board would require you to apply within a specific period after you complete the pre-licensing education. Therefore, don’t wait till it expires!
Step 5: Pass the Certified Residential Appraiser Exam
I wouldn’t recommend to cram the study materials all at once. Well, at least, this strategy did not work for me. My concentration tends to wander when studying for too long.
Rather, you should break down your study sessions into 45 to 60 minutes each. If possible, focus on studying only one to two topics per day. But be really good at it.
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.
How to Become a Certified General Appraiser in Ohio?
The Certified General Appraiser designation is the highest one you could get in the appraisal industry. There is no restriction on the scope of your appraisal work. You could evaluate for all types of real properties regardless of the transaction value or complexity.
Although you still could appraise for family-typed of clients, you could also be assess 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 on your work. It is your job to perform detailed research and provide your clients with an objective and fair appraised value.
Due to the high expectation and the requirement of small margin of error in your appraisal work, the amount of work experience and education required to become a Certified General Appraiser is the greatest among all the levels of licensing.
Here was a job offer to give you a better idea of what is like to be a Certified General Appraiser. It was a government job at the City of Cincinnati, where they were looking to hire a Senior Real Property Specialist (Appraiser).
The duties would include valuing all types of real estate. (i.e., residential, commercial, industrial mixed use, special purpose properties). This position also required the candidate to work closely and communicate with many interested parties. For instance, attorneys, business people, and others in government services.
Applicant must hold the Ohio Certified General License and have extensive experience in the real estate field. This was listed as a full-time position with a salary offer $66,000 to $89,000 a year.
5 Steps to Become a Certified General Appraiser in Ohio
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 in any field of study; or higher
Step 2: Complete the Required Hours of Working Experience
You must have at least 3000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience where they need to be acquired for over a 18 months period. Of which at least 1500 hours must be obtained from non-residential appraisal work.
Step 3: Fulfill the Education Requirement
You’ll need to complete 300 hours of qualifying appraisal education from an approved course provider.
Since you should have completed some of the courses from your previous license(s), you just need to make up for the extra courses.
Step 4: Submit Application to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing
Once you have fulfilled the education and working experience requirement, you should submit the application to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing along with other required documents.
Step 5: Pass the Certified General Appraiser Exam
You have fulfilled the education and appraisal work experience, it’s now time to write the exam.
Get enough sleep the night before the exam and have a good meal before it. Managing your stress level during the test is another key to passing it.
Is being a real estate appraiser a good career? – Let’s hear from an industry professional
“Currently, I am a Principal Commercial Appraiser with the Hennepin County Assessor’s office. My primary responsibilities are to value real property for tax petition purposes and provide expert witness testimony.
Prior to joining the public service sector, I was an independent fee appraiser who owned a residential appraisal firm and was a partner in a commercial appraisal firm. I have been a real estate appraiser for 26 years.
The appraisal industry has amazing opportunities in both the public and private sectors. The appraisal industry is especially well suited for entrepreneurs who wish to operate their own businesses.
Brett Hall, MAI, SRA, Principal Commercial Appraiser at Hennepin County
Is real estate appraiser a good career? This is one of the common questions I hear a lot. Therefore, I spent months and months in connecting with different real estate appraisers. Here are their valuable insights about this profession. Make sure to check it out!
Courses Requirement for Each Appraiser License Level
| Registered Appraiser Assistant (Credit Hours) | Licensed Residential Appraiser (Credit Hours) | Certified Residential Appraiser (Credit Hours) | Certified General Appraiser (Credit Hours) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National USPAP Course or Equivalent | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Basic Appraisal Principles | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Basic Appraisal Procedures | 30 | 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 Sales Comparison Approach | 30 | |||
| General Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach | 30 | |||
| General Appraiser Report Writing and Case Studies | 30 | |||
| General Appraiser Income Approach | 60 | |||
| Total | 75 hours | 150 hours | 200 hours | 300 hours |
In addition to the above Qualifying Education,
- All appraisers need to take the OH Fair Housing Course
- Registered Appraiser Assistant must complete the Trainee/Supervisor course before a license is issued
I included some details which could be helpful to your studying on our education resources page. Be sure to check it out.
Registration with the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing
Once you have fulfilled the necessary requirement, you could submit your application to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing.
- To apply in becoming a Appraiser Assistant, you should fill out the State Registered Appraiser Assistant Application.
- To apply in becoming a Licensed Residential Appraiser, Certified Residential/General Appraiser, you should submit the License/Certificate Application
In additional to the application, you must provide the following:
- Fees: ($150 for Appraiser Assistant; $175 for Licensed/Certified Appraiser)
- The payment could be made with a cheque or money order payable to “Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing“
- Note the fee is non-refundable and non-transferable
- 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.)
- Real Estate Appraiser Experience Log (Only if you are applying to become Licensed/Certified Appraiser)
Within 10 days after you submit the application, you need to schedule an appointment with a licensed fingerprint vendor. This is for them to do a background check on you. You could search for them at http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Business/Services-for-Business/WebCheck/Webcheck-Community-Listing. More details can be found in first page of both applications.
There are also checklists in making sure you have prepared all the necessary documents in the License/Certificate application, so just follow the instruction carefully. If there is anything you are unsure, you should always confirm them. Their phone number is 614-466-4100, and email WebReal@com.state.oh.us.
Then mail the entire package to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing. Their mailing address is on the first page of the application.
Here is more info about the Ohio Real Estate Appraiser Exam
After you submit the application, you need to schedule for an exam writing. There is a fee of $90, where PSI will administer the exam.
- The Licensed Residential Appraiser Exam is a 4 hours exam,
- The Certified Residential Appraiser Exam is a 4 hours exam,
- The Certified General Appraiser Exam is a 6 hours exam
They all comprised of 125 questions. Only 110 questions will be scored, the other 15 are pretest questions. The required passing score is 75.
More details about the exam could be found here. You could find the exam registration form at the end of this file. After you have passed the exam, you need to provide a receipt of the pass letter and a fee of $90 to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing.
Here’s another post I wrote: “10 Practical Tips to Pass the Real Estate Appraiser Exam” Hope this would be helpful.
FAQ on the Ohio Real Estate Appraiser Career
How long does it take to become a real estate appraiser in Ohio?
It takes 6 to 18 months to become a real estate appraiser in Ohio. 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 1,000 hours of work experience to become a Licensed Residential Appraiser in Ohio, 1,500 hours to become a Certified Residential Appraiser and 3,000 hours to become a Certified General Appraiser.
How to renew an appraiser license in Ohio? and what is the continuing education requirements?
All real estate appraisers in Ohio are required to file a renewal application every year. Here’s the renewal form.
In addition, you need to:
- Complete 7 hours of National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) update course every two years
- Submit 14 hours of approved appraiser Continuing Education credits every year
The renewal fee is:
- $50 for a Registered Assistant (late fee $25)
- $165 for Licensed/Certified Appraiser(late fee $62.50)
To avoid interruption to your appraisal practice, you should renew it and complete all continuing education requirement before the license expiry date.
How much do real estate appraisers make in Ohio?
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2021), the average annual income of real estate appraisers in Ohio is $63,290. It typically ranges between $49,340 and $81,250. Top earning property appraisers in Ohio more than $117,520 per year.
The income differential among real estate appraisers in Ohio is quite large. Your earning potential depends on numerous factors such as the licensing level, the type of properties you specialize in evaluating, your experience, the company size, its location, and most importantly, the amount of hard work you are willing to put into this career.
Here’s a complete income guide on real estate appraisers in Ohio. 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!
Is there a demand for real estate appraisers in Ohio?
According to the figures on the Appraisal Subcommittee website, there is a total of 2865 appraisers in Ohio. The breakdown is as follow:
- # of Certified General Appraisers 1035
- # of Certified Residential Appraisers 1334
- # of Licensed Residential Appraisers 496
Ohio has over 11 million people, where its population is spread around many major cities such as Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Akron. There is 0.31 real estate appraiser per 1000 jobs. (*)
As long as there are people in Ohio who need a professional opinion of the valuation of a property, there would be a demand for real estate appraisers.
When you are considering the regions to conduct your appraisal practice, you should target areas that have a high population. After all, businesses can only occur when there are customers.
(*) Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2018)
Career Tips for Aspiring Appraisers in Ohio
Tip#1: Maintain Good Filing of Your Experience Log
These logs are essential when you are upgrading your appraiser license in the future.
You should use the standard form COM 3651 to record your working hours. There is a version for keeping track of the experience completed with a supervisory appraiser. You and your mentor both need to sign it.
There’s also one for recording experience completed without the supervisor. Both of the forms can be found on page 13 and 14 of the License/Certificate Application.
On this form, you are required to fill out information such as the property address, type of property, the type of work, number of hours, and others.
Tip#2: Always Use Updated Data with Professional Judgement
I came across the article “Low appraisals threaten central Ohio home sales“, where homeowners and realtors were dissatisfied because the appraised values were lower than expected.
Since I do not know the full story, I cannot comment on this. However, one point we do agree is in an environment where the price of properties are changing rapidly, it is important to use the most updated and relevant data when making a comparison. Of course, the method you use must also comply with the industry standard practice.
Admittedly, there could be times where home buyers or sellers would be unhappy due to the low appraised value, which results in unable to obtain the amount of mortgage they need.
Despite the pressure you might be facing, you should always keep in mind that your primary focus is to determine an objective value of the property based on your research, and using the tactics approved by the USPAP.
After all, the lenders rely on your unbiased appraisal work to protect their investments.
Tip#3: Take the Appraisal Courses 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.
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. (**)
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 Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing.
(**) 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.
Reference:
- The Appraisal Foundation- National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination (Source)
- Ohio Department of Commerce-Education & Experience Requirements for Appraisers (Source)
- Ohio Department of Commerce (Source)
- Appraisal Subcommittee- Active Appraiser Credentials Summary Report (Source)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics – Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate (Source)
- salary.com- Salary for Appraiser (Commercial Real Estate) in Ohio (Source)
- salary.com- Salary for Appraiser (Residential Real Estate) in Ohio: (Source)
