The Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) establishes the minimum requirements for certification via the Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB). They have determined that in order to become a:

• Certified General Real Estate Appraiser
  300 hours in core curriculum courses must be completed:
  
• Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser
  200 hours in core curriculum courses must be completed:
  
• Registered Trainee
  75 hours in core curriculum courses must be completed:
  

When applying for Trainee license type, qualifying education is required to be completed within 5 years of the application date. (12 AAC 70.125(1)(B)) Courses are required to be Board approved at time of the course being taken.

There is no timeframe for which qualifying education must be completed for Residential and General license types. Courses are required to be Board approved at time of the course being taken.

Core curriculum and continuing education courses must first be approved by the Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers and issued a unique course approval number. Providers of continuing education submit course approval applications for various courses to be reviewed/approved by the Board. Once approved, courses are updated to the board’s Approved Courses Website .

• The Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) establishes the minimum requirements for certification via the Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB). They have determined that in order to become a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser, a total of 3,000 hours of experience in property appraisal be completed in no fewer than 18 months. A minimum of 1,500 hours of experience must be related to non-residential appraising.
  12 AAC 70.108(a)
• To become a Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, a total of 1500 hours of experience in property appraisal be completed in no fewer than 12 months.
  12 AAC 70.108(b)
• If applying by Examination, you must include your completed worklog with your initial application. At time of Board review you will be notified of which work products the Board would like to review to verify USPAP compliance. Once your application has been approved, you will be allowed to take your exam. Exam scores need to be sent directly to State of Alaska Board of Real Estate Appraisers staff upon completion of the exam.

Statutes and regulations pertaining to certification requirements can be found at our website as well as on the applications.

The Appraisal Foundation provides detailed information, to include resources and contacts, on their website in regards to How to Become a Real Property Appraiser.

No, Alaska does not require an appraiser be credentialed in Alaska to perform an appraisal or appraisal review, provided the appraiser does not represent her/himself as a certified appraiser, and the appraisal is not required by law. Per AS 08.87.100, it is considered a class B misdemeanor if an individual states that s/he is certified in Alaska when in fact they are not.

• Licenses lapse on June 30th of odd-numbered years, at which time those who are certified must submit an application for renewal.
• Certified Real Estate Appraisers who have been licensed for at least two years must complete 28 hours of continuing education, including the required 7-hour USPAP course. Those who have been licensed for less than 2 years must complete 14 hours of continuing education, including the required 7-hour USPAP course. 12 AAC 70.220.
• The March 2023 regulation amendment allows for 100% of continuing education (CE) to be completed in an online platform. 12 AAC 70.220(d).
• Trainees are required to submit a renewal if intending on maintaining trainee registration status and are required to provide evidence of satisfactory completion of 14 hours of continuing education credits before they renew their certification.
  12 AAC 70.125(c).
• Core curriculum and continuing education courses must first be approved by the Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers and issued a unique course approval number. Providers of continuing education submit course approval applications for various courses to be reviewed/approved by the Board. Once approved, courses are updated to the Board's Approved Courses website. In addition to this, you may email RealEstateAppraisers@Alaska.Gov. Staff are more than happy to help verify if a course is Board approved.

At its meeting on January 15th, 2016, the Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers resolved to not require registration as a trainee in order for experience to count for certification as a general or residential appraiser. Documentation of work experience would still need to be completed on the work verification log provided by the division. Supervisors must still be reviewed and approved by the board.

Trainee and Supervisory appraisers must participate in and submit a certificate showing completion of a Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser course. The course must be previously approved by the Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers. Note that this course is acceptable for continuing education only, not qualifying education.

Certificate holders who have been licensed in Alaska for at least 3 years (and are in good standing) qualify to become a Board-approved supervisor. To submit an application, fill out form 08-4663, and include a copy of a certificate demonstrating completion of a Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser course. Supervisory Appraisers are limited to no more than 3 trainees.

• A board approved supervisor should be familiar with 12 AAC 70.935 (located in the statutes and regulations booklet).
• Supervisors are responsible for:
  • Signing/certifying that appraisal reports are USPAP compliant
  • Reviewing/Signing the trainee’s appraisal report(s)
  • Inspecting appraised property until it is determined that the individual is competent to independently do so
  • Submitting a Determination of Competency form on behalf of the trainee
• The Determination of Competency form is located within the Certified General Real Estate Appraiser application, the Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser application, the Registered Trainee application, and on the board’s Applications and Forms webpage.

The licensing examiner keeps an internal list of Board-approved supervisors. Refer to the contact information for the examiner assigned to this program on the Board Home Page. A trainee can have unlimited supervisory appraisers.

The new supervisor must complete the required Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser course and submit an application (form 08-4663), if not already a Board-approved supervisor. The trainee must then submit a Change of Supervisor form ( 08-4597).

Trainee transition to Residential:
If you currently hold a certification/registration as a trainee appraiser and have obtained a bachelor's degree or higher in any field or an associate degree in a field of study related to business administration, accounting, finance, economics, or real estate, completed the required 125 core curriculum hours and have completed 1,500 hours in residential appraisal experience. All hours must be logged in the worklog within the application. You will be asked to submit appraisal reports for review of USPAP compliance if your application is approved by the Board and it is determined that you are eligible to take the Uniform State Residential Certification Examination. Please see the respective applications #08-4663 and #08-4164 for a breakdown on core curriculum requirements.

Trainee transition to General:
If you currently hold a certification/registration as a trainee appraiser and have obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher, completed the required 225 core curriculum hours, and have completed 3,000 experience hours with 1,500 hours in non-residential appraisal experience. All hours must be logged in the worklog within the application. You will be asked to submit appraisal reports for review of USPAP compliance if your application is approved by the Board and it is determined that you are eligible to take the Uniform State General Certification Examination. Please see the respective applications #08-4663 and #08-4164 for a breakdown on core curriculum requirements.

It is not required to become registered as a Trainee, however, it is recommended that the trainee register with a supervisory appraiser and follow the criteria under that relationship. This is particularly helpful for the trainee to receive full experience credit when applying for certification.

An additional 100 hours* related to general real estate appraising, 1,500 hours of general appraisal experience, passing score on the Certified General Real Property Exam, and transcripts showing completion of a college degree are required. The application for this transition is form 08-4163.

*Breakdown of 100 hours may be found in the Certified General Real Estate Appraiser application under “Residential Transition Applicants” on page 5.

• Applicants should note that no more than 2 courtesy licenses can be issued within a 12-month period, based on the license expiration date. A license verification from one state is sufficient and must be submitted directly from the state licensing agency/board to our office. The courtesy license is valid for a maximum of 180 days.
• The Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers is required by the ASC to issue courtesy licenses within 5 days of the complete application. At the time of initial application, the properties listed will fall into one “assignment”, however, if the courtesy license applicant wishes to add a new property after the license has already been issued, the applicant will need to re-apply.

The Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional licensing has been in contact with the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC). Through correspondence with the ASC It has been determined that requiring fingerprinting as part of the application process for certification is not necessary and that the current processes utilizing Professional Fitness Questions satisfies the federal requirement.

Complaints are addressed by the Investigations Section . To file a complaint, fill out a Request for Contact form or call 907-269-8174. The investigator assigned to the Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers will conduct the investigation based on the information provided on the form.

A Residential credentialed appraiser is allowed to appraise vacant or unimproved land that is utilized for one-to-four family purposes or for which the highest and best use is for one-to-four family purposes. The appraisal of subdivisions is not allowed where a development analysis/appraisal is necessary.

The Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) and Alaska Regulation 12 AAC 70.140 allows an applicant for certification as a General, Residential, or Trainee Appraiser to complete qualifying education (QE) via distance education (online) so long as:

• The course allows for verbal or written communication with the instructor
• The course is specifically approved by the AQB and the Alaska Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers
• The course delivery mechanism is approved by the International Distance Education Certification Center (IDECC)
• The course must include a written, closed- book, proctored examination (proctor must be an official approved by the college or university or by the sponsoring organization)
• The minimum length of the educational offering is at least 15 hours

** Please be aware that most course sponsors do not specify that all the AQB qualifications for Qualifying Education via Distance Education have been met on their certificates of completion. If the board should request proof that the requirements have been met, the burden of proof is the applicant’s responsibility.

• The Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) and Alaska Regulation 12 AAC 70.220 allow a certificate holder (licensee) to:
  • Take 100% of the hours required for continuing education (CE) through distance education
  • The minimum length of the educational offering is at least 2 hours
  • Include a proctored, written exam OR successful completion of prescribed course mechanisms required to demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter

For additional information regarding continuing education, please see FAQ #7.

If you are applying for certification via examination, your completed application must be reviewed and approved by the board prior to scheduling your exam. Examinations are scheduled with our contracted testing service provider, Pearson Vue. You will be required by a Pearson Vue representative to submit a copy of your board approval letter prior to administration of your examination.

Yes, the Determination of Competency forms may be submitted well in advance of an application being submitted for an appraiser license. The Division will hold on to the documents until an application is submitted.

The American Council on Education’s (ACE) recommendations will be used to determine passing exam scores.

PAREA provides an alternative pathway for the required experience hours to be completed.

Please see the Appraisal Foundation’s webpage for detailed information, including an overview of the program and links to additional resources.

There are two main real property USPAP courses:

• 15-hour National Course (Real Property)
• 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course (Real Property)

15-Hour National Course

• This course, and its exam, is required to be successfully complete as part of an applicant’s initial Qualifying Education (QE).
• After the course is taken as QE, the appraiser is not required to take the course again at any time.
• An appraiser can opt to take the course again at any time. For example, once they are credentialed, they can take the course again to count towards the requirement to take at least 14 hours of CE for each year in their CE cycle.
• This course is not an “equivalent” or an “alternative” to the 7-hour course.
• This is a much different course than the 7-hour. This course focuses on teaching the core principles and concepts of USPAP. The 7-hour is designed for the experienced appraiser who already has an understanding of the core principles of USPAP, and instead, is being taught how to apply USPAP in their daily practice.

7-Hour National USPAP Update Course

• The term “equivalent” is to allow other education providers to be able to write and teach their own version of the Foundation’s 7-hour course. In this arrangement, the Foundation writes the approved version of the 7-hour course, then provides (to any education provider who requests it) what we call an “equivalency checklist”. The education providers use that checklist to write a course that covers the same exact content we have in our version of the course. Every 7-hour course (or its equivalent) will be AQB approved as either the Foundation’s course, or its approved 7-hour equivalent.
• Thus, the 15 hour is not an “equivalent” to the 7-hour because they are completely different courses.
• Every appraiser is required to take a 7-hour USPAP course (one that is approved by the AQB) once every two calendar years. There is no alternative way to meet that requirement (no other course can meet that requirement).
• Anyone can elect to take a 15-hour USPAP and a 7-hour USPAP to count towards their required CE requirements.

Please see Alaska Statutes and Regulations for Certified Real Estate Appraisers for additional guidance on current requirements.
12 AAC 70.220(e) speaks to the requirement of the 7hr USPAP course at time of renewals.
12 AAC 70.115 speaks to the requirements of the 15hr USPAP course at time of initial application for licensure.