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:
  

150 hours out of the total hours required must have been completed within 5 years preceding the date of application.

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 work log with your initial application. Once your application has been approved, you will be allowed to take your exam. Once the board has been notified of a passing exam score, you will be notified of the work product(s) that the board would like to review to verify USPAP compliance.

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

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.
• Only half of the required courses can be taken via online or distance methods. In other words, if you are licensed for at least 2 years, a maximum 14 hours of continuing education can be taken online.
• 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 .

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 the 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).

Depending on whether you wish to transition to a Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, or Certified General Real Estate Appraiser, you will need to complete 225 or 125 additional core curriculum hours, respectively. A trainee transitioning to a residential real estate appraiser will need 2,500* total hours of experience; a trainee transitioning to a general real estate appraiser will need 3,000 total hours of experience in which no less than 1,500 hours is in non-residential work. Please see the respective applications 08-4663 and 08-4164) for a breakdown on core curriculum requirements.

* The board is currently in the process of writing regulations to comply with the change to the AQB Criteria 2018. Once that goes into effect, the amount of experience hours for Certified Residential will decrease to 1,500.

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. A license verification from one state is sufficient and must be submitted directly from the state licensing agency/board to our office. These must be mailed, not e-mailed. The courtesy license is valid for a maximum of 180 days, after which time a copy of the appraisal report must be submitted to this office.
• 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.
• Though applications for courtesy licenses will be accepted by fax to allow for an expedited process, should you choose to fax and not mail, you will be required to mail in your original notary page for us to include in your file so we may comply with Division policy.

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 an certificate holder (licensee) to:
  • Take up to one-half 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.