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A real estate appraiser inspects properties to estimate their value. You'll have to become licensed by the state in which you intend to work in order to practice this career. You may also want to follow the growing widespread practice of meeting federal standards. To meet these requirements and pass your licensing exam, you'll need to go to real estate appraisal school.
If there are no local appraisal learning facilities nearby, consider an online learning environment. One of the best ways to know if you've found a good real estate appraisal school is to make sure they have a different course for each of the 50 states. Ideally, they'll offer online courses, distance learning correspondence courses, continuing education courses (to be discussed below), and the ability to go to on-site seminars, offering you a variety of choices and flexibility.
An appraiser needs in-depth knowledge about how to assess a home's neighborhood, building practices, whether additional edifices add or detract value, and other basics about economics and finance. In order to be as qualified as possible, you may wish to acquire additional licensing that meets the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). These are the standards for professional appraisal that are accepted throughout North America. Congress has a website where you can find locations where you can obtain training in as little as 15 hours at
http://commerce.appraisalfoundation.org/datasearch/search.asp?PorI=P.
In your search, schools that have only been in service for a short period of time are to be avoided. Correspondence schools that only service very small areas might be preferable if they've got a good reputation in your state and you intend to stay there for the entirety of your career. Otherwise, choose a school with a national reputation and specific courses offered online through distance learning or at seminars conducted in person that will give you the greatest amount of career flexibility.
With the right education and training from a quality real estate appraisal school with programs customized for your state and incorporating the current national USPAP, you'll be able to work for a mortgage company or the state. You will also be qualified to go into business for yourself with the potential of making a substantial amount of money, while serving your community.
Your first step is to choose the right real estate appraisal school and then watch the doors of opportunity open for you.
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