What is the Difference Between a Certified Appraiser and a Licensed Appraiser in Texas?
Short answer: the amount of real estate appraiser education and training, as defined by the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB).
Also: the types of properties the appraiser can appraise.
The table linked in from TALCB, above, provides the best summary of the differences in Texas between the licensing levels for a Certified Residential and a Licensed Appraiser (as well as for a General Appraiser, the highest-level of license that also permits the licensee to appraise commercial property.)
Certified Appraiser Licensing Requires More Experience and Education
To obtain the license level of a Certified Appraiser in Texas, a candidate needs more education (both undergraduate education and appraiser-specific education) and more documented hours of appraisal experience, over a longer period of time.
Each licensing level requires the applicant to pass an exam (the National Uniform State Appraiser Examination) specific to that level of licensing. The exams are developed by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB).
The Bottom Line on Certified vs. Licensed
If you want to join the profession: study the differences and talk to appraisers at different license levels to decide which level to pursue (hint: Certified).
One More Thing: How Much Property the Certified Appraiser Can Appraise
“May appraise 1-4 unit residential properties without regard to transaction value or
complexity of the appraisal for federally related transactions (FRT) and non-federally related transactions (Non-FRT).May associate with a Certified General Appraiser, who must sign the report, to appraise nonresidential properties.”
(From TALCB)
When shopping around for a home appraiser.. what are some of the qualification questions that we should ask? What do you suggest?
To obtain the license level of a Certified Appraiser in Texas, a candidate needs more education (both undergraduate education and appraiser-specific education) and more documented hours of appraisal experience, over a longer period of time. Each licensing level requires the applicant to pass an exam (the National Uniform State Appraiser Examination) specific to that level of licensing. The exams are developed by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB).