Second AQB Exposure Draft Proposals Could Be Game-Changing

The AQB is proposing changes to the appraiser qualification requirements that would significantly change some of the barriers to entry. Here are some highlights.

On June 22, 2026, the Appraisal Foundation’s Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) released their “Second Exposure Draft of Proposed Changes to the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria.” (Read it here.)

That’s a mouthful. Let me translate: The AQB is proposing some big sweeping changes to the minimum requirements for becoming a real property appraiser. I’m not taking a position on these proposals, but there’s no question that several of them could remove or reduce long-standing barriers to entry for aspiring appraisers.

As AQB chair Jerry Yurek explained:

“The proposals do not lower the bar the appraiser credential signifies. They do, however, streamline the path to entry into the profession by eliminating requirements that do not contribute to an applicant’s readiness.”

First, what do the current criteria require?

Let’s quickly revisit the current Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria which came into effect on January 1, 2026:

Licensed Residential Real Property Appraiser:

• 158 hours QE (including the 15h USPAP and 8h Valuation Bias & Fair Housing Laws & Regs courses)
• No college degree or college-level education requirement
• 1,000 hours of qualifying experience over no fewer than 6 months
• Pass the AQB-approved Licensed Residential exam (unless applicant has passed Certified Residential or Certified General exam)

Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser:

• 200 hours QE (including USPAP and Valuation Bias & Fair Housing courses)
• Completion of one of these options: a bachelor’s degree in any field; an associate degree in business administration, accounting, finance, economics, or real estate; 30 specified college semester hours; 30 semester hours through specified CLEP examinations; or an approved combination of college coursework and CLEP credit.
• There’s another alternative for anyone who’s held a Licensed Residential credential for at least five years and satisfies the disciplinary-history, education, experience, and examination requirements stated in the Criteria.
• 1,500 hours of qualifying experience over no fewer than 12 months
• Pass the AQB-approved Certified Residential exam (unless applicant has passed the Certified General exam)

Certified General Real Property Appraiser:

• 300 hours QE (with emphasis on non-residential appraisal, and including the required USPAP and Valuation Bias and Fair Housing education)
• Bachelor’s degree or higher from accredited college or university
• 3,000 hours of qualifying experience (including 1,500+ in non-residential) over no fewer than 18 months
• Pass the AQB-approved Certified General exam

One important clarification: the Criteria describe “qualifying experience,” not simply “supervised experience” in every circumstance. Traditional trainee experience is ordinarily documented through a Supervisory Appraiser, but the current Criteria also recognize practicum experience and AQB-approved PAREA programs as alternative ways to get your experience credit.

What the Exposure Draft Would Change:

1. Eliminate the College Degree Requirement for Certified Residential and Certified General 

The proposal would remove the current college-level education requirements for both the Certified Residential and Certified General credentials. For Certified Residential, that means replacing the existing menu of degree, coursework, CLEP, and long-term Licensed Residential alternatives. For Certified General, it means eliminating the current bachelor’s-degree requirement.

The AQB’s stated rationale is that this proposal isn’t lowering the educational bar, but replacing a “degree proxy with direct instruction in the analytical skill the proxy stood for.” To support its reasoning, the AQB argues that college degree requirements were a default in many licensed professions 20 years ago, but that more recent occupational research supports the idea that minimum requirements should instead focus on the analytical, quantitative, writing, and practical skills necessary for the job. (See pp.136-8 for more detail.)

2. Remove the Minimum Calendar-Time Requirements for Experience

The current Criteria require the experience hours to be earned over minimum periods of six months for Licensed Residential, 12 months for Certified Residential, and 18 months for Certified General. The proposal would eliminate those calendar minimums while retaining the required experience hours.

The draft’s reasoning is straightforward: “What verifies readiness is the work itself, not the number of months over which it is spread.”

3. Add a Demonstration Appraisal Report Pathway for Licensed Residential

A major roadblock for trainees is finding a qualified appraiser willing and able to provide supervision and enough assignments to build the required experience. Some appraisers say they don’t want to “train the competition.” Others feel they don’t have the bandwidth to teach someone the ropes, especially during slow and hungry times in the industry.

Meanwhile, some trainees spend months (or longer) calling firms, attending meetings, and networking, in hopes of finding a supervisory appraiser. The competition can be fierce. And in some rural, underserved areas, there simply isn’t anyone available within a reasonable distance of where the trainee lives. It’s a huge hurdle, especially for trainees who have no family legacy in the business. And trainees need a source of income while they’re logging all these hours.

The current Criteria already recognize two “program-based” alternatives to the traditional “log-based experience” pathway: An approved practicum (hands-on training in real-world appraisal methods) can take the place of some classroom, research, and analysis hours; and an AQB-approved PAREA program can replace the entire Licensed Residential experience requirement and some of the credit toward higher classifications.

Now, the AQB’s exposure draft is proposing a new option: a Demonstration Appraisal Report Pathway for the Licensed Residential credential. Under the proposal, applicants could complete three USPAP-compliant demonstration appraisal reports on actual one-to-four unit residential properties. At least one report would involve a complex property, and the reports would have to  “meet the content, complexity, and review requirements established by [an] AQB-approved entity.”

That proposal could be as consequential overall as eliminating the college degree requirement. It could help trainees who are struggling to find a supervisor, or who can’t easily afford an existing program-based alternative, earn their Licensed Residential credential more directly — by proving their competency in demonstration reports.

4. Recognize Experience Already Earned When Moving to a Higher Classification

The draft also proposes to shave off some of the hours to upgrade to the next certification level — i.e., once you have the Licensed Residential done, if you want to pursue the next-higher classification, you’ll need “only the experience that the higher classification requires beyond the Licensed Residential experience requirement.”

Translation: Once you earn the Licensed Residential credential, you don’t have to start the experience count from zero and log 1,500 hours to sit for the Certified Residential exam. You just need 500 (or a program-based alternative), assuming all other requirements are met and the experience is accepted by the state appraiser regulatory agency.

That’s a big deal, because the appraiser could earn the additional experience while on the job (and getting paid, hopefully!) as a Licensed Residential appraiser. That transforms the Licensed Residential classification into a more useful stepping-stone to certification.

Why These Proposals Matter

These proposals would shift the qualification system away from a college degree and fixed calendar periods and toward demonstrated appraisal competency. They would also expand the ways applicants could earn their qualifying experience.

That said, each change deserves a thorough review. As an industry, we’ll need to discuss report-review standards, state implementation, public trust, examination readiness, costs to applicants, and the practical ability of regulators to verify competency. But these are not minor technical revisions. If adopted, they could materially change who can enter the profession, how quickly they can qualify, and how the next generation of appraisers is trained.

Make Your Voice Heard

The AQB exposure process is the profession’s opportunity to support, oppose, or recommend revisions to the proposals. Comments are due by August 30, 2026. Whether you are an appraiser, trainee, educator, regulator, lender, or user of appraisal services, review the draft carefully and provide specific, constructive feedback to the AQB.

These proposals could be game-changing. The profession should help determine exactly how the game changes.