How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser in Missouri Your 5-Step Guide

NOTE: Your state may accept PAREA or Practicum as an alternative to a Trainee license with the Trainee/Supervisory model.

Complete Trainee Qualifying Education

Before you can become a licensed residential appraiser and work independently in Missouri, you’ll need to earn an appraiser trainee license. This involves completing 83 hours of Missouri Appraiser Qualifying Education (QE), which includes:

• 30 hours of appraisal principles

• 30 hours of appraisal procedures

• 15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course, or an equivalent course

• 8 hours of valuation bias and fair housing laws and regulations

You’ll also need to complete a 4-hour Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser Course. Before signing up for this course, you’ll need to find a supervisory appraiser who will act as your mentor as you complete your required experience hours (Step 3).

All Qualifying Education must be approved by either the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) or the Missouri Real Estate Appraisers Commission. You must complete all QE coursework prior to submitting your trainee application.

You can apply for your trainee license online through MOPRO, Missouri's online licensing portal, or by mailing in the paper application. There is no fee to apply for a trainee license in Missouri.

As part of the application process, you’ll need to complete a criminal background check and submit fingerprints. You’ll complete this process through the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Missouri Automated Criminal History System (MACHS).

After earning your Missouri appraiser trainee license, it’s time for the next step toward becoming a State-Licensed Real Estate Appraiser. This involves completing an additional 75 hours of Appraisal Foundation-approved coursework in addition to your trainee courses already completed.

This coursework includes:

• Residential Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use (15 hours)

• Residential Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach (15 hours)

• Residential Sales Comparison and Income Approaches (30 hours)

• Residential Report Writing and Case Studies (15 hours)

The total amount of coursework required to become a licensed residential appraiser is 158 hours. Remember, you’ve already satisfied 83 of these hours through your trainee license — nice work!

Once you’ve finished your education, you must conduct and log at least 1,000 hours of appraisal experience in the field. These 1,000 hours must be completed:

• Under the supervision of a certified residential or certified general appraiser; and

• Over a period of at least six months.

This means that you must take no less than six months to complete your 1,000 hours of appraisal experience.

There are many ways to find and enter into a working relationship with a supervisory appraiser. A great way to begin your search is to use the list of active certified appraisers in Missouri found in the Appraisal Subcommittee’s National Registry of Appraisers. Get more tips in our blog: How to Find a Supervisory Appraiser.

Alternatively, you can enroll in a PAREA® training program (Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal) to earn experience hours. In Missouri, you can earn all experience hours through PAREA® while under the supervision of a supervisory appraiser. Learn more about what to expect in a PAREA® program.

To show proof of your completed hours, you’ll need to complete and submit a Trainee Experience Log and an Experience Field and Review Sheet to the Missouri Real Estate Appraisers Commission.

Once you’ve completed your required education and experience hours, you are eligible to move on to the next step: taking your licensing exam.

After the Missouri Real Estate Appraisers Commission approves your education and experience, you can schedule and take the National Uniform Licensing & Certification Exam. The Appraisal Foundation publishes tips on the exam structure that can help you prepare. Here’s an overview:

• The National Uniform Licensing and Certification can take up to four hours to complete.

• The exam is composed of 125 questions. Fifteen of these questions are considered practice, and answering those questions wrong does not negatively affect your score.

• A score of 75 points is passing. Scores for the National Uniform Licensing and Certification exam range between 0 and 110 points. Each question carries an equal weight of 1 point. To pass, you must earn a minimum of 75 points.

• You can take the test more than once. The Appraisal Foundation allows you to take the test up to three times.

After passing your exam, it’s time to apply for your license! You can complete your application to become a Missouri State-Licensed Residential Real Estate Appraiser using MOPRO or by submitting a paper application. There is an application fee of $300. Be sure to review application submission instructions before submitting your paperwork.

Missouri appraiser licenses are valid for two years and expire on June 30th of every even-numbered year. Missouri appraiser Continuing Education must be completed during every renewal period.