This is for appraisers who already hold a Licensed Residential or Certified Residential credential and want to become a Certified General appraiser, the credential the AQB says “qualifies the appraiser to appraise all types of real property.” We call these members upgraders.
Certified General requirements
These are the national minimums in the AQB’s Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria, effective January 1, 2026 (criteria booklet, PDF). States can add requirements, so confirm with your board.
| Requirement | Licensed Residential → Certified General | Certified Residential → Certified General |
|---|---|---|
| Additional qualifying education | 142 hours | 100 hours |
| Experience | 3,000 hours over no fewer than 18 months, with at least 1,500 hours in non-residential appraisal work. Hours can be cumulative, but the months must pass before you can be certified. | |
| College | Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university (foreign degrees can be evaluated for equivalency) | |
| Exam | The AQB-approved Certified General exam, taken after your education, college requirement and experience are complete and verified by your state. There is no alternative to passing it. | |
The additional course hours
| Course module | From Licensed Residential | From Certified Residential |
|---|---|---|
| General Appraiser Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use | 15 | 15 |
| Statistics, Modeling and Finance | 15 | — |
| General Appraiser Sales Comparison Approach | 15 | 15 |
| General Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach | 15 | 15 |
| General Appraiser Income Approach | 45 | 45 |
| General Appraiser Report Writing and Case Studies | 15 | 10 |
| Appraisal Subject Matter Electives | 22 | — |
| Total | 142 | 100 |
The criteria also require your education to cover the core curriculum “with particular emphasis on non-residential properties.” PAREA: under the current criteria, PAREA credit toward Certified General can cover part of the total hours and months, but none of it counts toward the 1,500 non-residential hours (PAREA). Proposed changes: the AQB’s Third Exposure Draft would remove the degree requirement for Certified General, among other changes. None of it is in effect yet.
Why the commercial supervisor is the hard part
The courses are easy to find. Getting 1,500 non-residential hours usually means a Certified General appraiser has to agree to bring you onto commercial assignments, and that is often where upgraders get stuck.
Their name is on the work
A Certified General supervisor signs off on commercial assignments and must stay competent for each property type under USPAP. Taking on someone new is a real commitment.
Commercial work is slower to teach
Income-producing property means leases, operating statements, cap rates and longer narrative reports. Training someone through that takes time out of a busy schedule.
Openings are rarely advertised
Commercial firms often fill analyst roles through their own networks. A residential appraiser looking to switch may never see those openings.
You already have a practice
Many upgraders want to keep their residential work while they build commercial hours. That calls for a part-time or project-based arrangement, which not every firm offers.
What helps: say which property types you want, how many hours a week you can give, whether you’ll keep your residential work, and where you are on the 100 or 142 course hours. Commercial supervisors on Supervisor Match can filter for “Residential to commercial upgraders.”
Join free as an upgrader
- Same terms as trainees. Free for your first 90 days, then $5/mo. One state included. See pricing.
- Shown to commercial supervisors. Your profile appears under “Residential to commercial upgraders” on the commercial track.
- Private. Contact details stay hidden until you accept a supervisor’s interest.
Questions
Do my residential hours count?
They can count toward the 3,000 total. At least 1,500 of the 3,000 must be non-residential, which the AQB criteria define as anything other than one-to-four residential units. Your state board verifies all experience before you can sit for the exam.
Why do I need a commercial supervisor?
A Licensed Residential or Certified Residential credential covers only one-to-four unit residential property, so most non-residential assignments are outside your scope on your own. In practice, upgraders earn their non-residential hours on a Certified General appraiser’s assignments. How that work has to be supervised, signed and logged is set by your state, so check your state page and your board.
Do I need a college degree?
Under the criteria in effect today, yes: a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university. The AQB has proposed removing the degree requirement for Certified General in its Third Exposure Draft, but that is not in effect. See how the rules are changing.
Can PAREA help?
Only partly. Under the current criteria, PAREA credit toward Certified General can cover part of the total hours and months, but none of it counts toward the 1,500 non-residential hours. Read the PAREA guide.
What does it cost to join?
Upgraders join on the same terms as trainees: free for the first 90 days, then $5/mo, with one state included. See pricing.
Sources
- The Appraisal Foundation, Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria: https://appraisalfoundation.org/pages/criteria
- AQB Criteria booklet effective January 1, 2026 (PDF copy hosted by the Alabama board): https://reab.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260325_RPAQC_Web_March-2026-1.pdf
- The Appraisal Foundation, PAREA: https://appraisalfoundation.org/pages/parea
- The Appraisal Foundation, Exposure Drafts (AQB Third Exposure Draft of Proposed Changes to the Criteria): https://appraisalfoundation.org/pages/exposure-drafts
General information, not legal advice. Requirements change and states can be stricter than the AQB minimums; confirm with your state board.