ASFMRA is an internationally recognized leader in appraisal training. We are a not-for-profit professional society and Sponsoring Member of the Appraisal Foundation providing education since 1929 and serving all jurisdictions in the United States. We provide Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) and state approved appraisal training for certified general licensure and for continuing education. Take a look at the courses we offer. Then take a look at our education schedule to see what is being offered near you! If you have any questions you can contact Deanna Ilk at 303-692-1222 or dilk@asfmra.org
List of Appraisal Courses
Basic Appraisal Principles (A101)
Developed jointly by ASFMRA, AI and ASA, this course is specifically designed to meet the 30 hours required by the Appraiser Qualifications Board for Qualifying Education for General Certified Appraisers. This four-day course will provide a solid foundation of basic appraisal principles for all the Appraisal Specialties. Appraisers will be introduced to:
- Appraisal concepts
- The fundamentals of appraisal
- The valuation process
- Legal and area descriptions
- Mathematics of finance
- Cost, Sales Comparison and Income Approaches
- USPAP and calculator functions
Required Equipment & Textbooks: HP-12c, HP-17bII or HP-19bII calculator; The Appraisal of Real Estate, Thirteenth Edition
Optional Textbooks: The Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, Fifth Edition; Capitalization Theory and Techniques Study Guide Third Edition
Contact Hours: 28 hours + 2 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days 1-4: 8 AM – 5 PM
AQB Licensure Requirement: Trainee, Licensed, Certified Residential, Certified General
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA
Basic Appraisal Procedures (A102)
Specifically designed to meet the 30 hours required by the Appraiser Qualifications Board for Qualifying Education for General Certified Appraisers, this course will prepare the appraiser student to apply basic appraisal principles and concepts. The student will employ a step-by-step valuation process, including defining the problem, collecting and analyzing data, reaching a final opinion of value and communicating the appraisal. Students will also complete key sections of an appraisal report and receive an introduction to property description and construction and design basics.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: HP-12c calculator. You must be familiar with calculator operation when the course begins. Answers to problems in course material are shown using the HP-12c. Do not come to class expecting to be taught how to use a financial calculator.
Optional Texts: The Appraisal of Real Estate, Thirteenth Edition; Appraising Residential Properties, Third Edition; The Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, Fifth Edition.
Contact Hours: 28 hours + 2 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days 1-4: 8 AM – 5 PM
AQB Licensure Requirement: Trainee, Licensed, Certified Residential, Certified General
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA
15 Hour National USPAP Course (A113)
The 15-Hour National USPAP Course focuses on the requirements for ethical behavior and competent performance by appraisers that are set forth in the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). The course material emphasizes the role of the appraiser and the impartiality associated with this role. Special responsibilities of the appraiser with regard to impartiality are explored in detail. In addition to lectures, the course includes discussion problems that show how USPAP applies in situations that appraisers encounter in everyday practice. These examples address issues frequently experienced by appraisers as professionals in the appraisal of real property, personal property, and business or intangible assets, and in appraisal review. This course is designed to aid appraisers seeking competency in USPAP, in all areas of appraisal practice including those subject to state licensing or certification and continuing education requirements imposed by professional organizations, client groups, or employers.
Contact Hours: 14 classroom hours + 1 hours Exam
Course Timetable: Day 1-2 8 AM – 5 PM
AQB Licensure Requirement: Trainee, Licensed, Certified Residential, Certified General
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA
7 Hour National USPAP Course (A114)
The underlying theme of all sections are USPAP requirements for ethical behavior and competent performance by appraisers. Discussion will focus on specific USPAP revisions and afford you the opportunity to apply this information through case studies and a review of frequently asked questions and responses of various USPAP topics. The material emphasizes the role of the appraiser, the appraiser’s impartiality associated with this role, and helps clarify concepts such as scope of work and when USPAP applies. The special responsibilities of the appraiser with regard to impartiality are explored in detail.
Contact Hours: 7 hours
Course Timetable: Day 1: 8 AM – 4 PM
This course demonstrates techniques used in preparing value estimates on properties subject to acquisition under Eminent Domain law. The appraiser will learn how condemnation appraising is different than other types of appraising and explore complications which may be encountered, including severance damages, consequential damages, special and general benefits, condemnation blight, project enhancement and inverse condemnation. Case studies and short examples are used to learn:
- Just compensation formula
- Highest and best use
- Approaches to value
- Damages and benefits
- Easements
- Appraiser relationships with attorneys, judges and juries
- Trial preparation and participation
- Trends in eminent domain law
Please Note: This is an intermediate skill level course. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level courses.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: HP-12c, HP-17bII or HP-19bII calculator
Optional Textbooks: The Appraisal of Real Estate, Thirteenth Edition; The Appraisal of Rural Property, Second Edition; Real Estate Valuation in Litigation, Second Edition
Contact Hours: 20 hours + 2 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days 1-2: 8 AM – 5 PM; Day 3: 8 AM – 3 PM
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA
General Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use (A290)
Designed to meet the 30 hours required by the Appraiser Qualifications Board for Qualifying Education for General Certified Appraisers. This course provides a forum for analysis and discussion of the impacts on the highest and best use of rural real estate for the appraiser, the course is designed for the appraiser who has considerable experience in appraising rural real estate or who has completed the first two levels of core courses offered by the ASFMRA. The appraiser will learn to determine ultimate highest and best uses:
- Legally permissible uses
- Physically possible uses
- Financially feasible uses
- Maximally productive uses
Please Note: This is an intermediate skill level course. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level courses.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: HP-12c, HP-17bII or HP-19bII calculator
Optional Text: Appraisal of Rural Property, Second Edition
Contact Hours: 28 hours + 2 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days 1-3: 8 AM – 5 PM; Day 4: 8 AM – 3 PM
AQB Licensure Requirement: Certified General
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA
Cost Approach for General Appraisers (A301)
This course is specifically designed to meet the 30 hours required by the Appraiser Qualifications Board for Qualifying Education for General Certified Appraisers. The course covers topics such as underlying Cost Approach definitions and concepts. Extensive site or land valuation techniques are presented because of the importance of land in rural properties. Comparable sales analysis is included for contributory value of land classes, as well as paired sales techniques, derivation and sequence of adjustments, analysis of properties with multiple land types, reconciliation, and case studies. Depreciation analysis covers age-life, modified economic age-life and market derived depreciation to include all forms of depreciation including physical, functional and external obsolescence. These topics are discussed with relevance toward the sometimes unique aspects of rural property valuation. The concepts are reinforced through classroom discussion, drill problems and periodic diagnostic quizzes.
Please Note: This course is designed to follow Basic Appraisal Principles and Basic Appraisal Procedures. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level classes.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: HP-12c, Hp-17bII or HP-19bII calculator; Appraisal of Rural Property, 2nd Edition
Optional Textbooks: Appraisal of Real Estate, Thirteenth Edition; Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, Fifth Edition
Contact Hours: 27 hours + 3 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days 1-3: 8 AM – 5 PM; Day 4: 8 AM – 4 PM
AQB Licensure Requirement: Certified General
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA
Cost Approach for General Appraisers – Online
This course is specifically designed to meet the 30 hours required by the Appraiser Qualifications Board for Qualifying Education for General Certified Appraisers. The course covers topics such as underlying Cost Approach definitions and concepts. Extensive site or land valuation techniques are presented because of the importance of land in rural properties. Comparable sales analysis is included for contributory value of land classes, as well as paired sales techniques, derivation and sequence of adjustments, analysis of properties with multiple land types, reconciliation, and case studies. Depreciation analysis covers age-life, modified economic age-life and market derived depreciation to include all forms of depreciation including physical, functional and external obsolescence. These topics are discussed with relevance toward the sometimes unique aspects of rural property valuation. The concepts are reinforced through classroom discussion, drill problems and periodic diagnostic quizzes.
Please Note: This course is designed to follow Basic Appraisal Principles and Basic Appraisal Procedures. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level classes.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: HP-12c, Hp-17bII or HP-19bII calculator; Appraisal of Rural Property, Second Edition
Optional Textbooks: Appraisal of Real Estate, Thirteenth Edition; Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, Fifth Edition
Contact Hours: 27 hours + 3 hour exam (exam must be proctored)
Course Timetable: one semester
AQB Licensure Requirement: Certified General (if your state accepts Qualifying Education Online. Please check the list of approvals or contact Deanna Ilk)
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA (Will accept either the classroom or online version)
Registration for this course will be available in March of 2013. The course will be offered starting June 3, 2013 and finishing July 26, 2013.
Sales Comparison Approach for General Appraisers (A302)
This course is specifically designed to meet the 30 hours required by the Appraiser Qualifications Board for Qualifying Education for General Certified Appraisers. The course covers topics such as underlying Sales Comparison Approach definitions and concepts, the analysis of a comparable sale, paired sales techniques, derivation and sequence of adjustments, analysis of properties with multiple land types, reconciliation, and case studies. These topics are discussed with a distinct bent toward the sometimes unique aspects of rural property valuation. Concepts are reinforced through classroom discussion, drill problems and periodic diagnostic quizzes.
Please Note: This course is designed to follow Basic Appraisal Principles and Basic Appraisal Procedures. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level classes.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: HP-12c, Hp-17bII or HP-19bII calculator; Appraisal of Rural Property, 2nd Edition
Optional Textbooks: Appraisal of Real Estate, Thirteenth Edition; Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, Fifth Edition
Contact Hours: 27 hours + 3 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days 1-3: 8 AM – 5 PM; Day 4: 8 AM – 3 PM
AQB Licensure Requirement: Certified General
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA
Income Approach for General Appraisers, Part 1 (A303)
This course is specifically designed as the introductory course to the Income Approach which meets 30 of the 60 hours required by the Appraiser Qualifications Board for Qualifying Education for General Certified Appraisers. The course covers topics such as application of the six functions of $1, underlying income approach definitions and concepts, construction of the income and expense statement, direct capitalization theory and techniques, introduction to yield capitalization, discounting, lease analysis, building and land residual analysis, and straight-line recapture theory and techniques. These topics are discussed with a distinct bent toward the sometimes unique aspects of rural property valuation. Concepts are reinforced through classroom discussion, drill problems and periodic diagnostic quizzes. After successful completion of this course, the student will be prepared for the more advanced topics discussed in the second 30 hour Income Approach module.
Please Note: This course is designed to follow Basic Appraisal Principles and Basic Appraisal Procedures. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level classes.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: HP-12c, Hp-17bII or HP-19bII calculator; Appraisal of Rural Property, 2nd Edition
Optional Textbooks: Appraisal of Real Estate, Thirteenth Edition; Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, Fifth Edition
Contact Hours: 27 hours + 3 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days 1-3: 8 AM – 5 PM; Day 4: 8 AM – 4 PM
AQB Licensure Requirement: Certified General
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA
Integrated Approaches to Value (A304)
This course is intended to satisfy the 30 hours of Subject Matter Electives required by the Appraiser Qualifications Board for Qualifying Education for Certified General Appraisers. The course is specifically designed to illustrate how all the approaches to value fit together in an appraisal, drawing from the body of knowledge taught in Cost Approach for General Appraisers (A301), Sales Comparison Approach for General Appraisers (A302), and Income Approach for General Appraisers, Part 1 (A303). The material will be presented primarily in the form of case studies, supplemented with lectures and class discussion.
Please Note: This course is designed to follow Basic Appraisal Principles, Basic Appraisal Procedures, the Cost, Sales and Income courses. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level classes.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: HP-12c, Hp-17bII or HP-19bII calculator; Appraisal of Rural Property, 2nd Edition
Optional Textbooks: Appraisal of Real Estate, Thirteenth Edition; Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, Fifth Edition
Contact Hours: 27 hours + 3 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days 1-4: 8 AM – 5 PM; Day 4: 8 AM – 4 PM
AQB Licensure Requirement: Certified General
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA
Advanced Rural Case Studies (A400)
The appraiser will apply appraisal principles and analytical techniques to rural appraisal problems. Specialized property types will be studied to emphasize different parts of the appraisal process. Advanced applications include: The breakdown method of depreciation
- Trend and bracketing analysis
- Income approaches to value
- An introduction to statistical analysis
This course was developed jointly by ASFMRA and AI.
Please Note: This is an advanced skill level course. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level courses.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: HP- 12c, HP-17bII or HP-19bII calculator; Appraisal of Rural Property, Second Edition
Optional Equipment: Self-powered laptop computer. (There is NO computer tutoring in this course.)Computers are not allowed during the examination.
Optional Texts: The Appraisal of Real Estate, Thirteenth Edition; Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, Third Edition; Capitalization Theory and Techniques Study Guide. AIREA Financial Tables and The Appraiser’s Workbook are available only through the Appraisal Institute at (312) 335-4100.
Contact Hours: 36 hours + 4 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days: 1-5 8 AM – 5 PM
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA
Introduction to Appraisal Review (A360)
The review appraiser will learn about review appraisal, responsibilities and the appraisal review process through lecture, class discussion, reviewing and reporting the results of reviews. Students will:
- Study the appraisal review process and various types of review reports
- Review an appraisal using an actual URAR appraisal report
- Discuss the reviewer’s independence and avoidance of conflicting situation
Please Note: This is an advanced skill level course. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level courses.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: Appraisal of Rural Property, Second Edition; HP-12c or equivalent calculator
Contact Hours: 14 hours + 2 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days 1-2: 8 AM – 5 PM
Accreditation: This course is required for the RPRA
Appraisal Review Under USPAP (A370)
This course teaches the review appraiser how to review an appraisal report under the standards in USPAP. Coursework will consist of class discussion, examples of typical appraisal problems and case studies. The course provides:
- The requirements of USPAP for reviews
- Common errors and deficiencies
- Office building, agricultural and apartment appraisal reports and report findings
- Discussion about common misconceptions about requirements of USPAP
Please Note: This is an advanced skill level course. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level courses.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: Current USPAP; HP-12c or equivalent calculator
Contact Hours: 22 hours + 2 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days 1-3: 8 AM – 5 PM
Accreditation: This course is required for the RPRA
Appraisal Review Under UASFLA (A380)
This course provides training for the review appraiser on how to perform appraisal reviews for federal land acquisitions. Students will utilize the Yellow Book and follow the outline of Standard C – Standards for Review of Appraisals. The course material expands on pertinent discussion questions and drill problems.
Please Note: This is an advanced skill level course. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level courses.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions (UASFLA); Current Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP); HP-12c or equivalent calculator
Contact Hours: 16 hours + 4 hour exam
Course Timetable: Days 1-2: 8 AM – 5 PM; Day 3: 8 AM – 12 PM
Accreditation: This course is required for the RPRA
Advanced Appraisal Review Case Studies (A390)
This advanced level course provides the review appraiser student with experience in preparing a Commercial Appraisal Review Form, a Standard Appraisal Review Report and a Narrative Review. Students will sharpen their review skills through the solution of appraisal review case studies in order to become a more proficient reviewer. The course includes case studies representative of “real-world” review appraisals:
- Three appraisal reports, one commercial form report, one agricultural form report and one narrative report for review
- Twelve case studies for solution
Please Note: This is an advanced skill level course. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level courses.
Required Equipment & Textbooks: HP-12c or equivalent calculator
Optional Textbooks: Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions (UASFLA); Current Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP)
Contact Hours: 16 hours + 4 hour exam
Course Timetable: Day 1: 1 PM – 5 PM; Days 2-3: 8 AM – 5 PM
Accreditation: This course is required for the RPRA
Valuation of Conservation Easements and Other Partial Interests in Real Estate
This hands-on, how-to 3-day seminar addresses the generally accepted principles and procedures to value partial interests (not fractional ownership interests, but something less than the fee bundle of rights). The seminar provides an overview of the differences between conservation easements prepared under USPAP, UASFLA/Yellow Book and IRS requirements – and their application to partial estate valuations. Other partial interest examples and case studies encompass highway right-of-ways, power lines, pipelines and navigation easements that demonstrate how to solve complex valuation problems and report their results.
Contact Hours: 22 hours + 2 hour exam
Course Timetable: Day 1-3: 8 AM – 5 PM
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA
View a list of appraisers on LTA’s website by either Last Name or by State.
Advanced Appraisal Exam Preparation Course
This is an advanced course that is intended primarily to assist students in preparing for Comprehensive Exams and to assist them in entering the proper mindset for working complex appraisal problems. It is intended to be a refresher course for those that have successfully completed the required education for Accreditation. Very little time will be spent on discussing basic principles. Rather, this course will focus on working complex rural based appraisal problems and case studies and allow the students to work closely with the instructors on specific concepts and principles to solidify their understanding. The course will cover complex appraisal theory and case studies with respect to the three approaches to value, highest and best use, eminent domain, and other pertinent material.
Please Note: This is an advanced skill level course. It is assumed the student has already gained the level of knowledge and understanding that is taught in the lower level courses.
Required Equipment: HP-12c, HP-17bII or HP-19bII calculator
Contact Hours: 20 Hours
Course Timetable: Days 1-2 8 AM – 5 PM; Day 3 8 AM – Noon
Accreditation: This course is required for the ARA and the RPRA