Virginia appraisal courses, 100% online

Yes, in part. Virginia appraiser continuing education can be completed online, and Virginia law (Code of Virginia 54.1-2013.2) requires the Real Estate Appraiser Board to accept a completed Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA) program, a virtual alternative to traditional in-field experience. AQB-approved PAREA can satisfy up to 100% of the experience hours for Licensed Residential and Certified Residential credentials.

No degree is required for the Appraiser Trainee or Licensed Residential credentials. Certified Residential requires college-level education, but the options include an associate degree in a related field, 30 semester hours in specified topics, CLEP exams, or no college at all if you have held the Licensed Residential credential for at least 5 years with no disqualifying disciplinary action in the preceding 5 years. Certified General requires a bachelor's degree.

To become a Certified General appraiser in Virginia, you must complete 300 hours of qualifying education, including the 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations course, hold a bachelor's degree, and document 3,000 hours of experience gained over at least 18 months, including 1,500 hours of nonresidential work that demonstrates use and understanding of the income approach. All experience must fall within the five years before you apply. After the Board reviews your application and experience log, you must pass the licensing exam, which is 110 scored questions over 6 hours.

Virginia does not issue a separate land appraiser credential, so you follow the standard appraiser path through the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). Start with the Appraiser Trainee license: complete 83 hours of qualifying education, including the 15-hour National USPAP course, and submit a Trainee Supervisor Verification Form with your application. You then log supervised experience toward the Licensed Residential, Certified Residential, or Certified General credential; Certified General covers commercial and vacant land assignments.

Start with the Appraiser Trainee credential, which has no experience requirement. Complete 83 hours of qualifying education, including the 15-hour National USPAP course and an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course, plus an Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB)-approved supervisor/trainee course. You also need a supervising appraiser who is Virginia-certified and in good standing. Experience hours count only after you complete the courses and obtain the trainee license.

To become a real estate appraiser in Virginia, complete 83 hours of qualifying education, obtain an Appraiser Trainee license under a certified supervising appraiser, gain the required experience, and pass the licensing exam. Trainee applicants must be at least 18 years old and submit a Trainee Supervisor Verification Form; the supervisor must be a Virginia Certified Real Estate Appraiser in good standing. For Licensed Residential, you need 1,000 hours of experience in no fewer than 6 months, all within the 5 years before applying.

To become a Licensed Residential appraiser in Virginia, complete 158 hours of qualifying education, including the 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations course, and gain 1,000 hours of appraisal experience over at least 6 months under a supervising appraiser. Most applicants start with the Appraiser Trainee license, which requires 83 hours of pre-license coursework and a supervisor verification form with the application. After the Board approves your application and experience log, you must pass the licensing exam, which costs $125 through PSI.

To become a Virginia-approved appraiser, start with the Appraiser Trainee credential. You must complete 83 hours of qualifying education (including the 15-hour National USPAP course and the 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course), secure a certified supervising appraiser, and submit the Trainee License Application with the Trainee Supervisor Verification Form and the $117.50 statutory fee ($132 total with the technology fee). From there you log supervised experience and apply for the Licensed Residential, Certified Residential, or Certified General credential.

Complete 83 hours of qualifying education, including the 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course, plus a separate course on the requirements and responsibilities of supervising appraisers and trainees. Then find a Virginia Certified Real Estate Appraiser in good standing to supervise you, and file the trainee application with the Trainee Supervisor Verification Form with the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. The fee is $132: the $117.50 statutory fee plus a $7.25-per-year technology fee for the two-year license.

Look for an appraiser holding the Certified General Real Estate Appraiser credential, the only Virginia credential that covers commercial and nonresidential property. The Real Estate Appraiser Board maintains a public roster of its licensees, and a June 2026 federal compliance review counted 2,986 state-credentialed appraisers on the National Registry. Verifying the credential level before hiring matters, because licensed and certified residential appraisers cannot accept commercial assignments.