All real estate appraisers need experience hours in order to upgrade their license.  This is a requirement per the Appraisal Qualification Board (AQB) and by individual states.

In order to show that an appraiser has obtained the necessary experience hours, their hours must be documented on the appropriate forms required by their state.  The process is fairly straightforward, however, it can be a cumbersome.

How to log appraiser hours?

How is the Logging of Appraisal Experience Hours Done?

Many real estate appraisers track their hours on hand written notes, that are then typed to an Excel spreadsheet log.  When the appraiser is ready to complete their state’s forms, they copy the hours from their spreadsheet to the appropriate forms.

An alternative is to track hours directly in the AQB Experience Application and Logs tool available for download from their website.  This ensures that the appraiser tracks all of the necessary fields of information directly in the Experience Application and Logs file on your computer.

What is your process for tracking hours?

There is Another Option for Logging Experience Hours in California

Appraisers who work in California can utilize an online service called Log My Appraiser Hours.  This service allows the Californian appraiser to log their hours directly into their LMAH account by filling in the necessary fields that California requires.  Then LMAH creates the California forms REA 3003 and REA 3004 when the appraiser is ready to submit.

The benefits of a service like Log My Appraiser Hours, is that there is no need to keep notes of each job.  The appraiser logs their hours directly into the website from a computer, tablet, or smartphone.  Additionally, there is no need to transfer information to any forms, because REA 3003 and REA 3004 are created automatically.

The drawback is that Log My Appraiser Hours is currently only available for California appraisers.  Appraiser Sidekick is an affiliate for Log My Appraiser Hours, so if you would like this service developed for your state, please let us know in the comment section below.

If you are in California, you can use our affiliate link to try Log My Appraiser Hours for free for 10 days:  Log My Appraiser Hours 10 day free trial.

Final Thoughts on Logging Appraisal Hours

Logging experience hours is required for upgrading a real estate appraisal license.  There are several methods to tracking experience hours in order to document them on the state’s appraisal log.

A service like Log My Appraiser Hours aims to make the process of logging experience hours easier, but it is only available for California at this point.

Upgrading an appraiser license requires a lot of education and a significant amount of experience.  Unfortunately, logging experience hours can be an unwelcome tedious task.  Let us know your process and suggestions for making this task easier in the comment section below.