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The National Association of REALTORS® awards two appraisal designations:
- RAA - Residential Accredited Appraiser
- GAA - General Accredited Appraiser
These are the only appraisal designations with the strength and tradition of the REALTOR® name. Appraisers may obtain both designations.
The program was approved by NAR's Board of Directors at the 1993 REALTORS® Conference. The first designations were awarded at the 1994 Midyear Meeting with approximately 1,000 members maintaining one or both designations.
RAA and GAA Designation Criteria
Membership in the National Association of REALTORS®
You must be an active member of the National Association of REALTORS®. This includes membership with the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), Commercial Real Estate Institute (CCIM), REALTORS® Land Institute (RLI), Society of Industrial and Office REALTORS® (SIOR), and the Counselors of Real Estate (CRE).
Read more about how to become a member of NAR.
State Certification
State Certified Residential or General Appraiser for RAA designation, and a State General Appraiser for the GAA designation. (For those few states in which the Certified Residential classification is unavailable, the requirement is State Licensed for the RAA designation.)
Experience
A minimum of 1,000 hours experience in addition to the experience required to obtain state certification.
Education
Tested education: 45 hours for the RAA or 60 hours for the GAA of tested course work in addition to the Appraiser Qualification Board's education requirement at the time of certification.
Fees
A one-time application fee of $100 per designation (which includes a non-refundable processing fee of $25), PLUS the quarterly prorated amount of the $100 annual maintenance fee for each designation, as listed below:
- First Quarter (January - March): $100
- Second Quarter (April - June): $75
- Third Quarter (July - September): $50
- Fourth Quarter (October - December): $25
For ensuing years, the fee is $100 annually for designation maintenance.
Apply for the RAA and GAA Designations
Access the Appraisal Designation Applicationpdf (PDF: 376 KB) or the Fast Track Applicationpdf (PDF: 816 KB) to begin the designation process.
For questions regarding the RAA/GAA designation requirements please contact the NAR Appraisal Group at 800-874-6500 x8267 or appraisal@nar.realtor.