Background and History

A real estate appraisal is a service performed, that has to be performed by a licensed appraiser in that state, who develops an opinion of value based upon the highest and best use of real property. The highest and best use is that use which produces the most probable value for the property. This use is based on 4 parts; physically possible, appropriate, legal and economically feasible. Also of importance is the definition of the type of value being developed and this must be included in the appraisal, ie market value, condemnation value, quick sale value, etc. For improved residential property, this value is most often reported on a standardized form, the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report.

In the USA minimum appraisal standards and appraiser qualifications are the province of The Appraisal Foundation which is chartered by Congress. Through one of its boards, The Appraisal Standards Board (ASB), it periodically publishes the Uniform Standard of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). USPAP provides the minimum development and reporting standards an appraiser/appraisal report must meet. The Appraisal Foundation is also responsible for setting the minimum qualifications for appraiser licensure/certification through its other board, The Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB). The AQB is responsible for establishing the minimum education, examination, and experience requirements for licensed/certified appraisers. Effective January 1, 2008, the requirements to become a state licensed or certified real property appraiser will significantly increase. State licensing was established in the early 1990s in the wake of the Savings and Loan "crisis".

The implementation of licensure and enforcement are state functions. In addition, there are appraisal organizations, private not-for-profits, some of which date back to the Great Depression of the 1930s, such as the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, founded in 1929. Others were founded as needed and opportunity arose in specialized fields, such as the Appraisal Institute and the American Society of Appraisers (founded in the 1930s) and the International Right of Way Association and the National Association of Realtors (after World War II). These organizations all existed to establish and enforce standards, but their influence has waned as the government increases appraisal regulation.