Appraisal Institute Membership

As rapidly as the profession is changing, appraisers today need to prepare for the future. But it’s tough to keep up on your own. With the Appraisal Institute, your membership opens the door for you to share in the collective wisdom and experience of more than 22,000 members who are working together to build a stronger future for the profession. The Appraisal Institute has the reputation, technology, education, publications, communications and representation to help you build marketing advantages for your career and business. Consider what membership in the Appraisal Institute can do for you:

Affiliate Membership is open to individuals who are interested in the Appraisal Institute and the appraisal profession, but are not performing any work governed by the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). This membership program is best suited for lenders, developers, attorneys, vendors, or professionals in a real estate related business.

Associate Membership is open to appraisers who are performing work governed by the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), and may be pursuing the Appraisal Institute’s prestigious MAI and SRA designations. As an associate member of the Appraisal Institute, you demonstrate to your clients that you are educating yourself beyond the level necessary for state certification—you are on your way to reaching the pinnacle of the valuation profession.

Designated Membership: Obtaining the MAI or SRA designation of the Appraisal Institute will elevate you into the upper echelon of valuation experts. These designations have long been recognized by courts of law, governmental agencies, financial institutions and investors as marks of excellence in the field of real estate valuation and analysis. With an MAI or SRA behind your name, you will be immediately recognized for your knowledge, experience and integrity.

Join Today!

To join, simply fill out an associate or affiliate membership form and submit it via fax, mail or electronically.

If you have more questions please call Associate & Prospective Member Services at 312-335-4111 or ptsietineaage.r@ptsrlrovopitpcaius

Appraisal Institute Membership Benefits

By becoming a member of the Appraisal Institute, you will continue to grow as a professional while enjoying benefits and privileges available only to members including:

Find an Appraiser: Individuals looking for qualified appraisers can quickly find them by using the Find an Appraiser search utility that references a database of Appraisal Institute designated and associate members. Searches may be performed using various geographic and practice area criteria. Members can also use Find an Appraiser to network with other members.

The Appraisal Journal: Complimentary online or printed copies of The Appraisal Journal. No other resource gives you hands-on information you can use today to enhance your business. 1000 pages each year written by leading practitioners in the appraisal profession.

Lum Library One of the most valuable resources for members. An extensive virtual library, available 24/7, with thousands of articles, chapters, and other resources to select from. Having trouble finding the document you need? Lum Library staff is available to help you at no charge.

92 Chapters Membership in the Appraisal Institute offers local affiliations for networking and personal one-on-one relationships. Meet your peers, develop life-long connections, and grow your business through referrals.

Appraisal Institute's Ethics & Counseling Hotline Use this free service to help you with questions about USPAP issues regarding professional practice, and much more.

MAI and SRA Designations Need a way to differentiate and distinguish yourself in this highly competitive marketplace? The Appraisal Institute offers the most prestigious designations in the appraisal profession.

Special Service Centers Access our dedicated Service Centers, staffed with counselors to help you determine the education path that's best for you, support you through the designation progress, and much more.

Representation in Washington, DC The Appraisal Institute is the only appraisal association to maintain its own government affairs office. Every day, the staff is hard at work on legislation that matters to you and your business.

Model Engagement Letters The Appraisal Institute is pleased to offer its members a resource for drafting engagement contracts. Sample agreements for services—both long and short forms along with supplementary and explanatory materials—are available for download on the members-only side of the Appraisal Institute’s Web site. These documents have been developed to guide members and their clients in drafting their own agreements or evaluating those provided by others. Developed by a joint member/staff project team, these model engagement contracts provide examples of language that can be used for appraisal assignments. They can also be easily edited to accommodate appraisal review, appraisal consulting or other types of assignments.

Discounts on Online Education The Appraisal Institute offers 40 qualifying and continuing education courses with state certification approvals in 48 states. Up to a 20% discount for members.

Discounts on the highest quality Classroom Education Learn and grow with Appraisal Institute-developed content and the expert instruction of highly skilled educators. The Institute provides 34 unique courses and seminars, with 60 national offerings and more than 1,000 opportunities to attend through chapters.

Discounts on all Appraisal Institute Books Select from more than 60 titles on the most current topics at a 20% discount.

The Site To Do Business subscription is an online source of comprehensive real estate information and applications. STDB features an integrated market analysis system that combines demographic information, mapping technology and reporting tools used in appraisal and consulting assignments. Other features include market-analysis templates for multifamily, retail, office and industrial properties as well as access to flood maps, aerial photography and more. For an annual subscription of $350, STDB puts critical and reliable information in one easy location – information that you’d probably have to spend time locating in a variety of sources otherwise.

Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice Appraisal Institute Members are entitled to receive one free printed copy of the current edition of the Standards from the Appraisal Institute. Appraisal Institute Members may call 312-335-4469 or email priatueupt@npspssg.laratoiai to request their free copy of the current Standards. The Standards set forth requirements for developing and reporting appraisal, appraisal review, and appraisal consulting analyses, opinions, and conclusions.

USPAP also includes ten (10) Statements on Appraisal Standards which clarify, interpret, explain, or elaborate on a Standards Rule and which have the full weight of a Standards Rule and twenty three (23) Advisory Opinions which illustrate the applicability of appraisal standards in specific situations and offer advice from the Appraisal Standards Board for the resolution of appraisal issues and problems. Advisory Opinions do not establish or interpret existing standards. The current edition of USPAP is posted on The Appraisal Foundation’s Web site, www.appraisalfoundation.org.

National Collateral Database The National Collateral Database (NCD) is the national Web-based source of non-confidential residential property data. The National Collateral Database is the successor to California Market Data Cooperative, a successful 20-year collaboration among lenders and appraisers to share data. Access the National Collateral Database through Data Express, an easy to use data research tool which allows the user to save data as a PDF or an AI ReadyTM file (ENV file). With Data Express, users can view five years of the property’s transaction history, search and select comps and download property and plat maps into a report. Appraisal Institute members receive a 10% discount on all subscription plans.

Real Estate Research Corporation (RERC) Real Estate Research Corporation was one of the first -- and continues to be one of the most recognized -- commercial real estate research, valuation, and consulting firms in the nation. For the past 70+ years, the company has produced research, publications, market studies, property valuations, investment criteria, and trends analyses. RERC now offers Appraisal Institute members a free issue of the current RERC Real Estate Report and a 20% discount on subscriptions to the print or electronic quarterly publication.

eTrac Appraisal Office Management Software eTrac is multi-faceted software that allows complete virtual management of an appraisal business. It receives, tracks, notifies, and connects clients, staff, and appraisers in real time 24/7. eTrac is offering Appraisal Institute members a 15 percent discount on their software package.

Liability Insurance Administrators (LIA) Errors and Omissions Insurance For information regarding the Appraisers Liability Insurance Program contact: http://www.liability.com/.
Liability Insurance Administrators (LIA) P.O. Box 1319, Santa Barbara, CA 93102 (800) 334-0652

JurisPro Online Expert Witness Directory JurisPro is an online directory for attorneys to search for expert witnesses to retain on legal cases. Users set up a profile that includes a biography, a picture, an option to record the user's voice, as well as a webpage, background and a CV, which resembles a full resume. JurisPro is offering Appraisal Institute members a 10 percent discount on their services.

The Appraisal Institute MasterCard^® The Appraisal Institute and Bank of America offer you a no annual fee Bank of America World Points MasterCard® credit card. Designed especially for Appraisal Institute members, this special card offers a low introductory annual percentage rate and a credit line up to $100,000. Earn points every time you make a purchase, and then redeem them for cash, travel, brand-name merchandise, or gift certificates from top retailers. Carry the only credit card that features the Appraisal Institute logo and that helps support your association’s programs and initiatives at no additional cost to you.

Avis Car Rental Program Car rental discounts range from 5 percent to 20 percent for Appraisal Institute members.

Hertz Car Rental Program Hertz offers our members special year-round discounts on daily, weekly, weekend and monthly rentals for business or pleasure; traveling in the U.S. or worldwide.

Framing Success Framing Success is offering Appraisal Institute members 20% off custom designed frames to display membership and designation certificates. The frames come in four different designs and all have single mattes with the Appraisal Institute logo stamped with silver foil. The frames arrive fully assembled allowing you to slip your certificate into the frame with ease. There is no need to send in your certificate! Frames come in sizes to fit both designation and membership certificates.