11 Different Ways to Achieve 700 USPAP-Compliant Appraisal Hours

Monday, May 19, 2025 in Ask an Instructor, Education, For Appraisers

This guide provides USPAP-compliant strategies for ISA members to earn the 700 appraisal hours required for Accredited Member status under the AQB Personal Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria (effective January 1, 2018). It outlines practical ways to gain experience through course-based reports, client work, assisting other appraisers, or volunteering. Whether you're beginning your appraisal career or pursuing the CAPP designation, these suggestions can help you meet the hour requirement efficiently.

1. You may count the hours you spend preparing and writing your Core Course appraisal report.
2. You may also count the hours spent preparing and writing your Accredited Member Course appraisal report—whether for Fine Art, AF+DA, or the Specialty and Advanced Studies Pathway.
3. You can prepare an insurance appraisal for a client, friend, or neighbor (note: appraisals for family members or your own collection do not count). The hours do not need to be billable—feel free to donate your time or accept non-monetary compensation (e.g., dinner or wine).
4. You can prepare a restricted-use appraisal report for a client, friend, or neighbor to provide current market values for their collection.
5. If you're helping with a collection sale or estate sale, you can appraise the items involved, including those your client decides to keep. (Note: pricing does not count).
6. If you work as an auction specialist, you can support your Appraisal Services department with client appraisals. You might also offer clients insurance appraisals for newly acquired items. (Note: Be transparent about which role you're serving and avoid misrepresentation. If your auction house doesn’t have an Appraisal Services department, consider proposing one!)
7. You may assist another appraiser with their assignment. This can include photographing, measuring, researching comparables, writing descriptions, and more.
8. Check the ISA Job Board for opportunities to assist on assignments or post your availability to help others on the Facebook Forum.
9. You may count USPAP-compliant oral appraisals. Consider hosting an informal event where friends or colleagues bring items for evaluation. Be sure to include a signed certification statement and follow all USPAP requirements for oral reports.
10. Consider offering your services to elderly members of your church, synagogue, or civic organization. Many enjoy sharing stories about their belongings, and you can provide valuable help with estate planning, equitable distribution, or simply offer a meaningful connection through your time and expertise.
11. Consider offering your services to local historical societies and museums that preserve a collection. They may need an insurance appraisal to make sure they are properly covered or need to know values for risk management.

Helpful Hints

• USPAP-compliant appraisal hours do not need to be billable hours. Every appraiser spends more time developing a report than they actually bill the client. You can count all hours spent on the development and reporting of an appraisal toward your 700-hour requirement. For example, if you spend 20 hours on a report but only bill 5 hours as a favor for a special client, you may still claim all 20 hours.
• Research time counts. This includes reading books about an artist you're appraising or reviewing articles, blogs, and magazines related to the market for a collection you’re valuing.
• Don’t forget to include time spent writing, editing, and formatting the appraisal report.
• We operate on the honor system, in alignment with the ISA Code of Ethics. We will not contact your clients to verify the work. However, you should complete the report and retain supporting documentation in your workfile in case of a random audit. This doesn’t mean the client is obligated to use the report—only that the work was completed and could be used if needed.

Tags

1. Fair Market Value
2. market value