1) Q. What does the Guild feel are the most essential elements to a successful appraisal career?
A. The Guild knows that experience, training, education, ethics, proper standards of methodology are certainly the most important building blocks for a successful appraisal career.

2) Q. What standards must appraisers comply with in order to produce a credible appraisal?
A. In the United States, the Appraisal Foundation, which was founded by an act of Congress, publishes each year USPAP, which is the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. Other places in the world use the International Valuation Standards. The Guild teaches both standards, depending upon the needs of the Appraiser.

3) Q. Why should I want to become a Guild accredited appraiser?
A. 1.) Recognition by the Guild as evidenced by being given a Guild professional designation is very desirable. The client often requires accreditation as it differentiates one appraiser from another. On large, accredited appraisers are just better appraisers. Guild accreditation means that the member has the training and education to be an expert in his/her field of expertise.
2.) Guild members who are in good standing may use the Guild name in their advertising. This is very helpful in attracting new clients and it gives people a sense of confidence to know that their appraiser is trained, experienced and educated.

4) Q. What Guild course work must I have to become accredited?
A. Successfully complete the courses entitled Theory of Valuation, (Valuation 301), Appraisal Methodology (Valuation 302), The Guild's Code of Ethical Behavior, (Ethics 101) within one year of being accepted into the Guild as a member. Without special arrangements having been agreed to by Guild management, failure to successfully complete these two courses within the allotted time automatically cancels a person's membership in the Guild. Successfully complete the Guild's courses on Appraisal Report Writing (Valuation 303) and USPAP, (Ethics 102) within twenty-four (24) months of membership. Without special arrangements having been agreed to by Guild management, failure to successfully complete these two courses within the allotted time automatically terminates a person's membership in the Guild.

5) Q. What are the courses like?
A. The courses are comprehensive in nature and cover a great deal of material. The Guild has designed each course to be studied, by the average person, for about thirty (30) hours before testing. Each test takes about two (2) hours and contains 50 to 100 true and false and/or multiple-choice questions.

6) Q. Where do I take the courses and where do I get tested?
A. The Guild has designed its course work for home-study and for hometown testing. With the member's help, the Guild uses a local proctor to monitor the test.

7) Q. Who qualifies to be a hometown proctor?
A. Any practicing lawyer, doctor, or teaching professional who will sign a guarantee and affidavit that the test was administered fairly and that reasonable precautions were taken to assure that the member took the test according to Guild guidelines is acceptable to the Guild. (These proctors are paid by the member a fee that usually does not exceed $35.00)