• Who we Are

      Appraisal Course Associates (ACA) is a partnership between Bill Novotny, ISA AM and Dave Maloney, AOA CM established to provide comprehensive courses in personal property valuation theory, principles, methodology, report writing and standards.

      A full-time appraiser since 1993, Bill Novotny is an AQB-Certified USPAP Instructor who has been teaching courses in appraisal theory, methodology and USPAP since 1997. He is author and instructor of ACA's Online USPAP Update Course.

      Dave Maloney is a veteran course writer, author and instructor. Appraising since 1981, he is author of Appraising Personal Property: Principles and Methodology. He is also author and instructor of the Complete Online Course in Personal Property Appraising.

      What we Do

      We are proud to provide online quality core appraisal courses as well as continuing education USPAP update courses for professional personal property appraisers.

      • The (now FREE!) 2024+ Complete Online Course in Personal Property Appraising provides the individual seeking to become an appraiser with the most comprehensive and up-to-date course available in core valuation principles and methodology. (...more)

      • ACA's Online USPAP Update Courses allow appraisers to fulfill their requirements to stay current with biennial changes made to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) (...more).

      ACA online courses offer the appraiser an opportunity to learn from the comfort, privacy and convenience of home or office through our easy-to-use Web-based content
    • Enrollment Instructions Page
    • Your Obligation to Become Fully Trained Page
    • Course Outline Page

Available courses

FREE 2024+ Complete Online Course in Personal Property Appraising (Featuring USPAP)

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The FREE 2024+ Complete Online Course in Personal Property Appraising (Featuring USPAP) has been effective since Jan 1, 2024, and will remain in effect until the next substantial change to USPAP, at which time this course will be updated. There is no cost for this course, with the exception two required course books: Appraising Personal Property: Principles & Methodology 10th Edition by Dave Maloney, and The Appraisal Foundation's 2024 Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).

This course uses a series of thirteen Lessons, each consisting of a series of reading assignments each of which is followed by complimentary video reviews to enhance the learning experience.

This course is an extensive and unique course which addresses the core knowledge necessary for the professional personal property appraiser who is seeking competency in appraisal theory, principles, methodology and report writing skills in order to practice at the highest standards of ethics and performance.

Some of the areas covered in this course include: the duties of a professional appraiser; types of appraisals and their intended uses (donation, insurance, estate, liquidation, etc.); the "Appraisal Process"; identifying the appraisal problem; approaches to value; value types and their definitions; selection of the most appropriate market to research; Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice; tax regulations regarding federally-related appraisals for donation, gift, inheritance and estate purposes; research techniques; ethics; running an appraisal business; working with the client; constructing an appraisal report; and a brief review of prominent court cases such as Anselmo, O'Keeffe, Sammons, Querbach and Goldman which address key issues relating to appraising including appropriate market from which to acquire comparable sales data, valuing contraband, malpractice, fraud, clear title, fair market value, blockage discounts, USPAP, etc. 

While all parts of this course are optional, those completing the ten Lesson quizzes, the two exams and the submission of a final appraisal report for review and approval can qualify for a Certificate of Course Completion.

Though this course can be completed in six months, students have access to it for an indefinite length of time. Click here to view the entire course outline.