Each state has their own rules for the issuance of appraisers licenses, as far as the number of hours of education (Illinois required 75 hours of classroom education and a state test). Often you can take these classes through a local community college, that's the cheapest way to go, although it can take a while because you can probably only take one class per semester, and in Illinois that was three classes, it would have taken a year, and that would have had to include summer school! So what I did was a internet search for "licensed real estate appraiser education" and I found a great school that did accelerated courses. It was intense, kind of like new-hire ground school, there's lots of new info thrown at you, but it's logical information that makes sense, and if you pay attention in class you won't have a problem. The education is broken up into three seperate classes, a total of 10 days of class (75 hours). It was set up so that you could take classes every Sat and Sun for 5 weekends. The cost for all three classes was about $1000, plus the licensing and testing fees (another $70). Again, every state does things a little different, but I found all my information by doing MSN internet searches.
I did really like the classes though, it was something new. Appraising requires a lot of the same skills as flying, (logic, critical thinking, decision making, attention to detail) I think it's a great second career for a pilot. I'd been with the airlines for 7 years, and it was kind of nice to learn something a little different!