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Best Online Real Estate Schools
Our comprehensive guide to the best real estate licensing courses on the market
The first step to becoming a licensed real estate professional is completing the required pre-licensing education in your state. However, in order to do so, you will need to sign up for an accredited real estate school to complete the necessary requirements. This is where our team comes in. We’ve tested and evaluated over a dozen different online real estate schools to help you determine which one best suits your budget and learning preferences.
Why The CE Shop Is The Best Real Estate School Online
When you stack up all of the different online real estate schools our team has tested side-by-side, The CE Shop stands out as the most effective and well-rounded option. There are three key highlights to help explain this.
Diverse, Engaging Lessons
The first advantage in favor of The CE Shop is that their lessons are diverse and engaging, and do a really good job of holding your attention.
Example video lesson from The CE Shop
Unlike the lessons from a lot of other online real estate schools that only offer one type of delivery format (either text, audio, or video), The CE Shop integrates aspects of all three of those mediums into their lessons. The company includes text-based explanations, animated videos, and interactive quizzes.
You never know what’s around the corner when you click the ‘next’ button within lessons. In my opinion, this really helps keep the learning experience fresh, and boosts material retention as opposed to falling into a boring, repetitive ‘click, read, click, read’ routine.
Exam Prep Guidance
The exam prep materials from The CE Shop are also a highlight. Specifically, I’d like to highlight the company’s exam checklist and performance reports, which are super helpful.
After you complete your required pre-licensing course, and you begin studying for your national and state specific exams, the company provides a checklist for you to complete to ensure that you’re ready for test day. This helps keep you organized, and ensures you’re not taking the exam before you’re actually ready to pass.
The CE Shop helps keep your study plan focused
Then second, as part of this process, you’ll be prompted to complete various assessment exams, and while it certainly helps taking practice tests and quizzes, the company’s performance reports following these assessments are actually more valuable.
These reports offer you a comprehensive breakdown of the subjects and topics that require your attention going forward. This allows you to modify your study schedule regularly, ensuring efficient use of your time.
Affordable Pricing
Lastly, perhaps the best part about The CE Shop is that their pre-licensing courses and exam prep materials are affordable. In fact, the company’s courses are cheaper than most of their competitors.
For example, in California, the company’s most popular package (their Value bundle) costs around $265, whereas the comparable packages from AceableAgent, Allied, and Kaplan cost anywhere from $300 to $400. Therefore, you’ll likely save anywhere from $40 to $140 by going with The CE Shop for your online real estate education needs.
Plus, The CE Shop regularly offers sales and special promotions. Our team usually sees their packages discounted anywhere from 20%-30% off.
AceableAgent Is Best For People With Busy Schedules
AceableAgent is an excellent choice for individuals who lead busy lives. This includes working professionals, parents, and students. There are two main reasons why this is true.
Stellar Mobile App
For one, the company offers a fantastic mobile app, which is pretty unique in the industry. Most online real estate schools, including Colibri and The CE Shop, do not offer a mobile app.
Therefore, if you have a busy schedule, and you plan to complete lessons and study for your licensing exams during your lunch break, waiting to pick up your kids from soccer practice, or finishing household chores like dishes or laundry, then AceableAgent is an excellent choice.
Bottom line, AceableAgent makes studying super manageable and convenient.
Audio Lessons
In addition, AceableAgent’s lesson format lends itself extremely well to learning on-the-go as audio forms the foundation of their curriculum. The AceableAgent lessons are similar to podcasts.
Example audio lesson from AceableAgent
This way, you can just kick back, slip your phone in your pocket, and listen without reading anything. Plus, the narrator of the audio lessons is terrific. He does a great job of using tone, inflection, and humor to keep you entertained and engaged.
Reasonably Priced Pre-Licensing Courses
Lastly, we’d like to point out that AceableAgent’s courses are also quite affordable. In fact, their most popular package (their Deluxe bundle) is actually cheaper than The CE Shop’s in several states.
Kaplan Real Estate Offers The Best Live Instruction
While Kaplan offers self-paced courses like The CE Shop and AceableAgent, it’s their highly visual lessons and live online packages that earn them a spot on this list.
Visual Learners
The majority of Kaplan’s curriculum is presented through video lessons which feature instructors who guide you through various topics. As the instructors speak, a digital whiteboard behind them updates with notes, graphics, and examples. It’s a very engaging format that is ideal for visual learners.
Example video lesson from Kaplan
Plus, our team really appreciates the Kaplan instructors. We were expecting old-school, dull professors who read from teleprompters in a monotone voice, but that’s not the case at all. The instructors are lively and quite good at making detailed, dry material easy to grasp.
Live Real Estate Classes
Next, Kaplan is one of the few online real estate schools that offers live classes.
Their online classroom environment is incredibly conducive to learning, and as I mentioned earlier, we found the Kaplan instructors to be fantastic. They bring a lot of energy to the live sessions and excel at making detailed, tedious concepts easy to understand.
Therefore, if you prefer learning in a classroom setting where you can mix it up with your peers and ask the instructor questions on the spot, or if you need a structured schedule to stay disciplined in your studies, then Kaplan is the obvious choice. This is especially true as The CE Shop and AceableAgent do not offer live classes.
Moreover, the live classes from Kaplan are very affordable. Their live class bundle, on average, only costs only about $150 more than their self-paced, on-demand packages.
Custom Quiz Generator
One other feature we’d like to highlight with Kaplan is their custom quiz generator. After you complete the necessary pre-licensing hours for your state and you begin studying for your licensing exams, Kaplan allows you to create your own practice question sets.
The Kaplan custom quiz tool
Plus, what’s nice is that you have control over the topics, the number and types of questions, and whether you want a timer to simulate exam-like conditions. This allows you to focus and improve in specific areas where you need more practice, helping you feel confident sitting down to take the real exam.
Why Colibri Is An Excellent Choice For Real Estate Education
Colibri is similar to Kaplan is several respects. Most notably, they both offer on-demand and live class packages. However, there are three key points here we’d like to highlight that help differentiate Colibri.
Courses That Won’t Break The Bank
First, the Colibri courses are more affordable than Kaplan’s for most states. For example, in California, Colibri’s most popular on-demand package costs around $225, whereas the comparable course from Kaplan comes in closer to $280.
Text-Based Lessons
Next, Colibri’s on-demand lessons are text-based as opposed to video-based like Kaplan’s.
Example lesson from Colibri
As such, if you prefer learning via reading as opposed to watching and listening, Colibri is the more ideal choice.
Attractive Pass Guarantee
Lastly, Colibri provides a more appealing pass guarantee. Essentially, if you purchase one of Colibri’s courses, complete all the required pre-licensing hours and exam preparation materials, and then fail your licensing exam within one month of finishing the course, Colibri will refund your money.
In contrast, Kaplan offers only a Pass Protection Retake Policy, which is obviously not as ideal in case you fail your exam.
Even with those advantages, we still think of Colibri as a slightly cheaper alternative to Kaplan. There is a lot of overlap between the two companies, but the Colibri courses overall are just not quite as engaging or effective as Kaplan’s.
If you have completed your required pre-licensing education elsewhere and you’re simply looking for some last minute help to ensure you pass your state licensing exam on the first attempt, PrepAgent is an excellent choice.
Helpful Study Materials
PrepAgent gives you everything you could possibly need to study for your national and state licensing exams. These study materials include:
Thousands of practice questions
Animated videos
Interactive flashcards
eBooks
Vocabulary cheat sheets
Live online webinars
Plus, the best part is that PrepAgent’s packages are cheap. You can get the whole study bundle for less than $80.
Example practice question from PrepAgent
Bottom line, if you need a little boost so you can walk into the exam feeling confident, and not have to worry about retaking the exam multiple times, PrepAgent is your ticket.
Verdict: Which Online Real Estate School Should You Choose?
The quick answer to the question which school to use is that it depends (mostly on your needs and what type of learner you are).
If you’re not a self-starter and you need the accountability that comes along with live classes, Kaplan would be our team’s pick.
Or, if you’re a busy person and you need the ability to complete lessons and study on the go, AceableAgent is clearly the way to go.
Alternatively, if you’ve already completed your pre-licensing education and you only need assistance with exam prep, then PrepAgent is an excellent choice.
However, if you are simply looking for the best real estate pre-licensing course and exam prep materials, and you don’t want to break the bank, The CE Shop is your answer. They offer the most well-rounded and engaging courses in my opinion. Plus, their courses are cheaper than most competitors.
A real estate school is an institution or program that provides education and training to help you become a licensed real estate professional (salesperson or broker). Real estate schools educate students on the most up-to-date regulatory practices in your state.
What do you learn in real estate school?
Real estate curriculum varies by state and the specific license you are trying to achieve. Generally speaking though, common subjects taught in real estate school include law, finance, property management, appraisal, marketing, and sales.
How long is real estate school?
The length of real estate school varies by state. Each state has their own requirements related to pre-licensing education. For example, in California, you are required to complete 135 hours of training and education. However, in Florida, you only need to complete 63 hours of training.
How hard is real estate school?
Real estate school is considered to be fairly difficult. However, the level of difficulty depends on several factors, including your background, knowledge of real estate, your ability to grasp intricate concepts, your study habits, and the specific requirements of your state licensing exam.
How much does real estate school cost?
The cost of real estate school varies greatly by state. In most cases, expect to pay anywhere from $200 to $700 to complete the necessary pre-licensing requirements in your state. For example, in California, the average cost of real estate school is around $300.
How to prepare for real estate school?
The best way to prepare for real estate school is to familiarize yourself with the curriculum and course materials for the real estate school you’ve chosen. From there, be sure to create a study plan that allows you to properly allocate time for your real estate coursework within your busy schedule.
