If you have made the choice to get your real estate license, the first step is to decide which real estate school you should go with to complete your pre-licensing education. But with so many different real estate schools to choose from (online and in-person), how do you make up your mind? In this article, we match up two popular choices, Real Estate U and The CE Shop, to see which one is better.
Given that this is a lengthy, detailed comparison, we’ve included jump-to links above for your convenience.
In the above video, team member John breaks down our thoughts on how these two online real estate schools stack up. Please continue reading for more detail.
Rather than bore you with a general overview of each real estate school, instead I am going to focus on the major differences between the two, and where I see each company having an advantage over the other. With that in mind, let’s start with The CE Shop – I have them winning in six key categories.
The CE Shop lessons are just flat out more engaging and entertaining than the lessons from Real Estate U, and that’s because The CE Shop incorporates multiple different delivery methods in their instruction (similar to Kaplan Real Estate).
The company does a great job varying the content between text, animated videos, and interactive quizzes. In my opinion, this varied approach to learning really helps capture your attention and transform otherwise dull content into something engaging.
This is somewhat related to my last point, but because they use animated videos within their lessons, there’s no question that The CE Shop is the more ideal choice for visual learners.
With Real Estate U, there is no video whatsoever, it’s all text and audio. Long story short, if you learn best through visual means as opposed to reading or listening, and you need graphics and visual elements to really hammer home key concepts, then The CE Shop should be a good match for your learning style.
Next, let’s consider the advantage of cost with The CE Shop. While pricing for both companies varies depending on the state and the number of credit hours required, The CE Shop’s courses generally appear to be more budget-friendly compared to Real Estate U’s.
For instance, in California, The CE Shop’s standard package is priced around $210, whereas a similar course from Real Estate U costs approximately $275. Thus, using California as an example, opting for The CE Shop could mean savings ranging from $50 to $70.
I just think The CE Shop offers the better user experience overall. Sure, The CE Shop’s custom Leap 2.0 learning platform definitely plays a part in that, but I’m more so referring to how Real Estate U restricts your pace of learning.
They impose a timer on each page, so even if you finish reading in four minutes, you’re forced to wait another 6 to 8 minutes in some instances before advancing, which can become incredibly frustrating.
On the other hand, with The CE Shop, you don’t have this issue. Once you finish watching a video or reading the text portion of a lesson, you can move on immediately, making progress toward your goal without unnecessary delays (like with AceableAgent).
Therefore, purely from the perspective of avoiding annoyance, I strongly recommend The CE Shop over Real Estate U (same story with Colibri Real Estate).
The CE Shop offers a pass guarantee for most states, meaning if you fail your licensing exam, the company will reimburse you for the cost of the initial exam (typically $60 to $80).
Now Real Estate U, on the other hand, does not offer any sort of pass guarantee. They only offer a 30 day refund policy following your purchase.
The CE Shop simply covers more states than Real Estate U. Last I checked, Real Estate U offers pre-licensing courses for 14 states, whereas The CE Shop covers almost the entire US map with over 45 states.
Therefore, before proceeding, it’s advisable to verify if Real Estate U offers pre-licensing courses for your state.
➡️Want more detail? Read our full CE Shop review
Now that you have a better understanding of what The CE Shop brings to the table, let’s switch gears and discuss the advantages of going with Real Estate U to complete your pre-licensing education.
First, sort of the inverse of The CE Shop, Real Estate U is the better choice for auditory learners given that the bulk of their instruction is delivered by audio narration.
As you click into a lesson, you’ll be greeted by a long, daunting block of text. However, rather than reading, you’re given the choice to listen to a narrator read the text to you instead (almost as if you’re listening to a podcast).
That way, you can simply slip your phone in your pocket and make progress while you’re doing other things like laundry, or walking on the treadmill.
While I’m not a big fan of how Real Estate U dictates how quickly you can complete lessons, I do have to say I like their downloadable materials.
The company offers a variety of downloadable infographics packed with essential information. Additionally, they provide a digital e-book accessible on your phone or downloadable for printing.
This allows traditional learners to print the e-book for convenient, on-the-go study sessions.
Lastly, I really like Real Estate U’s exam prep materials, which are sort of like Cliff Notes. Essentially, think of Real Estate U’s prep materials as the study guides we used as kids to avoid reading assigned books.
The company effectively condenses essential information into highly digestible bullet points, making it easy to grasp key concepts by section.
For example, in Florida, Real Estate U knows there will be 3 questions regarding Violations of License, Penalties, and Procedures, and summarizes the key points to remember in order to answer those 3 questions.
This allows you to quickly review the most crucial information as a refresher when your state licensing exam approaches.
➡️Also Worth Reading: Real Estate U vs Colibri
Well, after using and reviewing both company’s courses, there’s no question in my mind that The CE Shop is the superior choice.
Sure, Real Estate U scores points for their downloadable materials and Cliff Notes style exam prep materials, but other than that, I pretty much have The CE Shop winning across the board.
Their lessons are more engaging, I love their use of animated videos, they offer a better overall user experience, as well as a more attractive pass guarantee. Plus, let’s not forget that their courses are actually slightly more affordable than Real Estate U’s.
For those reasons, I highly recommend going with the CE Shop over Real Estate U for your real estate education.
➡️READ NEXT: The CE Shop vs AceableAgent
Lesson format is likely the biggest difference between these two online real estate schools. The CE Shop delivers their instruction through text and video, whereas Real Estate U lessons are audio-based.
After review the pre-licensing courses and exam prep materials from both companies, our team believes The CE Shop is better. Read our full comparison to find out why.
No, the pre-licensing courses from The CE Shop are actually cheaper than those from Real Estate U, on average. Though keep in mind, pricing does vary by state.