Want to get your real estate salesperson or broker license, but don't want to go to a physical school? Check out our top 10 online real estate schools!
Industry Insights New Agents
So you want to be a real estate agent? Great choice! Welcome to the fast-paced, sometimes frustrating but always rewarding world of real estate.
However, in this crazy year, it may feel that any kind of learning needs to be put on hold, thanks to Covid-19.
Thankfully, that’s not the case with real estate. Thanks to e-learning, you can look forward to an engaging and fruitful pre-licensing journey despite the quarantine.
There are plenty of high-quality real estate schools that can help you get all of your real estate education that will prepare you for your real estate exam.
In this article, we’ll take a look at 10 superb real estate schools.
Most schools offer seasonal discounts, so keep that in mind when noting the prices below.
With all that out of the way, let’s begin!
Kaplan Real Estate Education
Pre-Licensing: CA: $179 ~ $749 | NY: $379 ~ $909 | NM: $809 ~ $959
Continuing Education: ✅
Standout Features: Variety of learning tools like OnDemand Review courses, Live Online Classroom courses, and Textbook Home Study courses (availability depending on the state)
Available in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.
Kaplan is by and large a pioneer in the “test prep” business, as well as online education and licensing industry, having formed partnerships with more than 1,000 school districts, colleges, and universities, and over 10,000 businesses and corporations.
They’re one of the leading firms to innovate course design and instruction delivery through “learning engineering” and that’s reflected in the number of learning tools they provide students.
- OnDemand Instruction provides pre-recorded video courses.
- Online Instruction provides self-paced interactive content.
- Live Online instruction takes place in a virtual classroom setting.
- Home Study provides complete independent learning through PDF instruction.
The most expensive package includes an Interactive Study Group (live webinar), exam prep, drill, and practice QBank, real estate terms, and definitions according to state, bi-monthly career Mentor live online conferences.
Finally, there’s Real Estate Accelerator, which is a live online 8-hour intensive course, on top of eight weeks of professional coaching to help launch your career.
This school is good for:
- Students who want to take advantage of the Interactive Study Group.
- Students who want to take advantage of the career mentor and Real Estate Accelerator to hit the ground running.
- Students who want a lot of options when it comes to their learning experience.
AceableAgent
Prelicensing: CA: $117 | NY: $373 | TX: $677
Continuing Education: ✅ (Texas Only)
Standout Features: Ace the Test Money-Back Guarantee and AceableAgent App
Available in the following states: California, Colorado (Kaplan Partnership), Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee (Kaplan Partnership), Virginia
AceableAgent is a crowd favorite in the states where it’s available, as it’s the first real estate education provider that was designed specifically for the mobile app and web environment.
Click the button below to learn more about pricing.
While the learning tools are not as extensive as, say, Kaplan, it’s a great option for the many who enter the industry that are still working one or two other jobs or even attending school.
Through the AceableAgent app, students can complete the entire course through their smartphones, tablets, and computers, and can even take their final exams online in most states.
The school does boast a TREC pass rate of 79%, and a 93% in-course first-time pass rate. The Ace the Test Guarantee even provides a re-enrollment into the course at no cost for a total of 3 retakes.
If you still fail, you get 100% of your money back.
This school is good for:
- Students who want an optimized mobile learning experience.
- Students who want a safety net for multiple retakes.
Real Estate Express
Prelicensing: CA: $117 ~ $449 | NY: $245 ~ $474 | SC: $600 ~ $815
Continuing Education: ✅ (McKissock Learning)
Standout Features: Prep for Success, Instructor Q&A, Pass or Don’t Pay Guarantee
Available in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington
Real Estate Express has been ranked #1 school for online real estate education, having spent 20 years perfecting their courses and training over 350,000 agents throughout more than 30 states.
They provided course work, exam preparation, and professional development using digital and tactile learning tools as well as intensive real estate coaching.
The most expensive package includes the course material, digital flashcards, printed textbooks, progress, final, and custom exams, exam preparation and cram video, and 40 hours per month of Instructor Q&A with veterans of the industry who have 80 years worth of collective real estate knowledge.
The package also includes membership to Prep for Success, which contains the following:
- A subscription to the Weekly Express newsletter
- Access to Social Express – a done-for-you social media tool that creates daily content for your audience to help build your sphere as you get your license.
Finally, you’re given a 1-year Professional Development membership, with access to webinars, checklists, and videos from top producers on topics like lead generation, listing presentations, negotiation, and more.
This school is good for:
- Students want to take advantage of the Instructor Q&A
- Students who want to take advantage of Prep for Success – an exclusive newsletter is great, but Social Express is a great way to hit the ground running and build a swipe file for your future content as a business owner
- Students who want to take advantage of the Professional Development membership
The CE Shop
Prelicensing: CA: $129 ~ $239 | NY: $325 ~ $829 | DE: $779 ~ $955
Continuing Education: ✅
Standout Features: Exam Prep Edge, Pass or Don’t Pay Guarantee
Available in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington
The CE Shop has received multiple awards, including the Education Award from Arello, International E-Learning Award from IELA, Online Education Program of the Year by REEA, and ranked #9 on the Denver Business Journal’s Fast 50: Denver’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies.
They aim to provide an “enhanced study experience” through their proprietary cross-platform software Exam Prep Edge, which is included in all packages.
After completing the course material, students can log into the dashboard where an initial assessment reports their readiness for the exam and areas of weakness.
The report determines the ‘custom’ curriculum of interactive, audio-visual content that gives students an extra edge when preparing for their exam.
The most expensive package includes Exam Prep Edge, unlimited practice exams, business building courses, and post-licensing 45-hour renewal.
This school is good for:
- Students who want their learning experience to specifically target their weaknesses
- Students who want to take advantage of Exam Prep Edge
- Students who want free renewal
- Students who want to take advantage of the business-building courses
360training – Agent Campus
Prelicensing: CA: $100 ~ $160 | NY: $139 ~ $199 | TX: $299 ~ $634
Continuing Education: ✅
Standout Features: Exam Prep, 360training system
Available in the following states: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Montana, New York, Texas, Virginia, Washington
Launched in 1997, 360training has served more than 4 million users worldwide across multiple industries through their subsidiary brands: OSHAcampus, Learn2Serve, Meditec, and Agent Campus, which we’ll discuss in this article.
The learning platform for Agent Campus is built by the hands that have served over 4,000 businesses in multiple industries by providing a customized learning experience.
Course material is delivered through interactive content on their platform.
Exam Prep (included in the Premium package) provides condensed study guides that focus on the material covered in the exam.
Their unlimited practice exams have a feature that explains the concept behind the correct answer – so regardless of how the question is phrased, you’ll have acquired the mental model to answer it.
The most expensive package includes Exam Prep and a free 3-hour course on client communications with a certificate.
Exam Prep provides condensed study material that covers the most important exam topics and practice questions based on the actual exam.
This school is good for:
- Students who want an engaging course
- Students who want to take advantage of the free Client Communications course
- Students who want to experience a robust learning management system
CompuCram
Exam Prep: $49 ~ $99
Standout Features: 100% Money Back Guarantee (you pass or it’s free), straightforward exam preparation, dashboard
Available in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia
CompuCram is “the only complete exam prep system” used by more than 300,000 students for over 40 years of service in the industries of appraisal, insurance, mortgage, and real estate.
CompuCram is as straightforward as it gets, so it’s the perfect option for students who just want to feel confident about passing the exam the first time.
The program begins with a pre-assessment. Upon completion, students proceed to the dashboard to review what areas need improvement. It’s also the first look at the Readiness Indicator – a visual and dynamic gauge that reports a student’s ability to pass the exam.
Vocabulary is considered here as the foundation for the rest of the students’ learning experience. They study through the use of flashcards, fill in the blanks, and matching.
After that, it’s a matter of taking the practice exam over and over again (you can take it unlimited times), where students can mark questions for further review and study the questions’ rationale until the Readiness Indicator gets “full.”
Finally, the simulated exam has the same time limit and number of questions as the official exam.
This school is good for:
- Students who just really want to pass the exam
- Students who learn best by test
- Students who want a basic and straightforward learning experience
Keller Williams Real Estate Schools
Prelicensing: $399 ~ $599
Continuing Education: ✅
Standout Features: 100% Reimbursement for future Keller Williams agents, 1-Day Test Prep, Concierge
Available in the following states: California
Although Keller Williams Real Estate Schools began in 2013, most of us will easily recognize their brand – not only as a megafirm but also as a recognized training and coaching facility where many top producers get their break.
There are two prelicensing packages: Fast Track and Group Study.
Fast Track offers independent study, which basically means a set of digital or printed (for an additional fee) textbooks, while Group offers live weekly classes taught by an agent-instructor.
Both packages provide access to the Student portal where students can access their dashboard, quizzes, and exams, webinars (for group students), courses, schedule and RSVP, DRE application as well as support.
The school’s concierge assists students from the onboarding process up until they begin their career, even helping students choose the right brokerage.
If a student decides to become a Keller Williams agent after getting their license, they get 100% reimbursement from their first closing.
1-Day Prep is also included in both packages, which is an intensive crash course taught through online study tools and weekly unlimited live prep classes.
This school is good for:
- Students who want to take advantage of having access to KW agent-instructors
- Students who are considering joining a Keller Williams brokerage
- Students who learn best when they can ask questions and get feedback
OnlineEd
Prelicensing: CA: $204 ~ $264 | OR: $439 | WA: $225
Continuing Education: ✅
Standout Features: Read-along audio, Exam Prep Textbook, Test Simulator
Available in the following states: Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, Washington
OnlineEd is another veteran company in the online learning space, has provided real estate education since 1998. They also provide contracting license training, insurance pre-licensing education, and other professional development courses and designations.
OnlineEd’s LMS breaks up course material into individual pages each with a specific activity for the student to partake in – reading, watching a video, answering questions, and reviewing answers.
There’s a progress bar at the top that can also be clicked to open a course map, and all progress is automatically saved to the cloud.
Once students complete the material, they go through the Test Simulator, which mirrors the real exam- a feature which is always appreciated when students want to feel more confident
The Exam Prep Textbook and Read-Along Audio are optional add-ons to the course package.
The textbook is 311 pages of notes that cover topics that are frequently covered during the exam and practice questions similar to the actual test questions.
The Read-Along Audio is essentially an audiobook of the course material which is great for listening in the car or during a workout.
This school is good for:
- Students who want to take advantage of the course audiobook
- Students who want an engaging but straightforward learning system
Rockwell Institute
Prelicensing: CA: $269 | WA: $489
Continuing Education: ✅
Standout Features: Cram Course, Systematic retention through multiple short quizzes and chapter exams
Available in the following states: California, Washington
While only serving the California and Washington areas, Rockwell Institute has taught over 150,000 real estate professionals and provided on-brand training systems as a learning and recruiting tool for multiple brokerages.
Rockwell Institute provides an interactive and straightforward learning experience that uses a lot of short tests for retention.
Like a slideshow, students click the next button as they digest the material and are only interrupted by short quizzes which culminate into chapter quizzes at the end of each topic.
The course itself is designed visually with photos, original illustrations, and graphs, and there are even animated instructors to deliver a dialogue during lessons. However, students are still provided textbooks for the sake of highlighting and taking notes.
Rockwell Institute’s famous Cram Course is a crowd favorite.
It’s a laser-focused intensive online course that doubles down on the material that’s most likely to appear in the exam and provides several practice exams that closely resemble the actual experience in terms of both content and difficulty.
They also give students access to course experts should they have any relevant questions.
This school is good for:
- Students who learn best by test
- Students who are visual learners
- Students who enjoy the tactile experience of highlighting notes and scribbling on margins
- Students who could use the confidence from experiencing a lot of realistic testing
Mbition
Prelicensing: CA: $129 ~ $339 | WA:
Continuing Education: ✅
Standout Features: Master and Fluency Method, Real Estate Exam Prep Toolkit
Available in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin
Mbition, formerly known as OnCourse Learning, has taught over 750,000 real estate agents and appraisers through the company’s leading brands and strategic acquisition of AHIT (American Home Inspectors Training), Career Webschool, and Stringham Schools.
Mbition’s LMS is built around their Mastery and Fluency Method – a scientifically-based learning process that enables students to focus solely on learning and retaining content without having to take notes.
Students go through the material in digestible segments that are immediately followed by questions about the content discussed. They must demonstrate mastery of concepts before moving on to the next section.
The Real Estate Exam Prep Toolkit is a state-of-the-art program that uses ‘adaptive learning technology’ to create study questions based on a student’s strengths and weaknesses for the review of topics on agency, contracts, finance, and law.
Learning is supplemented by flashcards on terminology and tested with over 1,600 questions in timed exams, where students can flag questions for review and study immediate feedback while in ‘study mode.’
The most expensive package includes course ebooks with exams, instructor support, Mathmaster, Exam Prep Toolkit, Pre-license Textbooks, and a pass the first time guarantee.
This school is good for:
- Students who want to take advantage of the Exam Prep Toolkit
- Students who want to would retain information better using the Mastery and Fluency Method and may want to learn that method for future learning purposes
Conclusion
We hope you found this article useful. Our research allowed us to take a peek at the future for online learning and if you’re anything like us, you’re already making plans for what you can learn to become a more effective agent. Learning never ends!
On that note, do you want to learn even more?
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