5 Best Online Real Estate Schools In The United States For 2021

5 Best Online Real Estate Schools In The United States For 2021

If you’re looking to become a real estate agent in the United States, you will need to get your pre-license education no matter what state you live in. In this guide I will show you the 5 best online real estate schools in the United States. These are my top 5 picks after over one year of in-depth research and actually using each real estate school.

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Best Rated Real Estate Schools


1.

real estate express best real estate school in the united statesReal Estate Express
Best Overall School5

2.

aceableAceableAgent
Most Interactivebest most interactive real estate schools in the United States

3.

The CE ShopThe CE Shop
Good Options4


1. Real Estate Express

best real estate schools in the united States 5 stars


Best Real Estate Schools In The United States Overall

I highly recommend Real Estate Express. In my opinion, they are tied with AceableAgent below for being the best real estate school in the United States. This is the real estate school I would choose if I was looking for a school right now. They are the oldest online real estate school in the United States and have a reputation for excellence. Read more in my review here.

Pros:

  • Many States Served: Real Estate Express has pre-license real estate courses in a wide variety of states. At the time of this writing, they offer programs in 36 states and more coming soon. This means you can get your real estate education with Real Estate Express no matter which state you live in.
  • Great Package Options: It doesn’t matter which state you happen to live in, the course options available with this real estate school are the best. Most states have four package options to choose from which allows you to tailor your program to exactly what you need.
  • Track Record: Real Estate Express has an amazing track record in the United States. Since 1996 they have been a pioneer of online real estate education. This means you can be sure they know what they’re doing.
  • 24/7 Online Access: The Real Estate Express platform gives you access to their platform 24 hours a day 7 days a week. You can take your course anytime you want on your own schedule. This is so much better than classroom settings where you have to be on the instructor’s schedule.
  • Amazing Online Platform: Not only can you take the course at your own pace, but the platform used by Real Estate Express to deliver their course material is world class. The platform works flawlessly and makes online learning easy. The simple navigation and ease of use makes getting your education easier than ever.
  • Exam Prep: Besides the exam prep you get with your pre-license course, you can also take extra exam prep to prepare for the state exam with their Exam Prep Master.  This is a great help when trying to pass your state’s real estate license exam.
  • Continuing Education: Once you become a real estate agent, you can get your continuing education with Real Estate Express as well. This is great because it’s always a benefit to stay with the same real estate school for your whole educational needs.
  • Easy Access To Support: When you have a question or need help, you can always get access to support. You can email your instructor and they even have a number you can call.
  • Pass Or Don’t Pay: Unlike most online real estate schools or classroom schools for that matter, they offer what is called the Pass or Don’t Pay Guarantee. This means if you take their program and do not pass your state exam, they will refund your money! This is yet one more thing which elevates Real Estate Express in the ranks to being the best online real estate schools in the United States.

Cons:

  • Not As Interactive: Although the content offered by Real Estate Express is all you will need to pass your state exam, it’s not quite as interactive as AceableAgent. That being said, the content is in-depth and thorough.
  • Inactive Student Forms: As part of your membership, you will get access to student forums. This really is not a great benefit since their student forums get very little engagement. Although not crucial, this is just something I wanted to mention so you would be aware of this.

2. AceableAgent

5


Best Real Estate Schools In The United States Most Interactive

AceableAgent is another of the best online real estate schools in the United States. Although they’re one of the newest online real estate schools in the U.S.,  they have exploded on the scene and have developed an amazing learning experience. I highly recommend AceableAgent. This is the real estate school I used to pass my real estate license exam on the first try and I loved everything about the program. My review of AceableAgent will help you learn all of the facts about this school.

Pros:

  • Great Pricing: AceableAgent has some of the best prices in the industry. Depending on your state, they offer some pre-license courses as low as $81! This is simply an amazing price. My price for the Michigan pre-license course was $199 with the discount but that’s a great price compared to some other classroom based schools.
  • Most Interactive: What I loved about AceableAgent was the course was so interactive and fun. There were many videos throughout the course which helped to break up the study time. They have nice bite sized segments for each lesson which makes retaining the information much easier. Plus, there are a lot of interactive quizzes to make sure you’re learning the content. I truly loved everything about this course.
  • 24/7 Online Access: As with Real Estate Express, they offer an online experience that gives you access to your course materials 24/7. Talk about convenience! You can take your course at any time and in any location. Works great on any device as well as mobile.
  • Top Notch Online Platform: AceableAgent’s online learning platform is one of the best in the business. It’s very easy to use and contains an incredible amount of interactive material. You will love how they have implemented video and course quizzes to make the learning system an enjoyable place.
  • Good Support: If you need help, you can call the phone number or use email. Their response times are very good.
  • Pass The Test Guarantee: Like Real Estate Express, AceableAgent has a pass the test guarantee. This means if you do not pass your state exam, you can get your money back.
  • Great Passing Rates: AceableAgent has some of the highest exam pass rates in the country. In Texas for example they have an astounding 78.36% passing rate which is quite high for real estate schools in the United States.

Cons:

  • Limited States Served: While I love AceableAgent, their only drawback is that they serve very few states. At the time of this writing they serve 12 states. This is far fewer than Real Estate Express. However, if they do happen to service your state, I highly recommend them as the course is amazing.
  • Few Package Options: This is not necessarily a negative. Aceable offers only one package for their courses. The great thing is, you don’t have to worry about choosing a package. Everything is included in one convenient option.

3. The CE Shop

best online real estate schools


Best Real Estate Schools In The United States For Good Options

The CE Shop has been providing real estate education since 2005. While not as long as a school like Real Estate Express, they have made some progress into making their system better. While I think The CE Shop has a decent course, it was just not my favorite real estate school. There are several reasons for this, but, overall, they are a good choice if you want some good package options. See my The CE Shop review for more info.

Pros:

  • Many States Served: The CE Shop serves many states. In fact, they serve more states than Real Estate Express so this is great if your state is not available with other real estate schools.
  • Somewhat Interactive: The course itself is decent. With a good learning platform it does offer some interactive content. There are some videos and interactive courses. While not as interactive as AceableAgent, The CE Shop overall does have a good platform.
  • 24/7 Online Access: As is the case with most online real estate courses in the United States, you gain access to the course material at any time. No matter where you are, you can take the course at your convenience.
  • Good Platform: As stated above, the platform used to deliver the course materials is quite good. It’s easy to navigate and works well on any device.
  • Great Package Options: This is where The CE Shop performs well. They offer good package options for most states allowing you to tailor your education to your budget and needs.
  • Decent Passing Rates: The CE Shop has some of the highest pass rates in the industry. A passing rate is the percentage of students that pass the state exam on the first try. You can see their pass rates here.

Cons:

  • No Guarantee: Unlike Real Estate Express and Aceable, this real estate school does not offer a passing guarantee. The content they offer is good so you may not need this guarantee, but it’s always good to have it.

4. 360Training

3


The next on our list of the best online real estate schools in the United States is 360Training Agent Campus. I only added this school because they are probably the best budget course on the market. Their pricing is typically much lower than other real estate schools in the US so they are good if you’re on an extremely tight budget. However, they offer few states and limited options. I would only use this school if you truly cannot afford to use one of the better options above. See my 360Training review to learn more.

Pros:

  • Amazing Pricing: As stated above in my description, 360Training has some of the best prices of all online real estate schools. You may find a course for your state 20% cheaper than other schools.
  • 24/7 Online Access: Since the course is online, you can study your learning material at any time. It’s totally self paced meaning you can learn when you have the time and not on someone else’s schedule. Their content also works well on any device whether it be a smart phone, tablet, or computer.

Cons:

  • No Guarantee: My top picks shown above have passing guarantees, 360Training does not offer any type of guarantee. Since their prices are quite low it may not matter as much, however, it’s always better to choose a school that has a guarantee if possible.
  • Not Interactive: The actual course content is delivered on an online learning platform that provides very little interactive content. If you can afford to pay just a bit more I would suggest AceableAgent or Real Estate Express.
  • Few States Offered: This is a limitation on this school. They simply do not service many states when looking to get pre-licensing education. They do offer exam prep and continuing education for many states.
  • Few Package Options: If you like to have package options to customize your education, you will not find that with 360Training. They have limited options.
  • Low Pass Rates: While they do not publish their passing rates, we do know that for the state of Texas real estate schools 360 has one of the lowest pass rates in the industry.

5. Kaplan RE

3


I had to add Kaplan to my list because they are a good school and have a long track record. While not my favorite choice, they are a well known and respected name as a real estate school as well as other fields of online education. They even own Dearborn which provides curriculum to other real estate schools. I just do not perfer certain aspects of Kaplan real estate. You can read my full Kaplan real estate review.

Pros:

  • 24/7 Online Access: As with the vast majority of online courses, the Kaplan real estate course can be taken 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. You can go through it at your own pace and when you have time.
  • Good Platform: The learning platform you will access after signing up is quite good. It’s easy to use and navigate and makes it easy to keep track of your progress.
  • Good Passing Rates: One area Kaplan shines is they do have good pass rates. In Texas for example they have a 76% pass rate at the time of this writing.

Cons:

  • Number Of States: The number of states offered for pre-licensing education is limited compared to my top pick. This means if your state is not available, you cannot use them to get your pre-licensing education.
  • Not That Interactive: There are nice bite-sized segments as you take the course. However, there is not as much video content so it’s not quite as interactive as a course like AceableAgent.
  • Higher Pricing: Kaplan overall is a bit higher priced than other comparable real estate schools.
  • No Guarantee: I wish Kaplan had some sort of passing guarantee but they do not. This may not be important to you but I like going with a school that offers a guarantee.

Real Estate School FAQ

Is It Better To Take Real Estate Classes Online Or In Person?

While this is a personal preference, there are many reasons that taking real estate classes online is a better choice. You can take the course at your own pace, you get 24/7 access, support with just a call or email, plus, it’s safer.

How Long Is The Real Estate Course?

The length of time it will take you to complete your real estate course will depend on your state’s requirements. Some states such as Michigan require 40 hours of pre-licensing education while states like Texas require 180 hours. That being said, it takes most people 2 to 4 months to complete their real estate education.

Is Real Estate Hard?

Some people find real estate easy and some find it hard. It really all depends on you and what you’re willing to put in. That being said, real estate is not easy in the sense that you will become a real estate agent and strike it rich by doing no work. That simply is not true. Selling real estate is tough and competitive but can be rewarding if you put in the work.

Do You Need A College Degree To Be A Real Estate Agent?

No, you do not need a college degree to be a real estate agent. That’s one of the things that makes it an attractive career choice for so many. You can become an agent without a college degree and compared to the cost to get a degree, the cost to become an agent is quite small.

Does Real Estate Pay Well?

Being a real estate agent can pay well. It all depends what you put into it. The average salary of a real estate agent in the United States is $42,948. (Source) This will vary by state but there are real estate agents who earn well over 6 figures and some earn 7 figures and more. It really all depends what you choose to do with the career choice.

Is Real Estate A Good Career In 2024?

Yes, choosing a career as a real estate agent can be a good career choice in 2024. The market has been strong in many states and shows no signs of stopping.