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Is your license renewal on the horizon? Every 12 years, a cosmic thing happens, and agents in all 50 states come due for their real estate continuing education (CE) and licensing renewal. 2024 is that year! Maintaining your real estate license means taking continuing education courses to fulfill your state licensing board’s requirements, and doing so before your license expires.
You can complete your real estate CE hours online through one of the many course providers that offer state-specific packages and electives. But it can be challenging to narrow down the best real estate school for you! That’s why we’re sharing our top four online real estate continuing education providers, highlighting the states in which they offer courses and our favorite features.
Our top picks
Colibri Real Estate
CE courses available in all 50 states
Flexible courses featuring expert instruction and career-long guidance. Intuitive online platform with a customizable learning dashboard.
$89 to $189Visit Colibri Real Estate
The CE Shop
CE courses available in all 50 states
Intuitive interface and features. Multistate and custom packages tailored to your needs and budget. Career-long guidance.
$59 to $419Visit The CE Shop
Aceable Agent
Affordable online, audio & mobile app courses
Chosen by over 200,000 agents for courses featuring real-world scenarios and engaging content. Take online CE courses at your pace.
$135 to $469Visit Aceable Agent
Kaplan
50+ years as a leading education provider
Self-paced, interactive content accessed via an online format. Courses to fit your learning style and schedule are backed by staff support.
$299 to $799Visit Kaplan
4 best real estate continuing education schools for 2024
Top Pick
Colibri Real Estate Education
Colibri offers real estate CE courses in all 50 states and Washington DC, with customized online bundles available. Complete your state’s required CE courses on your own time, at your own pace. More than 500,000 agents have completed Colibri Real Estate’s courses. Colibri offers a satisfaction guarantee and refunds are available within 30 days of purchase for self-paced online courses.
When it comes to course format and content delivery, choose from Colibri’s self-paced online and instructor-led livestream courses, which are designed to allow you to study on any device with internet access and a browser. That means you can meet all of your state requirements using your smartphone or tablet. Course content is written and taught by active, seasoned industry professionals, and course upgrades feature engagement with instructors experienced in your local market.
Our favorite feature is the intuitive, online platform and dashboard, which you can access 24/7. With Colibri’s online courses, you can stop and start up again anytime, without losing track of your progress.
Colibri’s real estate continuing education course offerings vary by state, buta sampling of intriguing topics we researched include Fair Housing, ethics, handling multiple offers, educating buyers, handling trust funds and implicit bias training. Some states require core courses while others let agents choose from a series of electives so click the button above to visit Colibri and choose your state from their drop-down menu.
Depending on your state, post-licensing packages start as low as $109 and up to $279, with individual courses ranging from $29 to $54. And CE renewal packages start as low as $89 and up to $189, with individual courses ranging from $22 to $49.
Best Value
The CE Shop
The CE Shop offers real estate continuing education courses in all 50 states, plus Washington DC, and allows students to choose from full packages that include all post-licensing hours needed for first time license renewal. Or get your mandatory education hours by taking individual post-licensing courses. While course expiration dates vary by state, they are generally one year after the date of purchase.
The CE Shop is our pick for the best value in real estate continuing education because of all the options it affords agents renewing their license. If you’re licensed in multiple states, the CE Shop spares you from purchasing multiple packages and repeating reciprocal courses by creating multistate and custom packages tailored to your needs and budget. Students also have exclusive access to Agent Perks, a program that includes special discounts, offers, and trials from the CE Shop’s partners to help you better automate your real practice.
The CE Shop’s course format and content delivery are also noteworthy, as courses can be accessed through your tablet, computer, or smartphone 24/7.
The CE Shop’s real estate continuing education topics may include tax deferred exchanges, real estate finance, USDA rural loans or real estate advertising compliance. Course offerings and bundles vary by states and according to state requirements. In many states, the CE Shop’s continuing education courses can be bundled with their prelicensing courses, offering convenience and significant savings.
Depending on your state, post-licensing CE packages start as low as $105 and up to $609, with individual courses ranging from $9 to $265 for first-time renewals. Subsequent renewal course packages start as low as $39 and up to $249, with individual courses ranging from $9 to $115.
Budget pick
Aceable Agent
AceableAgent offers continuing education courses to renew your license in Georgia, Texas, and Florida. Their courses are created by active industry experts in collaboration with Harvard-educated instructional designers. After you complete your final course test, AceableAgent will process your Certificate of Completion to ensure that you get credit for completing your CE course with your state licensing board.
As far as course format and content delivery, AceableAgent’s students can access self-paced, online courses on their computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Interactive continuing education courses feature real-world scenarios to keep you engaged. Course content is delivered in bite-size pieces, making it easier to retain the course’s information. Choose from a selection of individual courses or a course bundle for convenience and savings.
Our favorite feature is AceableAgent’s mobile app. AceableAgent was the first online real estate school to offer courses through a mobile app. Students can even switch between their browser and AceableAgent’s mobile app, both of which track progress and save it — so you can stop and resume your studies on multiple devices. You can even tune into to audio lessons like you’d listen to your favorite podcast.
AceableAgent’s real estate continuing education course offerings vary by state and state CE requirements. For example, Texas agents can choose from the Legal Update Bundle (just the mandatory courses) or the 18-hour Bundle (mandatory courses plus electives). New York agents can quickly complete the NYREC-approved, 22.5-hour, all-in-one package. Georgia agents opting for Aceable Agent will take courses through a partnership with Kaplan Real Estate Education. Click the button above to learn more.
Depending on your state, continuing education bundles start as low as $135 and up to $469, with some individual courses starting at $30. Full course refunds are available within 30 days of purchase, as long as you have not completed the course.
Upgrade Pick
Kaplan Real Estate Education
Kaplan offers CE courses in all 50 states and post-licensing courses for first time renewals in the following states: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
A convenient online format allows students to access courses easily through a tablet or mobile device. And Kaplan’s online system connects you to courses designed to fit your learning style and build your education around your schedule. Although Kaplan’s CE packages aren’t as affordable as other schools, the cost may be worth it to students who need self-paced, interactive online content.
Our favorite course feature is the option to upgrade. Kaplan offers state-approved CE courses to help you complete the required hours of approved education, and you can take one CE class as a stand-alone online course for a lower price point or upgrade to a complete CE package. And behind the school’s continuing education courses is a staff that will help you not only navigate your course but also stay on top of industry trends.
Product offerings include continuing education courses, prelicensing courses, and exam prep in many states. Boasting over 50 years of experience, Kaplan has helped thousands of students begin and advance their real estate careers each year.
Depending on your state, post-licensing CE packages for first time renewals start as low as $299 and up to $799, with individual courses ranging from $165 to $259. And CE renewal packages start as low as $69 and up to $229, with individual courses ranging from $19 to $69. Full tuition refunds are available within 30 days of purchase for web-based courses and online classes that have not been completed.
Methodology
To determine the very best online real estate schools for continuing education, we’ve evaluated national and state-specific online real estate education providers. Across dozens of articles, we’ve gained in-depth knowledge of real estate online post-licensing and continuing education courses, analyzing each school based on course offerings, study tools, format options and flexibility, accessibility, student support services, user reviews, and affordability.
Equipped with this depth of knowledge, we narrowed this list down to the top four real estate schools nationwide for convenience, excellence in course content, flexibility, value, and user experience. Providing economies of scale, these schools’ course packages are more affordable thanks to technology that makes their online courses way more convenient than having to commute to a local state school to attend in-person classes. Unlike your local school, these industry leading schools have the scale to invest in helpful technology that makes renewing your state license a breeze, so you can get back to working with your clients and advancing your career.
Real estate continuing education: FAQs
Why is real estate continuing education necessary?
You’re responsible for helping clients navigate one of the most important financial decisions of their lives. That’s why you must stay up to speed on the latest information, from real estate law and contracts to environmental issues like climate change.
Not only is it required that you renew your license to stay current, but it’s also beneficial to maintain your skills and expand your industry knowledge through formal education.
How many hours of continuing education are required?
Real estate continuing education requirements to maintain your real estate license vary from state to state, but most require that you take a set number of hours of CE course hours every two years.
Some states like West Virginia require as little as 7 CE hours, while states like Texas require 270 qualifying course hours.
What is the average cost of online continuing education?
Keep in mind that prices vary greatly from state to state, and each school in this buyer’s guide offers budget-friendly course options.
For the purposes of this real estate school guide, we priced out four of the industry-leading schools, based on their offerings in different areas of the country to determine an average cost of $539 for CE packages and $20 for individual CE courses.
To determine the average cost of online real estate school prelicensing programs, the following states were reviewed: Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.
How do I check my real estate CE credits?
To see how many continuing education credits you have and how many you still need, some states have a database that you can access via the licensing and regulatory affairs website. While other states don’t even require that you report your CE hours, be sure to keep a record of what courses you’ve completed so that you can provide a certificate of completion in the event you get audited for CE.
The least stressful way to keep your records updated is to enroll with the same school for all your CE courses and let them help you keep track of courses completed.
How do I sign up for online real estate continuing education?
The schools featured in this guide make it easy to sign up for your online CE classes. Just click the website of the school of your choice below, select the package you want from the school’s catalog, add it to your cart, checkout, and wait for the school to deliver your package or individual course (typically as an email, link, or both).
Enroll in Colibri
Enroll in The CE Shop
Enroll in Kaplan
Enroll in AceableAgent
The full picture: Real estate continuing education for 2024
Now that you know what the industry-leading online real estate schools have to offer, the pros and cons of each school, and the cost of their continuing education bundles, you can make the most informed decision to fulfill your real estate continuing education requirements.
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