Top 5 Online Real Estate Programs
Need help passing your pre-licensing exam? Try one of these five programs that'll make you a real estate expert...without you even leaving your desk.
1. Santiago Canyon College
For students looking for help passing the pre-licensing exam, SCC’s real estate program is the way to go. Santiago Canyon College’s courses offer flexible classes tailored to all educational content on the California Bureau of Real Estate’s licensing exam. Classes are provided both on the college campus and online, so students can physically meet with professors in addition to online prep and lesson materials if off-campus.
The school also offers fast-track eight-week programs all year, featuring three credited classes that enable students to quickly qualify for the pre-licensing exam, save money and even receive recommendations to hiring brokerages upon course completion.
2. Kaplan Real Estate Licensing and Continuing Education
Offered in 20 states, Kaplan—already a highly trusted brand in education and test prep around the country—offers its students an innovative real estate licensing program in addition to appraisal, home inspection, contracting and real estate brokerage courses. Kaplan's various packages allow students to gain expertise in either commercial or residential real estate. The company offers multiple distribution options to its customers, including live classroom instruction, an on-demand 24/7 year-round course, “traditional” online education and an independent home study program. These four programs allow the school to cater to all types of students with various learning styles, making it one of the more popular real estate education programs in the country.
3. Real Estate Express
Real Estate Express offers students access to online study resources on smartphones, tablets and computers. Express’ Exam Prep Master arrives with 17 practice tests, allowing students to not only get a feel for the material they will face on the exam, but to acclimate themselves to test-taking conditions as well. It is also relatively cheaper and financially easier to manage, running anywhere from $99 to $616 and offering a payment option of three installments.
The company further boasts a 79% realtor exam pass rate on the first try—19 points higher than the national average. The course provides training in both residential and commercial practices in 22 states, and retains a “Pass or Don’t Pay” policy in which students who do not pass their state’s licensing exam on the first try receive their tuition back.
4. Folsom Lake College
Like all California Community College schools, Folsom provides its students with enrollment fees as low as $46 per unit of credit. This empowers students on a tight budget to enter the industry. Similarly to other university and community college courses, Folsom maintains a semester system while simultaneously offering a multitude of methods of accessing professors and resources. The school aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice by offering programs for brokers and salespeople to attain a complete associate's degree.
5. Allied Business Schools
Allied Business Schools' real estate programs are available in seven states, and at $148 it's one of the more stably inexpensive online real estate platforms; the school offers alumni discounts and several payment installment plans. Allied provides numerous resources to its students, including exam practice questions geared toward quantitative skills, flash cards, a real estate vocabulary dictionary, social media-based student groups and a DVD study guide for your particular state. The course further provides concentrations in real estate law, property management, finance, appraisal, administration, escrows and economics.
