Guide to Real Estate Schools

Start your real estate career on the right foot by enrolling in real estate school. Whether you want to obtain a license or participate in real estate continuing education, there’s a real estate school for you. Online real estate schools and other forms of real estate education available via distance learning are increasingly popular options with today’s real estate licensees and students.

Here are three considerations in choosing your real estate school: 

1. Online real estate schools offer a great, flexible way to get your real estate education while working full-time at another job.
2. The real estate school you choose must be accredited in your state, because real estate license laws vary by state.
3. Find online real estate schools that meet real estate prelicense and post-license mandates, as well as real estate continuing education requirements.   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find accredited online real estate schools

Check with your state real estate licensing agency for a list of the state-accredited real estate schools, and to find out if online real estate schools are permitted in your state.

I recommend: Visit the ARELLO (Association of Real Estate License Law Officials)  directory to find your local regulatory agency. Visit CareerWebSchool online real estate school to take real estate license courses.

Choose online real estate schools offering current and ongoing course requirements

An all-in-one real estate school offers prelicense, post-license (if mandated in your state) and continuing education courses. This makes it easy to keep track of your educational documentation and ongoing requirements, since everything is in one real estate school system.

I recommend: Check out online real estate schools, such as American School of Real Estate Express for dozens of prelicense, post-license, and continuing education courses offered in several states. America's Best has distance education available on CD-ROM, online and in print format, with real estate courses that vary by state.

Take advantage of free or inexpensive real estate education offerings

There are several respected real estate education web sites that offer free or low-cost real estate classes to enhance the real estate education you received from real estate schools; take advantage of these courses to build and practice your skills.

I recommend: The National Association of REALTORS Realtor University offers more than 80 inexpensive online courses. Check out Real Estate Champions for comprehensive sales training and free resources.

Earn special designations at online real estate schools

Once you complete your initial real estate education and earn your real estate license, you can choose to specialize in one of many ever-growing real estate niches, including commercial real estate, property management, and more.

I recommend: Check out the REALTOR Family Designation Programs, where you can become certified as a Certified Property Manager, an Accredited Buyer Representative, an Accredited Buyer Representative Manager, an Accredited Land Consultant, and more. Visit Open Directory Project's Real Estate Education and Training Schools, an invaluable portal of more than 100 real estate schools.

Stay up to date with real estate continuing education requirements

In every state except New Jersey, real estate agents and brokers must take a specified amount of continuing education to keep their licenses current. Check with your state regulatory agency for the specific number of hours and class requirements you'll need to fulfill real estate continuing education credits in your state.

I recommend: Check out CE2GO to search for accredited real estate continuing education offerings in your area. Allied Real Estate School offers real estate continuing education (and prelicense) training online.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Shop for guarantees: Some real estate schools promise a refund if you don't pass your state licensing exam; others offer placement services.
• Take it at your own speed: To accommodate those who already work full-time in another career, many real estate education courses are offered during weekends and evenings, through correspondence or through online real estate schools.
• Think ahead: Find a real estate school that offers real estate broker education and go the distance with your real estate education. (Note: in some states, a real estate salesperson may not earn a broker's license without first earning relevant work experience.)
• Have license, will travel: Many states have reciprocal real estate licensing agreements, so if you have a license in one state, you may not need to re-enroll in real estate school. You may only need to take a minimal state-specific portion of the licensing exam for another state.

The official source of Real Estate Schools is the Real Estate Schools page at Business.com