What are the best online real estate schools of 2023? We did the research. You decide!
Read our reviews of the top online real estate school options with an overview of features, costs, and pros & cons.
If you already have your real estate license and are looking to get some designations, we have an in-depth review of 16 of the best real estate designations and certificates available on our real estate blog.
Real Estate School Basic Facts
Before we get to our online real estate school reviews, there are some basic facts about how these schools work in general…
- Hour Requirements – No matter which school you settle for, you will be required to complete a certain number of hours, depending on the state.
Some courses last for approximately 63 hours, while the other real estate license courses are 100+ hours.
It’s all based on your specific state’s legal requirements.
- Real Estate License Prerequisites – You need to be 18 years or older, have a high school degree or GED, and a U.S. Social Security number.
You can have a felony and still get your real estate license in some states but it’s going to make it a more difficult process.
- The real estate exam is hard (..for some) – Our goal is to encourage you and not scare you from chasing your dream of becoming a real estate agent.
Keep in mind that “Hard” can be fairly subjective, but no matter how well-prepared, you may not always breeze through it the first time.
Don’t worry about this too much because you can take the final exam more than once!
In addition, making the best online real estate school choice will certainly help you pass the exam on the first try!
- Flexibility and Pricing – Online schools are flexible and they are often less expensive than brick-and-mortar institutions.
All the real estate school’s materials are available online and you can organize your schedule.
Best Online Real Estate Schools
Colibri Real Estate (Also known as Real Estate Express)
Real Estate Express is one of the most reliable and best overall online real estate schools.
The website is easy to navigate and within minutes, you will find everything that you need. They are the real deal…
Save 30% on Real Estate Express online real estate school courses.
What Online Courses Does Real Estate Express offer?
Pre-licensing and post-licensing courses are available for all of those who decide to choose this school, but Real Estate Express offers continued education and they provide assistance with your career as well!
In terms of the range of services, all of this is hard to find anywhere else.
All learning materials are available online. In other words, you will have access to it from your home and you can customize the courses and choose whatever you need at a certain point in your career.
It is fair to say that Real Estate Express has everything beginners and professionals need.
And speaking of materials, you will have full-fledged classroom experience. You can interact with other students through forums or live Q&A sessions and keep track of your progress.
They received certification from both ARELLO (Association of Real Estate License Law Officials) and IDECC (International Distance Education Certification Center).
From the moment you enter the website, you can see the states in which they offer their services.
Thirty-five states are included for real estate pre-licensing courses and ten for real estate post-licensing.
All you need to do is select your state and register to start studying.
Here is a sneak peek at the Realty Express Course Experience:
How Much Does Real Estate Express Cost?
Real Estate Express pre-licensing courses are priced in the range of about $117 to $399 without a discount.
Keep in mind, that you can use our links to get a significant Real Estate Express discount. They often offer promo codes and discounts which you can access through our links.
Your exact Real Estate Express pricing depends on your state and the package chosen.
For instance, for the state of Mississippi Real Estate Express pre-licensing deals, you can select the courses and eBooks only, with the support from the approved instructor and that comes at a price of approximately $175.
In general, as you walk up the tier, you get exam preparation, Pass or Don’t Pay Guarantee, Real Estate Dictionary, Instructor Q&A, and a printed coursebook with a development membership.
Not all of these come in a single package, but they are added as you progress up the ladder.
There are four Real Estate Express package levels for each state, and these include:
- The Basics
- Exam Preparation
- Exam Preparation Plus
- Ultimate Learning
Here is an example of Real Estate Express’s current pricing to get your online real estate license in Florida:
Real Estate Express Online Real Estate School Advantages
Real Estate Express has two major benefits:
Pass or Don’t Pay – In case you fail your exam, you don’t have to pay for it (excluding FL and TN).
Real Estate Express offers this because they are confident in the information they provide and they want all the applicants to be successful. This is how the “Pass or Don’t Pay” guarantee works:
100% Money Guarantee – People who don’t want to continue with courses after the first week can ask for a full refund.
This is a major advantage because you can test it out and if you conclude that this isn’t your cup of tea, you can choose not to continue and get your money back.
Here is an additional Real Estate Express review that also answers some FAQs. Real Estate Express is one of the best online real estate schools in 2023, but what else is there?
The CE Shop
Another real estate school on our list is called The CE Shop.
As its name suggests, the CE Shop is more of a continuing education type of an online school, but there’s much more to it.
What Online Real Estate Courses Does The CE Shop Offer?
Just like the Real Estate Express, The CE Shop offers both pre-licensing and post-licensing courses as well as exam preparation.
While the quality of these courses can be considered slightly better in the previously-mentioned school as they are more comprehensive with more materials, the CE Shop allows access to a growing number of states when it comes to post-licensing deals, with the number exceeding 20.
In addition, the school states that over 73% of participants who complete their course get the license in their first attempt nationwide, which is a high success rate.
What the school prides itself on is making the courses suitable for mobile phones, as well as tablets and computers.
In other words, you can learn as you commute and access the course easily anytime, anywhere.
The navigation around the website is straightforward, while you can keep track of your progress, which is simplified.
Everything regarding the CE Shop is tailored to future real estate agents. The work you need to put in is up to you.
While The CE Shop can be hardly distinguished from the other best online real estate schools when it comes to exam prep or licensing, their continuing education segment is one of the best in the industry.
They offer access to such education to people around the country and the instructors have experienced realtors who aren’t shying away from sharing information.
Once you acquire your license, you need to retain it, so pick the courses you need.
There’s no better school to keep “upping your game” than The CE Shop.
The CE Shop is available 24/7 and you can access them anytime you are ready to learn new things.
Not having the pressure of the courses that disappear after some time is essential, especially if you have to balance work and studying.
Here is an introduction video about the CE Shop Online Real Estate School:
How Much Does The CE Shop Cost?
Similar to what we had previously, the prices depend on the state, first and foremost, and the package you select. Four different packages are available:
- Courses Only
- Standard Package
- Value Package
- Premium Package
Here is an example of The CE Shop’s current online real estate school pricing to get your real estate license in Florida:
The CE Shop Online Real Estate School Advantages
All of these include a study schedule, a real estate glossary, and the materials needed to get your license.
One of the things available in the Value Package and above, that sticks out, is the business building courses.
Not only does CE Prep give you the tricks of the trade but they even teach you how to build your own business!
If you are still not decided, you can read our The CE Shop Review
The CE Shop Pass Guarantee (not available in all states) is yet another aspect that shows you that they trust that the courses are valuable.
If you aren’t convinced by this point, you might as well check the testimonials – there are a lot of them. The CE Shop real estate school is also accredited by ARELLO.
The CE Shop offers a money-back within 30 days of purchase if your course isn’t yet 50% complete (see specific terms).
360 Training
If you are ready to put in work, learn about real estate, pass the exam and get the necessary license, but you are more of a lone student and you don’t want to participate in online classes, then 360Training should be the school of your choice.
What Online Courses Does 360Training Offer?
As you have realized by now, this is how it works. The schools offer pre-licensing, post-licensing, exam preparation, and continuing education.
360Traning is no exception by any means. As is the case with other schools, online materials are available at your convenience and the school modified the coursebook as they believe it to be the best way to learn it.
Students are happy with this school for good reasons.
360Training was established in Texas over 20 years ago, but the parts of it are in Karachi, PK, and Manila, PH. Those foreign offices shouldn’t concern you because the school offers assistance any day of the week and they are open to answering your questions.
One of the first things that meet the eye is the scarcity of states that are available for pre-licensing.
To be more precise only people from 10 US states can apply for pre-licensing, and that is a lot fewer than the other schools on the list.
To counter that, 360Training offers exam preparation for every citizen in the US!
When it comes to post-licensing, 360Training is again at disadvantage with only five states in the mix.
We’ve mentioned some good and bad, but what about the 360 Training prices? Perhaps lower fees can account for the lack of licensing states.
Here is a video regarding getting your Pre-license Training with 360 Training Real Estate School:
How Much Does 360Training Real Estate School Cost?
360Training does indeed offer lower prices than some of the competitive schools.
With the lower costs, we suggest you go with the premium package because it isn’t too pricey, yet it offers much more than the basic one.
Here is an example of 360Training’s current pricing to get your online real estate license in Florida:
360 Training Real Estate School Advantages
360Training does have its forte. The real estate school offers training for businesses.
Therefore, they put a lot of resources into continuing education. As a company, you can direct your employees to this online school and upgrade their level of competence!
Real estate firms can find this extra useful as they will have agents and brokers who are learning from the comfort of their homes and becoming better day in, and day out.
One more thing we would like to mention is that the school allows you to use the payment service to your liking.
Various credit cards are accepted and you can buy courses via PayPal as well.
With some upsides and downsides, 360Training deserves a spot on this list. After all, it is one of the least expensive, yet most reliable online schools in 2023.
Plus, you can read over 2,500 360 Training reviews on Trustpilot and a majority of them are praising the school.
AceableAgent
By now, you may have already found the school according to your liking, but if you still have any doubts, we are still to present two more schools and the first one is AceableAgent.
Like the other schools from this list, AceableAgent is created to help you pass the exam and get the license you need to become a real estate agent.
What Courses Does AceableAgent Offer?
From the moment you enter the official website, it feels comfortable and everything is neatly organized.
Pre-licensing is offered in 11 US states, which is not as much as you would expect, but if you are from any of the mentioned states, there are plenty of reasons to find a suitable course and go with it.
AceableAgent is based in Austin, TX and their goal is to help everyone pass the exam, which is the case with other schools.
Considering that they are familiar with the ins and outs of how Texas real estate works, they proved to be among the top schools when it comes to pass rates in this state. AceableAgent’s pass rate percentage equals 79!
Besides the pre-licensing courses, a student can choose continuing education and adequate training that is necessary for maintaining the license.
One section of their website deals with helping your career move forward, which is a nice addition.
Here is a video overview of the AceableAgent Online Real Estate School:
How Much Does AceableAgent Cost?
One of the main reasons to include AceableAgent on this comprehensive list is the pricing.
You will constantly run into major AceableAgent discounts, but even if you miss them, don’t beat yourself up. For each state, the offers are different.
Some AceableAgent states include Pass the test or your money back part while the others give you expert support.
The number of hours differs from each course, but if we take Florida, for example, the pricing at the time of writing starts at $115 with a discount included.
Unlike other schools thus far, AceableAgent offers only one package.
However, it includes expert support, plus the courses are mobile-friendly, which is a major advantage.
AceableAgent Online Real Estate School Advantages
In comparison, AceableAgent is smaller than most of the other online real estate schools, however, that doesn’t mean that they offer no value.
On the contrary, In the states where pre-licensing is available, a passing score is among the highest.
Another thing that is important to mention is that AceableAgent isn’t solely based online.
Traditional Schools also exist, they are more expensive than online courses, and since this post is dedicated to online schools, we suggest you find more information on the official website.
Still, this is important to mention and it plays a major role in how the school functions. If you want to learn more about this school, you can check out our more in-depth AceableAgent Review.
Center for Realtor Development
Last but not least, we come to NAR’s Center for Realtor Development.
We saved this one for last on purpose. Although it is one of the leading online schools in the real estate industry, there are some differences we should address.
What Online Courses Does NAR Offer?
If you need a new real estate license, you will not find the courses necessary for you to acquire it here. Look for any of the online real estate schools above.
However, that does not mean that the Center for Realtor Development isn’t a deserving member of the club.
As its name suggests, this real estate school is for those who are established realtors/brokers and whose goal is to enhance their careers and help them acquire new knowledge.
The reliability of this online school shouldn’t even be a question. It is in close ties with the National Association of Realtors, giving it all the credibility it needs.
With the company focusing mostly on assisting experienced realtors, they created the courses which are designed as such.
In other words, you can find a variety of topics and it is hard to run out of fuel. While some last only 60 minutes, there are packages with over 30 hours of material and it all depends on what you want to learn.
How Much Does the Center For REALTOR Development Courses Cost?
The prices range from as low as $30 to hundreds of dollars. The price often depends on the length of a course, and compared to the other schools on this list, the Center for Realtor Developments falls more towards the expensive end.
We will not analyze each course individually as that would take ages to do. From what we can tell, you can either find exactly what you need or not find anything suitable for you.
If you do locate the right class, the materials are interactive and the instructors are well-spoken. Moreover, you can contact your instructor with any questions.
Some of the online real estate classes include the National Association of Realtors Green Designation and Real Estate Negotiation Expert Certification.
Best Online Real Estate Schools of 2023 – Conclusion
Here is a quick recap of the schools we researched in this review as well as their respective website links:
- Best Online Real Estate School For Getting Your New License:
Real Estate Express - Best Online School For Getting Your Real Estate Continued Education:
The CE Shop or MckissockLearning
You can save this month at The CE Shop when you visit AME.TheCEShop.com and use the listed promo code at checkout.
- Best Online Real Estate School For Getting Designations:
NAR’s Center For Real Estate Development
Good luck with your online real estate school exam!
About The Author: This article was researched and published by Tim Schroeder. As a husband and wife real estate team residing in Florida, Tim Schroeder brings deep expertise with over 8 years of experience as a licensed real estate agent.
Deb and Tim Schroeder have earned numerous real estate industry awards and recognitions. They have been recognized by Orlando Magazine as a “Top 100 Real Estate Professional” as well as earned Top Producer Designations with the Orlando Realtor Association for 6 years straight.