5 real estate continuing education providers worth a look

Back in real estate’s Jurassic period, those continuing education courses we need to take to maintain a real estate license were time-consuming and expensive. Pre-internet meant receiving the courses via snail mail or spending time at a local real estate school or association of REALTORS®.

Lucky is the modern agent who gets to go online to brush up on (and be tested on) contracts, agency and ethics.

Laws vary by state, however. In Nevada, for instance, “At least 12 of the required 24 hours [of the continuing education requirement] must be taken through live instruction,” according to the folks at theceshop.com.

An agent in Iowa must complete “… 36 hours of approved programs, courses or activities.” Of these, 24 hours can be done via “distance learning.”

Find requirements for all 50 states online at vaned.com.

As you peruse the offerings of the various schools, the first thing to look for is which states they serve. Some, but not all, serve all 50 states.

Then, check out the course format. Visual learners may become overly bored with strictly text-based courses.

Price is always a consideration so call each company you are considering to find out if they offer discounts for seniors and vets, if you fall into one of those categories.

You may also find discount coupons for everyone online. One agent found a 40% off coupon at groupon.com.

If license renewal time is approaching, take a look at the list below to help you choose an online continuing education program to meet your needs.

First timer?

If this is your first license renewal, you no doubt have tons of questions on how to choose a real estate continuing education provider.

First, be aware that “Some states require a special first renewal known as post-licensing that allows a salesperson to retain their active license,” according to the pros at 360training.com.

“In some cases, the post-license education must be completed on a different timeline than the standard renewal cycle,” they continued.

Understand your state’s requirements for obtaining what you need for a license renewal.

Next, ensure that the courses on offer include exactly what you need. You might be surprised at the number of agents we’ve spoken with who thought they’d taken all the hours in the required subject only to learn near the end of the courses that they took the wrong ones or not enough of the right ones.

The real estate continuing education providers listed below are listed in alphabetical order, in no particular order of preference.

Aceable Agent

Aceable Agent offerings are ideal for the newer agent who is still reeling from the complexities of real estate school jargon.

Agents who’ve used the services say the content is “engaging,” yet techy friendly. One Texas agent says that the courses are “… mobile-friendly, app-friendly … you can study or read on your tablet, on your desktop, on your laptop … they’re versatile on whatever platform.”

We like the fact that you’ll never lose progress, regardless of how many times you change platforms while studying. “… each course supports multiple devices,” according to a reviewer at ais-cpa.com.

“Learn at home on your computer, then continue later in the day on your phone. Plus, all content works with no issues on all devices— which is a far cry from services with tacked-on mobile features that were clearly designed with a desktop in mind,’ he adds.

If you prefer your learning to be delivered in a light-hearted, conversational manner, check out Aceable.

Aceable Agent courses are not currently offered nationwide, but are available in 12 states:

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Michigan
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia

We mentioned earlier an agent who snagged a decent discount at groupon.com and it was Aceable that was offering it. So check there and the company’s website for specials before signing up.

Read additional reviews at trustpilot.com, google.com and facebook.com.

Kaplan Real Estate Education

In business for more than 80 years, if you seek an experienced staff for your real estate continuing education provider, check out what Kaplan offers.

The company gets rave reviews at Trustpilot for their licensing classes but seems to struggle with their commitment to those seeking continuing education.

Reading the CE student reviews, it seems to boil down to a lack of customer service with the company’s CE clients.

“My continuing education credits have not been properly reported. I have called numerous times and the company representatives are very nice but nothing ever happens,” claims one reviewer.

Another, states that the CE process was the “Worst experience ever.” He explains the problem at trustpilot.com and said that “I called Kaplan explaining the issue for 5 days straight, while also sending e-mails and not a single person has gotten back to me, and the issue is still not resolved.”

Kaplan offers continuing education for real estate agents in all states but the following:

• Alaska
• Arizona
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Kansas
• New Hampshire
• Nebraska
• Wyoming

To get a better idea of what Kaplan offers for real estate continuing education, check out the course demos on the website.

Mbition Real Estate

If you have a busy schedule and need a real estate continuing education provider with classes that allow you to go at your own pace, check out what’s on offer at Mbition.

Reviewers laud the classes and the company:

• “Fantastic customer service!”
• “Excellent content and easy-to-read format.”

The downside is that Mbition doesn’t offer a refund policy or free cancellation. Once you sign up and pay you’re locked in.

Real Estate Schooler has produced a video walkthrough of a sample CE class sign-on and it’s posted at youtube.com.

McKissock Learning

If you’re a visual learner, skip this section. Some users complained that the material was “dry” and that they had hoped for at least some video instruction.

That said, McKissock serves more than 300,000 students (real estate, appraisal home inspection and others) each year, so they are doing something right.

The course selection naturally contains the typical agency and contract classes, but you’ll also find more interesting offers such as “Elements of an Eco-Friendly Home.”

Not all is rosy, however. Complaints from customers include two that claim the “supervisors are rude,” another who had an “awful experience” and another who had a “horrible experience.” Neither of the latter two went into detail.

Others claim the opposite is true: “The staff was extraordinary, and they always went the extra mile for their users,” and “Service is perfect, they make it easy to navigate and to renew my license!”

McKissock serves those seeking continuing education credits in all 50 states.

The CE Shop

Five words: Average pass rate is 90% (agentadvice.com). We don’t know of another real estate continuing education provider that can make that claim. But, wait, there’s more to love about The CE Shop:

• They welcome students from all 50 states
• Free trial for 5 days so you know what you’re getting when/if you commit.
• Customer support phones are peopled 7 days a week.
• The CE Shop offers discounts to members of the U.S. military and their dependents.

While the majority of agents we spoke with mentioned The CE Shop positively, it’s challenging to find online reviews for the continuing education program. Nearly all reviews came from those taking licensing courses.

Here’s a bit of what we were able to round up:

• “I like the wide range of topics and recommend them for all realtors.”
• “The only thing I would like to see is to have it on video or be able to listen to it instead of reading it.”
• “On completion of your chosen course, your completed CE requirements are automatically uploaded and a certificate is issued to you for downloading or printing.”
• “I have been able to complete my continuing education without any issues … on my own time and in a timely manner.”

A referral from colleagues to a real estate continuing education provider is most likely going to yield a solid choice, so ask around the office to learn which continuing education service they like best. Otherwise, we hope we were able to help you narrow down your list in your search for continuing education.