Best Online Real Estate School: At Your Pace Online

Let’s face it— when it comes to real estate education, there are lots of options out there. Trying to decide between in-person, correspondence, and online courses is hard enough, let alone picking out the actual classes that you need. Finding a reputable school that’ll provide the quality you deserve can be an overwhelming task, especially if this is your first time taking continuing education. We are here to make it a little easier on you by showing the benefits of online education and At Your Pace Online, a real estate school that provides comprehensive, easy-to-navigate, and informative continuing education courses.

Why Online Real Estate Education is the Future

The digital age has brought innovation to many careers and industries, and many experts are now saying that e-learning is the future of education. From elementary school to master's degrees, more and more people are opting to obtain their education online. Real estate is no exception. Between its ease of use and content quality, online real estate education is quickly becoming the preferred method of learning. Here are just a few of the reasons why real estate agents love online education:

More Options

Why settle for the one and only brick-and-mortar real estate school that’s located in your town? With online education, the world is your oyster! You have the ability to choose from a wide array of real estate providers and courses with ease. As long as the provider and courses have been approved by your state’s real estate department or commission, you can take it for credit. And if you meet the mandatory requirements, you can explore other courses that best fit your career and niche.

Schools Can Source the Best Instructors

Not only do you have more options as a student, but schools themselves have more options when it comes to instructors and material for the class. Because the instructor doesn’t have to physically show up to a classroom every week, they can be based anywhere. This means that online real estate schools aren’t limited to the city in which they are located and the next small town over has a much wider selection to choose from. They can bring in the best of the best to teach their students.

More Affordable

Online schools are typically more affordable than their in-person classroom counterparts. And with schools like At Your Pace Online, you don’t have to worry about printing off work booklets or purchasing expensive textbooks. Everything is 100% online, meaning as long as you’ve got internet service, you’ve got your class.

Unlimited Amount of Students Can Participate

In-person classes are limited to the number of seats in a room. It can be a bummer if you find yourself on a waitlist or don’t get to take the class you want when you need it. This isn’t a problem you’ll run into with online schools. Technology automates time-consuming tasks like grading quizzes, so schools can take on a larger number of students.

Find Other Resources Online While You Learn

With the Internet, you’ve got a whole world of resources at your fingertips. If you’re taking a class and are curious about the subject at hand, you can pause what you’re doing and dig a little deeper on your own. You can utilize government resources and find experts from around the world on the topic. It’s like raising your hand in class and asking a question, except you can spend as much time on the topic as you want, learn from a variety of sources instead of one person, and don’t have to speak in front of a crowd. It’s a win-win!

The Benefits of Taking Real Estate Continuing Education Online

Real estate education is typically divided into two categories: pre-licensing coursework and continuing education. Pre-licensing courses are those that you must take in order to first obtain your license. Continuing education, on the other hand, are classes that you take once you already have a license. Both types of classes can benefit from being online, but for those needing to take CE classes, it is especially advantageous.

Benefits of Real Estate Continuing Education Online:

Taking classes on your own schedule
Learning wherever you are
Finishing courses as quickly as you’d like
Accessing different modes of teaching

Let’s look at each of these a little more closely.

Take Classes On Your Own Schedule

Your real estate career already revolves enough around the schedules of other people— working out a time for clients to sign papers, trying to schedule a contractor to come patch a hole, etc. There’s no need to add a real estate school into the mix. The freedom to create your own learning schedule is a huge advantage. With online classes, you’re not bound to a school’s set class times. Your classes are available 24/7, meaning you can log on anytime and work for however long you want.

This also gives you more control over your own learning experience. If you already know the ins and outs of a topic, you can breeze through it. If you find that you need a little more time to understand a topic, you can go back over the material at a slower pace.

Learn Wherever You Are

By the time your first license renewal rolls around, you’re already several years into your real estate career. It can be a huge inconvenience to drop what you’re working on to go to an in-person class. One of the biggest advantages of online education is the ability to take classes wherever you are. Not only does this make learning convenient, but it also allows knowledge to be more accessible for real estate agents who may not live near a physical real estate school.

At Your Pace Online takes e-learning a step further with its mobile-friendly platform. With this feature, you won’t have to worry about being tied down to a desktop computer or a wifi connection. Take your classes with you anywhere with your smartphone or tablet. This means you can learn when you have downtime between client meetings, during open houses, or while you’re waiting in the long drive-thru to get your morning coffee (we’ve all been there).

Save Time and Finish Courses Quickly

Being able to finish a course quickly is important for some folks, especially if that dreaded expiration date is coming up soon. Even if the state put limits on how fast you can work through the course, you will likely get through the course sooner on your own than having to attend classes that are days, if not weeks, apart. If you feel like powering through a three-hour course in one sitting, you can!

You’ll also save valuable time by skipping the drive to and from class. Transportation time (and money) is an often overlooked aspect of in-class learning. For some, the trip to and from class is an hour or more that could have spent doing something productive. Multiply this by the number of classes you have to attend and you’ll quickly find that you’ve wasted hours sitting in traffic. You will save yourself the time and hassle by taking an online course.

Different Modes of Teaching

Sitting in a classroom listening to an instructor lecture can get a little boring, as can sitting down with a textbook in a correspondence course. When a class is online, it opens up the possibilities for other modes of learning like videos, interactive games, and more. Having a little variation in a course keeps you engaged, helping you better understand the material.

What Are the Continuing Education Requirements for a Real Estate Agent?

Continuing education requirements vary depending on the state that you are licensed in. However, in almost every state, some level of CE is required in order to successfully renew your license. Every state government wants to ensure that their real estate agents are trained, competent, and well versed in the ethics that guide professionals in the industry.

Each state’s real estate department sets its own rules and regulations that govern license holders’ education and the renewal process. Even the time between renewals differs from state to state. For instance, the Texas Real Estate Commission requires renewal with CE every two years, whereas the California Department of Real Estate requires renewal with CE every four years. Some states, like Alabama, have a specific date that all license holders must have continuing education completed by. In Alabama, all license holders must complete their CE by September 30th of even-numbered years.

Within each state, the continuing education requirements for license renewal might also depend on how many times you’ve renewed your license and whether you’re a broker or a salesperson. Usually, a broker’s continuing education will include some sort of broker responsibility, management, or supervision course since they typically oversee other license holders. This helps ensure that the leaders of real estate offices are following ethical standards, are well versed in risk management, and are treating clients with the fairness that they deserve.

In some states, first-time renewals require more specific coursework than second and subsequent renewals since the agents have less experience under their belts. Once you make it to your second renewal, you’ll have been working in the industry for years, and by that time, you’re probably familiar with the most important concepts that you do in your day-to-day work.

To find out your specific requirements, visit your state’s department of real estate or check out the National Association of REALTORS® state-by-state list of continuing education requirements.

What You Should Look For in an Online Real Estate School

Finding a good real estate school on your own takes a little research. There’s plenty of schools out there that can provide a state-approved course that will get you the hours you need for renewal. However, fewer actually provide a quality learning opportunity and a positive student experience. Here are some things to be on the lookout for when it comes to online real estate schools:

A Website That Works

This may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s a good place to start. You can tell a lot about a real estate school just from visiting their website. Ask yourself the following questions:

Is it outdated looking?
Is the content on the screen correct and current?
Can I find the information I came for?
Can I easily tell what products I’m buying?

A poorly designed website is indicative of a school with a subpar product. If it’s not working correctly before you purchase the product, chances are it won’t work after either.

Another aspect to look for is website security. If you’re purchasing products online, you want to be sure that your credit card payment information is secure. Trustworthy schools should be able to offer a badge or similar indication of the security measures in place that protects your data. You don’t need to necessarily be looking for a company that has all the latest and greatest bells and whistles, but a working, secure, and easy to navigate website is a must.

State Approval

Double-check to ensure that the school has up-to-date approvals or certifications, which are necessary in order for you to receive credit for the courses you complete. If you can’t find the information on their website, you can typically look up the provider on your state’s real estate department’s database. At Your Pace Online proudly displays all of our state certification or our provider approval numbers on our website for students to see!

Different Modes of Teaching

We spoke earlier about how online education is beneficial because your schools can utilize different modes of teaching, like videos and interactive games. Look for online schools that take advantage of this! If a school utilizes videos with skilled instructors or other helpful features, they’ll likely promote it to let the student know what kind of coursework they can expect from their classes.

Package Deals

Does the school require you to purchase each course separately, or do they offer packages with all the required coursework? Even though it doesn’t tell you anything about the quality of the classes themselves, companies that bundle their courses often have the student in mind. You won’t have to search for each individual course that you need, and you’ll probably save some money in the process. This isn’t an absolute necessity, but it is a nice touch.

Helpful Customer Service

Course content isn’t the only thing to be on the lookout for when searching for the best online real estate schools. You’ll want the product backed by a customer support team that is available to address any questions or concerns that may arise. If a real estate school offers several ways for you to contact them, it’s a good sign. The more methods of contact, the better. For instance, At Your Pace Online gives students the option to call, email, or chat with our support team should you run into trouble!

At Your Pace Online Real Estate School Review

There is a lot to be on the lookout for when it comes to finding a good real estate school, but luckily you don’t have to search very far. At Your Pace Online checks all of the boxes. We offer state-approved, quality content that isn’t just slide after slide of mundane text. All of our courses are 100% online and mobile-friendly, so you can learn when and where you want. But you don’t have to take our word for it! Learn a little more about the company and check out what some of our students had to say about our classes.

About At Your Pace Online

So who exactly is At Your Pace Online anyways? Good question! We are an online educator headquartered in Gold Hill, Oregon that is all about helping people in real estate and other trades obtain and maintain certification, gain valuable skills for the job, and excel in their careers. Aside from real estate CE and pre-license courses, we provide education for auto dealers, contractors, electricians, HVAC operators, gas fitters, insurance, water operators, and plumbers. This isn’t our first rodeo, and when it comes to e-learning, we are pros that can get the job done.

Course Content

We understand that students learn best when the material is engaging and relevant instead of just pages of jumbled legal jargon. Sometimes chunks of law and code are unavoidable due to state requirements, but we try our best to make all of our classes informative without being dry and boring. We try to stay away from technical language and meaningless numbers and focus on explaining the material in ways that are easy to follow and thorough.

At Your Pace Online also utilizes videos to break up the monotony of text. Our goal is to keep students’ attention so they can truly learn, understand, and implement the lessons in their careers. Courses also typically include quizzes throughout. These act as little knowledge checks to ensure that you’re on the right path. They’ll help point out weaker areas that you could review again.

Our online platform allows you to complete the course at your own pace (it’s our brand!), whenever you want. Plus, we are mobile-friendly, meaning you can take us wherever you go on your phone or tablet.

Website Design

Many students’ feedback on our courses involves the ease of use and navigability of the website. Our design is simple and easy to operate, even for those users who wouldn’t come close to calling themselves technologically inclined.

As Aimee wrote about our Florida 14 Hour Complete CE Course, we provide a platform for the student to succeed!

Security

In an age of identity theft and data breaches, it’s understandable why some people are hesitant about completing purchases online. The AYPO website is secure, so you can rest assured that your financial and personal information is safe when you do business with us. Credit card transactions are handled through Authorize.net and are protected with fraud detection technology. All transactions on our website are also sent using 256 bit SSL encryption, so you can purchase courses with confidence!

Customer Service

Here at At Your Pace Online, we believe that our customer support sets us apart from the competition.

Joe, who took the Texas 18 Hour Complete Sales Agent CE Package, and Libya were both fans of the customer service. At AYPO, we believe in prompt, friendly customer support. We value our students and never want you to dread contacting our team if you have any issues. We strive to provide solutions to your problems with a positive attitude.

And for us, customer service doesn’t stop at helping you solve issues. We want to hear your feedback so we can improve our courses for future students (and for you when it’s time to renew your license again).

Where Does AYPO Offer Real Estate Continuing Education Online?

We want all of our students to have the information that is relevant to their location, and no two states are exactly alike when it comes to real estate regulations, laws, and practices. The experiences of a New York license holder will likely differ from those of a Wyoming license holder, and both of those will have different experiences than someone in Texas. At Your Pace Online offers real estate continuing education in a number of states including:

Again, courses are state-specific, so you’ll want to make sure you’re taking courses that have been approved in the state you’re licensed in.

What Real Estate Continuing Education Classes Does AYPO Offer?

You’ll discover a wide variety of courses with At Your Pace Online that satisfy the requirements for each state that we offer. Since we offer hundreds of courses and each is tailored to the state requirements, we won’t go into detail here about the specific classes. But in general, you’ll find courses that cover topics like:

Legal Updates: One of the most important functions of continuing education in real estate is to keep agents up-to-date with the changing laws that affect the industry. State and federal governments amend existing laws and create new ones every year, and CE courses ensure that you know the ins and outs of rules and regulations and how you can stay compliant. When you are current with property, finance, and contract law, you’re less likely to make a mistake that could cost you money or even your career.

Ethics: No matter what state you practice real estate in, you are expected to perform your duties using the highest level of ethics. With a real estate license comes great responsibility. The stakes of real estate transactions are high— thousands of dollars, the roofs over people’s heads, and the health and safety of individuals and families. The public trusts license holders to act with honesty, fairness, and the client’s best interest in mind.

Management and Supervision: Leadership, management, and supervision classes are included in mandatory coursework, especially for brokers. Brokers are tasked with leading real estate offices and should be aware of proper office policies and practices. A broker with good management skills helps ensure the success of the brokerage and all of the agents within.

Risk Management: Another popular topic in real estate CE across states is risk management. In these courses, you’ll learn about the potential pitfalls that you face as a real estate professional and ways to mitigate them. You’ll cover topics like cybersecurity, errors & omissions insurance, and everyday measures you can take to prevent problems. The more you know about risks, the better prepared you can be to avoid and deal with such problems.

Fair Housing: Many states cover fair housing; some even require that you take a whole course on the subject! The Fair Housing Act is an important piece of legislation that ensures people are treated fairly when it comes to housing, regardless of factors like familial status, age, sex, or race. These courses outline what constitutes discrimination, how to report violations, and how you can do your part to ensure fairness in housing.

Contracts and Agency Relationship: You’ll find many courses cover agency relationships and contracts, which are two topics at the center of real estate practice. Laws of agency guide how you interact as agents with those around us— clients, brokers, other agents, and the general public.

Electives: Just like electives classes in high school, real estate electives are those that aren’t explicitly defined by your department of real estate. The courses still must be approved, but there is generally more freedom in the subject matter. Electives may be classes on making sales, agent safety, business practices, and more!

Ready to get started on your continuing education?

Convinced that At Your Pace Online is the school for you? Visit our website to browse courses that you’ll need to renew your real estate license in your state. We are ready to provide you with comprehensive, quality classes that will help you in your career as a real estate salesperson or broker. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via phone, email, or chat!