What Real Estate Continuing Education Classes Does AYPO Offer?
Being a real estate professional is no easy job! Not only do you have to be a self-motivated entrepreneur with exceptional people skills, but you also have to have extensive knowledge of agency, legal contracts, finance laws, and more AND be able to apply them each day. So for a real estate agent, education is important. Whether it's learning everything for the first time with pre-licensure coursework or brushing up every few years with CE, education gives you the knowledge, skills, and tools you need to succeed in the business.
Real estate is largely regulated and controlled on the state level. Each state has its own requirements when it comes to continuing education. For example, some states require as little as 7 hours per renewal period while others, like California, require 45 hours every four years. The mandated courses and material covered within those courses also vary state to state. Since each state is different, we won’t go into the details of each course, but we’ll give you an overview of the common types of online real estate continuing education classes that you can find at a real estate school like At Your Pace Online.
State-Specific Legal Updates
As industries and technologies evolve, so do the laws that govern them. Each and every year, new laws are passed and old ones are amended that change the way real estate professionals conduct business. It could be something as large as federal law that impacts the financial sector or something as small as a slight change to a state-specific promulgated contract. Either way, it’s important that agents and brokers stay up to date with the changes that affect them and the clients that they serve. Even if you know are aware of the law, a legal update course will ensure you know the ins and outs and how, exactly, the law affects you.
If you get caught speeding, telling the officer that you didn’t know the speed limit probably won’t get you off the hook. Similarly, if you violate a law or perform your duties incorrectly as a real estate agent, saying you weren’t fully aware of the law won’t cut you any slack. CE makes sure you know your stuff!
Ethics
Being a real estate agent is not a job to be taken lightly. You help put roofs over people's heads, deal with hundreds of thousands of dollars, and have to be aware of environmental hazards that affect the health and safety of those purchasing real property. With such high stakes on the line, agents and brokers are expected to conduct business using the high standards of integrity, honesty, and fairness. Ethics courses lay out the best practices for interacting with other parties, producing documents with specific, clear language, and how to handle or file ethical violation complaints.
Contracts and Agency
Listing agreements, environmental addendums, sales contracts, oh my! The real estate industry revolves around contracts. These are legal, binding documents and can be a little confusing, so it’s crucial that agents know their forms inside and out, front and back. Not all contracts are used regularly, though, so having a nice refresher on them every once in a while ensures that when you do have to utilize them, you’re still in the know.
Law of agency refers to the non-contractual and contractual relationships between an agent (that’s you!) and another, like a client. A course on agency serves as a reminder of your duties to your clients, brokers, and other fellow agents.
Management and Supervision
Management and supervision courses focus less on real estate transactions themselves and more on how to be a leader amongst your office, peers, and the industry as a whole. Typically, brokers are required to take these classes, but everyone can benefit from the lessons. You’ll learn about proper office policies and procedures that should be in place— when managers and supervising brokers are aware of their duties and responsibilities, they can lead the office and every agent to success.
Finance
If money never changed hands, there’d be no real estate transactions. Finance is a huge part of the real estate industry and the laws and rulings that govern the financial sector often have a direct impact on those buying and selling real property. You’ll cover topics like relevant lending laws, loans, government loan programs other sources of funds, and the documents that are used in real estate transaction financing.
Risk Management and Safety
Many states require courses on risk management, which guide you in identifying and minimizing some of the inherent risks that come with being a real estate agent. This knowledge prevents you from succumbing to common pitfalls that cost hundreds of agents money (or sometimes more) every year. Agent safety courses give advice and tips on how to protect yourself against potential personal dangers that exist when interacting with others.
Fair Housing
The federal Fair Housing Act is one of the most important laws in real estate, so many states require their agents to take a course covering the topic every time they renew their license. The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status; some states have their fair housing own laws that have additional classes. Fair housing courses clearly define discrimination and what constitutes discriminatory behavior in real estate marketing and transactions.
Electives
States typically explicitly lay out classes and subjects that agents must take, but sometimes taking these mandatory classes doesn’t fulfill all of the hours that are needed for renewal. For the rest of the hours, you may be permitted to take approved electives. This is a chance to learn a new skill in areas like marketing or sales or strengthen weaker areas like real estate math.
Complete CE Packages
Aside from individual classes, At Your Pace Online offers complete real estate education packages for most states. These packages bundle all the classes that you need together in one place, saving you time and money. Just another way that AYPO is looking out for you!
Ready to begin your online real estate classes with At Your Pace Online?
If you are looking to renew your real estate license and need to satisfy your state’s continuing education requirements, you’ve come to the right place! With At Your Pace Online, you’ll receive quality instruction that will help you grow as a real estate professional and give you the knowledge you need to succeed. We strive to be the best online real estate school out there! Visit our website to browse our catalog catalog of courses or reach out to our friendly support staff if you have any questions or concerns.