6 Best NC Real Estate Continuing Education

In North Carolina, real estate continuing education requirements consist of four hours of mandatory coursework plus four hours of elective study completed between July 1 and the following June 10. We’ve evaluated several NC real estate continuing education course providers to help you locate the school with the best value for your professional development.

Top 6 NC Real Estate Continuing Education 2020

How We Evaluated NC Real Estate Continuing Education

While North Carolina real estate continuing education (CE) courses are required to maintain your license, they also cover topics that can help you grow as a professional too. We researched many schools and paid attention to specific criteria to determine which CE programs offered the highest quality, content variety, and overall convenience for North Carolina real estate agents and brokers.

These are the criteria used to evaluate the best NC real estate continuing education courses:

• Cost: North Carolina real estate continuing education courses usually cost between $49-69, but it can vary more depending on the specific course and school you choose.
• Customer support: It’s important to have access to customer support, especially when you are completing a mandatory course online. The schools on our list offer a high level of customer support in addition to access to course materials.
• Course format: Even though online courses can be incredibly convenient, some people prefer instruction from a live instructor. The best schools for real estate continuing education offer courses you could complete at your own pace as well as those you could complete in person.
• Student reviews: You can’t be sure that you are choosing the best NC continuing education program if you don’t hear anything from previous students. All of the schools on our list have been highly rated by many past students.
• Course variety: Although four of the eight required CE hours in NC cover mandatory topics, the balance can come from a variety of subjects. We sought schools that offered a good mix of course topics to choose from beyond the minimum required by the state.
• Course locations: Many NC real estate schools only offer the mandatory course updates through in-person classes, so we looked for schools with multiple locations to serve as many agents and brokers as possible.

After taking all of these criteria into consideration, Kaplan Real Estate Education is the best overall NC real estate continuing education program. It offers the mandatory courses online and in-person, as well as the most variety of course formats.

Kaplan Real Estate Education: Best Overall NC Real Estate Continuing Education

Kaplan, formerly J.Y. Monk, is a real estate school that offers mandatory and elective courses for between $69-$133. It also offers a large variety of course topics and three different formats. Kaplan Real Estate Education is the best school for brokers who want the highest variety of course format choices.

Kaplan Real Estate School Pricing

North Carolina real estate CE courses from Kaplan cost $69 for individual, four hour courses, and up to $133 for a package. These packages are for brokers and brokers-in-charge, and include mandatory and elective courses in two different formats. Although Kaplan’s courses are priced slightly higher than OnCourse and McKissock, it also offers more choices.

Kaplan Features

The NC real estate continuing education courses offered by Kaplan have a variety of course topics, course formats, and course locations. You can choose what time of course or course topic you want, and you can most likely find one of its live classes near you.

Course Offerings

Depending on which topic and course format you choose, your NC continuing education course will look a little bit different. If you choose one of the eight-hour package options from Kaplan, you may receive extra resources like case studies and “25 creative event ideas for real estate licensees.”

Course Format

Kaplan’s NC real estate continuing education classes are offered in three different forms: live, on demand, and online. One of its eight-hour package courses includes live and on demand courses. Kaplan is the only school to offer three different course formats. This variety of formats in combination with the variety of elective choices gives Kaplan students the highest level of flexibility.

Course Locations

Live classes from Kaplan are offered in 15 different cities across North Carolina. If you prefer to take your real estate continuing education (CE) classes in person, Kaplan makes it easy to find a location close to you, but you must plan ahead. The only other school that offers these many locations is Superior School of Real Estate.

Kaplan Customer Support

If you have questions about Kaplan before enrolling in a class, you can contact Kaplan by phone during business hours. Once you are a student, you can also email them 24 hours a day. For tech support with online courses, it has a designated phone number you can contact 24/7. Kaplan is the only school with this type of support.

What Kaplan Is Missing

Kaplan real estate education undeniably offers more to students than most other real estate schools. The only shortcoming in its NC continuing education offerings is the cost of courses. Most other schools offer four hour courses for $49, but Kaplan’s are $69. As a NC real estate broker, you have to decide if the extra cost is worth it for Kaplan’s extra choices.

What Users Think About Kaplan

Kaplan has a 4.5 star rating on Indeed, with most students stating that Kaplan prepared them well, had great instructors, and that they appreciated the flexibility. A few people stated that its online courses do not have an instructor with whom you can ask questions. A few others stated that its courses expired after six months, and Kaplan did not allow extended access. Here is our more detailed review of Kaplan Real Estate Education.

At Your Pace Online: Best NC Real Estate Continuing Education for NAR Realtors

At Your Pace Online (AYPO) is a real estate school that offers an elective continuing education (CE) course called “real estate ethics.” This course also fulfills the requirements for the National Association of Realtors (NAR) at just $49. As a result, AYPO is the best choice for NC brokers who want to complete their CE and NAR requirements at the same time and at an affordable price.

At Your Pace Online Pricing

The four-hour online course offered by AYPO is $49. This price matches the four-hour courses from a few other North Carolina real estate continuing education schools, but also includes the NAR required ethics course. This course is best if you are looking to save the most money while continuing to fill both sets of requirements.

At Your Pace Online Features

This school offers only one course for NC real estate continuing education, but it is an affordable online course featuring an interactive format. Best of all, since their course is offered online, you can complete it anywhere.

Course Offerings

The “Ethics for Real Estate Professionals” course from AYPO is online, and you can see a full outline of the material on their course page. There is one instructor for this course, and you can read her bio online before registering for the course. This course includes multiple eight-question quizzes and a 50-question final exam.

Course Format

AYPO classes are known to include a combination of text, video, slides, and interactive quizzes. While the format of this course isn’t specified, you can expect some variety from At Your Pace Online. This could be an advantage over schools like OnCourse and 360 Training that only offer online, text-based courses.

Course Locations

The North Carolina real estate continuing education course from At Your Pace Online is only offered online. This course can be taken anywhere, but there are no physical locations for AYPO. Therefore, those that prefer in-person classes, will want to look into alternatives like Superior or Kaplan.

At Your Pace Online Customer Service

There is a phone number and an online contact form for questions and student support on AYPO’s website. While this doesn’t offer you the same amount of accessibility as McKissock, students have stated that the customer service at AYPO goes above and beyond to help students.

What At Your Pace Online Is Missing

AYPO is missing the larger variety of additional elective course options offered by other providers. In addition, it does not offer a course that fulfills the mandatory four-hour NC general update. For more course topic and format choices, Kaplan would be a better fit.

What Users Think About At Your Pace Online

AYPO has a 4.7 rating on Facebook, with many comments from satisfied students. There are many students in particular who raved about customer service taking extra effort to help students when there are tech issues.

OnCourse Learning: Best NC Real Estate CE for Real-World Examples

OnCourse Learning is a real estate school offering seven elective course choices for NC real estate continuing education. All seven courses, which lean heavily on case studies and real life examples, are four hours and cost $49. OnCourse is the best choice for real estate brokers looking for online courses that place an emphasis on solving real-world problems through practical application rather than business theory.

OnCourse Pricing

For North Carolina real estate brokers, OnCourse offers seven elective choices at the same price of $49. Although At Your Pace Online also offers a North Carolina CE course for $49, OnCourse offers the most choices at this price point. The only school with more affordable options is 360 Training.

OnCourse Features

OnCourse Learning offers NC real estate continuing education courses totally online and in text format. It has seven course topics to choose from, and you can complete them on your own schedule from any device. OnCourse focuses on providing material for students to understand practical applications.

Course Offerings

In every OnCourse class, you’ll find helpful case studies, decision-making exercises, and quizzes. These elements of classes from OnCourse are designed to help you understand how to apply the concepts in your day-to-day professional life. It also offers topics like Fair Housing, Green Construction, Tax Advantages in Home Ownership, and Commercial Leases.

Course Format

OnCourse offers all courses completely online and primarily in a text-based format rather than being instructor led. While its courses are focused on helping students with practical applications, not all real estate professionals prefer this style of learning. If you’d rather have video lessons or courses with more variety, you may prefer Kaplan or At Your Pace Online (AYPO).

Course Locations

Since OnCourse Learning only offers courses online, it does not have any physical locations. However, you can use your devices to take the courses anywhere in the world. If you are looking for a real estate school with a physical office, you may prefer Superior real estate school.

OnCourse Customer Service

There is a phone number you can call to contact OnCourse during business hours Monday through Friday, and an online form. Although it does not have as many contact methods as McKissock or 24/7 tech hours like Kaplan, there aren’t any complaints online about its customer service.

What OnCourse Is Missing

OnCourse does not offer a variety of course formats, and it does not offer the mandatory update course for brokers and brokers-in-charge. If you want to purchase all of your North Carolina CE hours from a school with mandatory and elective courses, you may want to check Superior, Kaplan, or HPW.

What Users Think About OnCourse

Student reviews of OnCourse are generally very positive, giving it a rating of 4.5 on Indeed. People have stated that they loved the flexibility of taking a course online, and that OnCourse was very informative and helpful for their understanding. However, a few students also stated that the course content can be dry, so it is hard to stay engaged.

Superior School of Real Estate: Most CE Location Choices

Superior School of Real Estate is associated with Real Estate Express and offers live and online CE classes for North Carolina brokers. Courses range from $69 – $199 for their CE membership, and they have 25 locations. Superior is the best choice for NC real estate brokers who prefer on-premise classes and those who want the most location choices.

Superior School Pricing

Online elective courses from Superior cost $69, and live courses cost between $75-$79. You can purchase the mandatory course and the elective course to fulfill all of your hours, or you can choose the CE Plus membership. Membership costs $199 and gives you access to all CE courses, professional development, and academic advisers.

Superior School Features

There are eight online elective course choices from Superior, and many live classes across the state of NC with the mandatory course. Both live and online courses give you access to an instructor for questions. Superior’s online courses are text-based as opposed to instructor led, however, it offers 25 locations for live classes.

Course Offerings

There are eight online elective course topics to choose from like agency law, how to work with real estate investors part 1 and 2, the definitive advertising guide, commercial real estate, and more. With live classes and online classes alike, you have an instructor available to you for any questions. This is not offered by OnCourse, and many students find it helpful.

Course Format

In Superior’s live classes, you will be taught by an experienced real estate professional and be able to ask questions in person. Even though online classes from Superior are primarily made of reading material, you can contact your instructor at any time to help you understand the concepts more deeply.

Course Locations

Superior offers the highest number of locations for its live courses. It has an ongoing schedule of both mandatory and elective courses in Charlotte, Cornelius, Greensboro, Denver, Chapel-Hill, Winston-Salem, Durham, Raleigh, Burlington, Mooresville, Fayetteville, Garner, Wake Forest, Greenville, Asheville, Jacksonville, Concord, Wilmington, Pinehurst, Morehead City, Fort Mill, Hickory, New Bern, Cary, and Lake Norman.

Superior School Customer Support

When real estate schools allow students to have access to an instructor, the need for customer support usually decreases. However, you can still contact Superior by phone and email, and place specific requests through its online forms. It does not have as many available hours as Kaplan, but its previous students have been happy with the support.

What Superior School Is Missing

Even though you can choose between live classes and online classes, Superior does not offer a variety of course formats online. Most schools have text-based classes, but if you want a school that offers video courses, you should check Kaplan.

What Users Think About Superior School

Superior has a very high rating of 4.8 on Indeed, and many students have noted that the instructors are very helpful and that the courses are detailed. Visit our review page to read more about what past students are saying about the Superior School of Real Estate.

360 Training: Most Affordable NC Real Estate CE Provider

360 Training is an online real estate school that offers four different elective topics. Its courses and bundles range from $30-$60, making it one of the lowest cost options of the schools we reviewed. It also allows you to bundle classes for even more savings. 360 Training, therefore, is the best choice for budget-conscious NC real estate brokers who don’t require live, on-site instruction.

360 Training Pricing

Individual elective CE courses from 360 Training are usually $36, but can go on sale for $30 for limited times. It also offers a CE package which allows you to combine elective topics for $60. These are the most affordable continuing education courses in North Carolina.

360 Training Features

There are four online courses from 360 Training that count toward the North Carolina CE requirements. It also offers a CE package to combine topics. All courses are online and text-based, so you can’t visit a physical location, but you can complete the courses anywhere.

Course Offerings

There are four elective choices from 360 Training. It is also the only school on our list to offer a course bundle specifically designed for North Carolina real estate continuing education. This package allows you to combine elective topics, and only costs $60. If you would like to learn more about fair housing, environmental hazards, and liens, taxes, and foreclosures, this is your best option.

Course Format

All courses from 360 Training are online and fully comprised of text. These courses may not be the most in-depth or engaging, but they will allow you to complete your CE requirements at the lowest price. For more course format options, you may want to choose Kaplan.

Course Locations

360 Training only offers courses online, so there are no locations in North Carolina. If you would prefer to take your CE credits from a school with a North Carolina office, you would prefer Superior, Kaplan, or HPW.

360 Training Customer Support

360 Training offers an email address, phone number, and live chat for customer support. However, they are only available through these contact methods during business hours. For a faster and more accessible customer support team, you may want to try Kaplan or Superior.

What 360 Training Is Missing

360 Training doesn’t offer the NC mandatory course updates, course format choices, or instructors with its online courses. This is a great school to choose for straightforward information on one of their topics, but schools like Kaplan and Superior offer more variety.

What Users Think About 360 Training

360 Training has a 4.5 rating on Indeed and a 4.0 rating on Trustpilot, where there are many more reviews. Most student reviews said that the material was easy to understand and the system was easy to navigate. Some students also said that the courses were good, but provided more of an overview of topics instead of diving into the details. For more, visit our 360 Training review page.

HPW Real Estate School: Best for Elective CE Choices

HPW real estate school offers 16 continuing education electives courses for NC real estate brokers along with the mandatory update required by the state. While some of its courses like the mandatory update are only offered on-site, nine of the elective choices are online and range from $59-$65. HPW is the best choice for North Carolina brokers who want the most elective course topics to choose from.

HPW Pricing

The price of CE courses from HPW change depending on the course format. Live courses are $65, for both mandatory and elective courses, and online courses are $59. Although this price is slightly higher than 360 Training, OnCourse, and AYPO, it’s still more affordable than Kaplan and Superior.

HPW Features

You can take the mandatory course updates at a physical HPW location, and there are 16 total elective course topics to choose from, offered either online or in-person. Its online courses include video lessons from instructors. There are four different cities where HPW live courses are held.

Course Offerings

There are seven elective topics you can take in a live format, and nine different topic choices online. HPW offers the most elective topics out of any school on our list, so you can choose the best fit for you. HPW also offers mandatory updates for brokers and brokers in charge in live format.

Course Format

HPW offers courses in-person and online. Live courses from HPW allow you to hear lessons from an instructor, take notes, and ask questions directly. The online courses include video lessons from instructors, which can help many students stay engaged.

Course Locations

There are four locations where you can take live classes from HPW. They are in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and Dunn. Even though HPW doesn’t offer as many location choices as Superior or Kaplan, it still gives you some flexibility to find a time and place that works for you.

HPW Customer Support

You can contact HPW by email or phone during business hours. Since it is a relatively small real estate school, you can’t expect 24/7 support like you can get at Kaplan. However, many previous students have raved about the instructors and employees that they come in contact with.

What HPW Is Missing

Although HPW offers multiple course locations, a large variety of course topics, and a varied course format, its business locations aren’t very spread out. All four of the locations where it offers courses are within a few hours of each other, which makes it hard for many NC real estate brokers to have access to.

What Users Think About HPW

There are only a handful of online reviews for HPW, but almost all of them are positive. An overwhelming amount of previous students noted that the instructors at HPW went above and beyond for students and made the learning experience fun. The only negative comments were that the class hours and locations weren’t ideal.

Bottom Line

Because of the mandatory and elective course requirements in North Carolina, it can be difficult to find a convenient way to complete your CE. In order to help, we reviewed a large number of real estate schools and chose the best six based on price, course format, course offerings, course locations, customer support, and customer reviews.

Based on those criteria, Kaplan is our choice for the best overall NC real estate continuing education program. This is because of its course format variety, course topic variety, and location choices. Start completing your required coursework by visiting its website and enrolling as a student today.

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