6 Best Online Real Estate Schools in California in 2023

A walk-through of California Realty Training student’s dashboard (Source: California Realty Training)

• Accreditation: California Department of Real Estate (DRE).
• Refund/cancellation policy: Students have 14 days to cancel for a refund, less a $30 administration fee.
• Pass guarantee: A minimum score of 80% on five consecutive 150-question practice exams. You must take the state exam within five days from the last practice exam with a minimum score of 80%.
• Customizable e-books: Allows you to highlight, search, make notes, and draw.
• Job assistance: Provides student job assistance with select brokerages.
• Exam logs: Contains a score breakdown, helping students know which topics they should focus on.

California Realty Training has excellent reviews, with a score of 4.9 out of 5. Students raved about the instructors, especially the crash course review for exam prep. One student noted that he loved the platform’s setup and complete-as-you-go feature, which increased his confidence while taking the state exam.

On the other hand, one student wished that California Realty Training offered an in-person program rather than online and that they included an audio version of the book for students who prefer listening over reading. If you’re looking for study aids that include audio and video lessons, consider Colibri Real Estate.

Salesperson prelicensing education to become a real estate agent is provided in three tiered packages, each adding features as the price increases, and broker prelicensing is available as individual classes or one package. For students who need to renew their licensing, there are two CE packages for the same price, and the exam prep is offered as crash courses with online, self-paced, and livestream formats.

Real estate coaching program (Source: Colibri Real Estate)

• Accreditations: Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) and International Distance Education Certification Center (IDECC).
• Refund/cancellation policy: Students have 30 days from purchase to cancel for a full refund.
• Pass or Don’t Pay guarantee: Send us your exam failure notice, and they will reimburse the original cost of a full prelicensing or exam prep package. Additional terms and conditions apply.
• Real estate coaching and training: Exclusive free career training and coaching through Buffini & Company.
• Smart Bites: Colibri Real Estate’s teaching methodology to aid students in knowledge retention.
• Learning Management System (LMS): Allows students to navigate their dashboard and track progress quickly.
• Course access: Enables students to extend their course access at a cost for up to 60 days.

Colibri Real Estate has a 4.1 out of 5 customer satisfaction rating. Students appreciated the flexibility of its self-paced online real estate courses and found them simple to follow and comprehend. According to one user, the representatives were helpful if you have questions, and students were assigned a teacher for specific real estate questions.

However, some users complained that the learning materials have many typos, differ from the final exam, and are outdated. It does not provide in-person training, and some people find it easier to grasp real estate concepts in a classroom setting. If that sounds like you, consider Kaplan, which includes livestream classes and interactive study groups in nearly all its packages.

Prelicensing and exam prep offer tiered package pricing, with each upgrade packed with additional features. Continuing education can be taken as solo classes, or students can purchase a package or CE Plus membership.

*Offered through McKissock Learning

Kaplan’s real estate online continuing education course demo (Source: Kaplan)

• Accreditations: ARELLO, IDECC, and DRE.
• Kaplan faculty: Includes practicing real estate brokers, attorneys, appraisers, mortgage experts, certified public accountants (CPAs), writers of real estate literature, and advisers on pending real estate legislation.
• Refund/cancellation policy: Eligible for a refund within 30 days of purchase.
• Virtual classroom exam proctoring: Allows students to take the final exam in Kaplan’s virtual classroom on the student’s LMS platform.
• Course access and extension policy: Allows students up to six-month course access and extend course up to 90 days for an additional fee.

Kaplan has a 4.5 out of 5 customer satisfaction rating. Multiple reviewers praised the expertise of the instructors, stating that the multiple memory aides, explanations, and analogies are captivating. They said it helped them retain the necessary points to pass their state exam.

One student was unhappy with the platform and said it had glitches that can reset what you’re working on. Another student reported that the curriculum doesn’t match what is on their state exam. Another student stated that the courses are expensive for what you receive. Check out Colibri Real Estate or The CE Shop if you want lower pricing.

Kaplan offers complete 135-hour salesperson prelicensing courses with tiered pricing and 360-hour broker prelicensing programs. It provides numerous continuing education choices in various course formats and six exam prep options, each for the salesperson or broker prelicensing practice.

The CE Shop Exam Prep Edge (Source: The CE Shop)

• Accreditation: ARELLO.
• Refund/cancellation policy: No refunds for any reason.
• Custom LEAP 2.0 platform: Provides intuitive dashboards that gauge students’ competency.
• Free trial: Five-day free trial on selected prelicensing courses.
• Exam prep edge: Includes a free initial assessment and complete exams.
• State-approved curriculum: Developed by highly experienced and knowledgeable real estate professionals.

Users find The CE Shop platform intuitive and easy to navigate, and students love the self-paced class format. Another user noted that the course content and setup are conducive to a practical learning experience. As a result, The CE Shop acquired a 4.2 out of 5 customer review rating.

Other students reported having issues with customer service communication. A student claimed that the support team hadn’t responded when she asked for assistance and asserted that the platform deleted many exams she took even though she bought extensions. If you’re looking for a school with highly rated customer service representatives and access to online trainers, check out California Realty Training.

The CE Shop salesperson prelicensing courses are offered as four different tiered packages, each adding features as the price increases. Its broker prelicensing is provided as three 115-hour packages, two of which are mandatory. Its continuing education options include first, second, and subsequent renewal with customizable packages or individual classes. The Exam Prep Edge is available for both salesperson and broker prelicensing.

Accessibility from all devices (Source: California School of Real Estate)

• Accreditation: DRE.
• Refund/cancellation policy: Proof of cancellation must be received within 10 days from the date the returned materials are received. When the school receives the materials, the course fee paid will be refunded within seven days, minus a 20% fee. Damaged materials will result in further deductions.
• Money-back guarantee: Provides a 200% double your money-back guarantee if you fail the exam.
• Accessibility: California School of Real Estate interface is available on all devices.
• Instructor access: Provides a free consultation with the head instructor and one-on-one coaching and training.
• Add hardcopy versions: Includes an exam review guide booklet, practice testing booklet with 900 Q&As, and lightning review CD.

California School of Real Estate has a 4.8 out of 5 rating, showing that users are satisfied and love the highly experienced and knowledgeable instructors. Students also praise the affordable course pricing and flexible class hours that enable them to study anywhere, at any time.

Some students are unhappy, stating that the materials are outdated and don’t match the exam. Other students say that they wished the programs had more comprehensive features. If you wish to have all the features mentioned earlier, consider Kaplan for its comprehensive licensing courses, learning formats, and study aids.

There are three single-priced options: salesperson prelicensing, continuing education, and exam prep. The broker prelicensing is offered as individual classes with decreasing prices as you buy more classes (up to eight).

Example of Aceable Agent pop-up questions (Source: Aceable Agent)

• Accreditation: DRE,
• Refund/cancellation policy: 30 days from the date of purchase.
• Interactive learning: Includes advanced video technology that keeps students engaged and helps them retain information better,
• Mastery tracking feature: Tracks course progress and identifies areas for improvement,
• Slide-based lessons: Allows students to move through the materials quickly, answer course questions, watch videos, and pause when necessary,
• Student support: Provides a student concierge team and private tutoring,

Aceable Agent has a 4.9 out of 5 rating for the organization and convenience of courses. Customers liked that they could be completed anywhere. One student said that Aceable Agent provides a highly engaging and stimulating presentation of course material, which helped them keep their focus.

A few customers didn’t enjoy the supplemental materials included in the course. One user reported that the review handouts did not cover some vital material for the exam, so if you’re looking for more robust downloadable content, look at The CE Shop.

Aceable Agent offers three tiered prelicensing courses. Its simple and affordable packages provide three options, including the 135-hour courses to fulfill California real estate prelicensing requirements.

California real estate school costs depend on which program you choose and the features it offers to its students. For prelicensing education, you can expect to pay from $129 to $499.

An online real estate course can be completed in under a month, depending on the type of learning you choose. If you take scheduled in-person or livestream courses, it will depend on the course schedule. Online self-study courses can be completed at your own pace.

Many online real estate prelicensing courses require a minimum score of 70% on the final practice exam to receive your completion certificate. Some may require a score of 80% or higher. This is for your benefit so that you will be prepared for the state exam.