To renew your real estate agent or broker license in Massachusetts, you need to complete 12 hours of continuing education courses every two years. Each real estate school offers a different method of learning, so we chose the best Massachusetts real estate continuing education courses based on price, reviews, course format, and course variety.
Real Estate Continuing Education MA: Top 6 Schools 2019
Continuing Education Classes and Schools MA | Best for |
|---|---|
(Best overall) Agents and brokers who want high-quality education via video | |
Agents and brokers who want to choose between live and online classes | |
Agents and brokers who want a money-back guarantee | |
Agents and brokers looking for extra career resources with their CE credits | |
Agents and brokers who want an ethics course to meet both CE and NAR requirements | |
Agents and brokers looking for the most affordable courses |
How We Evaluated MA Continuing Education Classes & Schools
Instead of creating specific mandatory continuing education (CE) courses, the Massachusetts Board of Real Estate requires agents/brokers to complete courses in various subjects. However, there are many to choose from. To offer you the best choices, we evaluated many schools and chose the best based on criteria like price, format, course variety, and reviews.
These are the criteria used to evaluate the best Massachusetts continuing education courses:
- Price: The cost for individual CE courses and packages in Massachusetts can vary significantly—from $10 for an individual course to $125 for a full CE package. We considered the value being presented for each school’s price.
- Customer reviews: Although customer reviews can be mixed, we made sure the schools included on our list were able to satisfy customers. You can see more about what students thought of each school below.
- Course format: There is a large variety of course formats offered by the schools on our list. We favored schools that offer classes online, on video, and in person to accommodate students with different learning styles.
- Course variety: Although not all schools offer a large selection of classes, we preferred those that offer a wide array of courses specifically for CE.
- Customer service: As students work on completing CE credits, they will likely have questions. Therefore, we examined each school’s customer service, including when it is available and on what channels it is offered, such as by phone or email, for example.
Based on the criteria above, we found that New England Real Estate Academy is the best overall choice for CE courses in Massachusetts. The on-demand videos make course completion for busy professionals while access to the course instructor means students can get questions answered easily and quickly.
New England Real Estate Academy: Best Overall Real Estate Continuing Education MA
New England Real Estate Academy is an online real estate school offering Massachusetts real estate continuing education packages for $40. All online courses are made of video lessons from an expert. With this foundation, New England Real Estate Academy is best for agents and brokers who learn best from video and want the expertise of a seasoned professional.
New England Real Estate Academy Pricing
There are three 12-hour package options to choose from at New England Academy, and they are each $40. It also offers an à la carte option, which allows you to choose exactly which classes you want and any number of hours, and you pay accordingly; pricing starts at $20 for two credits.
New England Academy is the only Massachusetts real estate continuing education school to offer a price match guarantee. If you find a 12-hour package for a lower price, it will match it.
New England Real Estate Academy Features
New England Real Estate Academy’s online courses are comprised of video lessons. You’ll hear from an expert instructor, who also owns the school, and you can contact her with any questions. It also offers three 12-hour package options and 10 individual courses from which to choose. Additionally, you can set up in-person classes at your location.
Course Format
All courses and packages from New England real estate academy are made up of video lessons. There is only one instructor who you will see in the videos, and she has more than 30 years of experience in real estate and is also available for questions via email. Most online CE classes are made up of text documents with no access to an instructor, so New England’s courses are much more engaging.
Although there is no mobile app, you can access your video from any device that has internet access. If you stop a lesson in the middle of a video, it will pick up immediately where you left off. If you would rather choose a school with a mobile app, you may prefer Freedom Trail.
Course Variety
New England Academy offers three different packages, which is the largest selection of all the schools on our list. There are also 10 individual classes that you can purchase via à la carte pricing, which makes New England Academy one of the best real estate continuing education schools for course variety.
Its course topics range from “Appraisal Process,” to “Commercial Real Estate Basics,” and it has a full course on tax-deferred exchanges. You can see more details about what is discussed in each class in the course details online.
Unique Offerings
Although New England Real Estate Academy doesn’t offer live classes at its office, you can set up private in-person CE courses. The instructor will come to your office and teach continuing education courses. If you own a brokerage, this could be an extremely beneficial event to offer to your agents. However, if you’d rather go to a live class as a single agent, AREA would be a better choice.
New England Real Estate Academy Customer Service
You can contact New England Real Estate Academy by phone seven days of the week. It is also available by email, online form, and on its social media pages like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The CE Shop is the only other school that is open seven days of the week.
What New England Real Estate Academy Is Missing
The only thing New England Real Estate doesn’t offer is scheduled continuing education courses in its office. It offers live prelicensing courses for agents and brokers at various locations, but not for continuing education. If you want a live lecture from its instructor, you would have to set up the classes and location yourself.
What Users Think About New England Real Estate Academy
New England Real Estate Academy has the highest number of reviews on Facebook, where it has a 4.9 rating. Students say that the courses both online and in-person are well-organized, clear, and make it easy to stay engaged.
Where to Find New England Real Estate Academy
New England Real Estate Academy is best for agents and brokers who want continuing education courses in video format instead of text. The price match guarantee, customer service, and outstanding customer reviews are even more reasons to make New England Real Estate Academy your choice for CE. You can read more about its courses here.
Visit New England Real Estate Academy
American Real Estate Academy: Best for Choice of Class Format
American Real Estate Academy (AREA) offers real estate continuing education courses for Massachusetts agents and brokers. Its online courses are $10 each, $30 for a 12-hour package, and $125 for 12 hours of live instruction. Because of this format diversity, AREA is best for professionals who want to choose between live instruction or online classes.
American Real Estate Academy Pricing
If you choose to take AREA’s online courses, it will cost $30 for the 12-hour package and only $10 for each two-hour individual class. However, the pricing for in-person classes is very different; you can only purchase the live lectures as a 12-hour package, and it’s $125.
Its online courses have some of the most affordable prices in the state. If you only need to make up a few credit hours, AREA can help you do that. While its live classes are a significantly higher cost, the availability of an instructor can be worth the cost.
American Real Estate Academy Features
AREA offers some online courses that can be purchased individually, or as part of two 12-hour packages. Its in-person courses are either six hours or 12. AREA is also rolling out a program so you can review the live course topics in a video format, although there’s no date currently listed for this feature online.
Course Format
AREA’s online, two-credit courses are very affordable and allow you to get them done at your convenience. They consist of high-definition video lessons that are mobile-friendly, so you can watch them on any device. However, the live classes can be done more quickly, because they are offered in one day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It also offers six-hour packages, but you must call its office for availability and price.
Course Variety
There are a total of 18 different class topics offered by AREA. You can purchase six classes individually, or one of two packages with six different classes each. This does not give you quite as many individual course choices as New England Academy but still gives you three choices to complete your CE requirements.
A few general class topics include landlord and tenant issues, environmental issues, short sales, and zoning and building codes. It also has a course about new residential construction. Although it does offer many course options, Keep Me Certified offers even more.
Unique Offerings
Although you cannot take video or audio recordings of the live classes from AREA, it is in the process of creating course review videos. After your class ends, you can go back and watch these videos to review some of the topics and questions covered in class. Even though there’s no date currently listed online for the rollout of this feature, you should keep your eye out for updates.
American Real Estate Academy Customer Service
You can contact AREA by phone, email, online form, Facebook, or at its Weston office. It responds to online forms within 24 hours. If you are enrolled in a class, you will be able to direct your questions to the instructor.
What American Real Estate Academy Is Missing
AREA does not have different class schedules to choose from. While a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. class can be very effective, it may not fit everyone’s schedule. Even though it offers 18 different course topics, you can only purchase them as predetermined packages. For more package choices, you should check out New England Real Estate Academy.
What Users Think About American Real Estate Academy
AREA has almost all 5-star reviews on Facebook, with most users expressing how helpful and engaging their instructor was. Some users on Yelp have said that their instructor went off-topic, but others appreciated the combination of real-life experiences and coursework. For more information, read our AREA reviews page.
Where to Find American Real Estate Academy
AREA is the best choice for agents and brokers who want to choose between live and online courses for their real estate continuing education. For more information on AREA’s course offerings, click here.
Visit American Real Estate Academy (AREA)
Keep Me Certified: Best for Money-back Guarantee
Keep Me Certified is an online school that offers real estate CE courses in 10 states. Its CE packages are $29 for 12 hours, and it is the only school to offer a money-back guarantee before course completion. With this backing, Keep Me Certified is best for agents and brokers who want to protect its investment in CE coursework.
Keep Me Certified Pricing
The real estate continuing education MA courses offered by Keep Me Certified are $10 individually or $29 for a 12-hour package. If you are unsatisfied with your courses for any reason, you can get a money-back guarantee. You must submit your request before you receive your completion certificate.
Keep Me Certified is one of the most affordable real estate schools on our list. If you’d like to pick and choose exactly which classes to take, it will only cost you $60 to complete all CE credits. While this is more expensive than the package option, it’s still extremely affordable. Freedom Trail Realty is the only school to offer a less expensive package at $25.
Keep Me Certified Features
All courses and packages from Keep Me Certified are online and mobile-friendly. It offers two different 12-hour CE packages and 15 individual course options. It also offers a professional development course for additional career support.
Course Format
Online courses from Keep Me Certified are in video format. It is also mobile-friendly, so you can take them on any Apple or Android device. Videos can be stopped in the middle and will be picked up where you left off. However, it does not offer guidance from a real estate expert like the videos at New England Real Estate Academy.
Course Variety
Keep Me Certified has more course options than any other school on our list. There are two different 12-hour packages to choose from and 15 individual courses. Topics range from “Selling the Sun,” which addresses solar photovoltaics (solar panels), to “Dual Agency,” which helps agents represent the buyer and seller in the same transaction.
Unique Offerings
If you’re interested in further guidance to help you start your career well, Keep Me Certified offers one professional development course. “Principles in Practice” is a three-and-a-half-hour course that walks Massachusetts real estate agents through a real estate transaction.
Keep Me Certified Customer Service
Keep Me Certified is one of the only schools to offer live chat. It also has a Facebook page where you can send a message but, unfortunately, those are the only forms of contact offered. For a school with much more availability, you may want to try New England Real Estate Academy.
What Keep Me Certified Is Missing
Keep Me Certified is missing courses in different formats. Also, it only has two methods to contact them, which would be difficult if there was an urgent request. If you’d prefer a school with more accessible customer service, try New England Real Estate School or The CE Shop.
What Users Think About Keep Me Certified
There are very few online reviews about Keep Me Certified School of Real Estate. The few students who left a review stated that the software was simple and convenient and that the conversational videos were easy to follow.
Where to Find Keep Me Certified
Keep Me Certified is the best choice for professionals who want a money-back guarantee for their Massachusetts real estate continuing education classes. You can see more about the classes here.
McKissock Learning: Best for Career Resources
McKissock Learning is an online real estate school that partners with Real Estate Express, offering CE in many states. Its real estate continuing education MA package is $99, and it offers a monthly CE membership for $88 that includes resources like discounts, job aids, and webinar training. With these assets, McKissock is best for professionals looking for extra career resources.
McKissock Learning Pricing
McKissock’s Massachusetts real estate continuing education package is $99, which is a higher price than many other schools on our list. However, its high-quality education and partnership with Real Estate Express are very valuable. If you want a school that offers the most affordable CE package, check out Freedom Trail.
McKissock Learning Features
The real estate continuing education MA courses from McKissock are all online and on-demand. There are six individual courses to choose from, one 12-hour package, and a monthly CE membership. It also offers career resources via noncredit classes and membership perks.
Course Format
All continuing education courses from McKissock are online and on-demand. They are made of text documents and include some pictures. If you would rather take engaging video courses from an expert, New England Real Estate Academy might be a better option.
Course Variety
McKissock offers six different courses for Massachusetts real estate continuing education, and they are all included in the $99 package. Topics covered include “Fair Housing” and “Massachusetts Real Estate License Law and Regulations.” It also offers unique course topics like “Residential Mortgage Loan Market and Credit Today.”
Additionally, you can purchase each course individually, so if you only need to complete a few credit hours for your CE requirements, you can choose from the six available courses. For a school with more course options, you might prefer Keep Me Certified.
Unique Offerings
McKissock is the best school to look for extra career resources. It offers three interesting noncredit courses: “Social Media Success in Under 15 Minutes Per Day,” “Run Your Business on Google and the Cloud,” and “Goldmine Pipeline,” which is a live webinar.
Students can also sign up for a monthly CE membership from McKissock. It is currently $88 per month, and it gives you access to all CE courses in your state as well as education specialists, a webinar library, how-to videos, more than 100 job aids, and product and service discounts.
McKissock Learning Customer Service
If you have a question, you can post it directly on the Massachusetts CE course page, and a customer service representative will answer it. You can check that page or the frequently asked questions (FAQs) page for previously asked questions, or contact them by phone, email, or online form. They usually get back to students within 24 hours.
What McKissock Learning Is Missing
McKissock only has six choices for course topics. You also don’t receive access to an instructor for questions about the course or the topic. Keep Me Certified offers many more courses to choose from. If you’d rather be able to talk to an instructor in person, you should choose AREA or New England Real Estate Academy.
What Users Think About McKissock Learning
Since McKissock allows students to ask questions and write unbiased reviews right on its course pages, the best feedback is available here. Most users have said that courses are thorough, detailed, and have quizzes that help them stay on track. A few negative reviews stated that they wished there was more detail. Read more on our McKissock reviews page.
Where to Find McKissock Learning
McKissock Learning is the best choice for Massachusetts real estate agents and brokers who want extra career resources and support. You can read more details about its CE package and monthly membership here.
The CE Shop: Best for Members of NAR
The CE Shop is an online school offering Massachusetts real estate continuing education courses. Its 12-hour package is $99 and includes an ethics course to fulfill requirements for the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The CE Shop is the best choice for agents and brokers who want to complete their CE and NAR requirements simultaneously.
The CE Shop Pricing
The CE Shop offers one package that fulfills the real estate continuing education MA requirements, and it’s $99. Its courses are $19 each, except for the Ethics course for the NAR, which is $10.
The 12-hour package from The CE Shop is one of the higher prices on our list, but it would be a great deal for NAR members looking to complete the association’s required ethics course. If you’re looking for more affordable options, you might prefer Freedom Trail or Keep Me Certified.
The CE Shop Features
All courses offered from The CE Shop are online and in text format. It has eight individual courses for Massachusetts real estate continuing education, and one 12-hour package. It also offers a referral program when you refer a friend to any of its courses.
Course Format
The CE Shop only offers online courses, and they are made up of text documents with a limited number of pictures. If you would rather learn from video courses, you should choose New England Real Estate Academy or Keep Me Certified. For live courses, AREA is the best choice.
Course Variety
There are a total of eight courses from The CE Shop that count towards your real estate continuing education MA requirements. With the 12-hour package, you are automatically enrolled in six of them. It offers topics like “Conducting Open Houses and Developing a Safety Plan” to help agents protect themselves during showings.
Unique Offerings
The CE Shop also offers the Code of Ethics course required for Realtors. If you purchase the 12-hour package, it is already included. You can also buy it individually for only $10.
Additionally, The CE Shop is one of the only online real estate schools in the country with a referral program. If you refer a friend to The CE Shop, they can get 35% off of their purchase, and you can receive $10 to $25, depending on their purchase. You have plenty of opportunities to refer to because it also offers prelicensing, post-licensing, and exam prep courses.
The CE Shop Customer Service
You can contact The CE Shop by phone, email, or live chat. For customer support, they are available during office hours, but its tech support is available 24/7. The only other school on our list that is available seven days a week is New England Real Estate Academy, but they are not available 24/7. The CE Shop is the most accessible school for tech support.
What The CE Shop Is Missing
The CE Shop does not give you access to an instructor for questions on the course content. Although the content of its courses is very informative, it’s made up completely of text. If you are a visual learner or find it difficult to read large blocks of text, this school is probably not the best choice. Consider one of the video-based education options instead.
What Users Think About The CE Shop
On Trustpilot, The CE Shop has almost all 5-star reviews. This is especially notable since its courses have been taken and reviewed by thousands of real estate professionals all around the country. Many users have noted that, even though the courses are made up of text, The CE Shop breaks down the concepts to make it easy to follow.
Where to Find The CE Shop
The CE Shop is best for Massachusetts real estate agents and brokers who are a part of the NAR since its package makes it easy to fulfill all association and CE requirements. You can read more details about The CE Shop and its courses on its website.
Freedom Trail Realty School: Best for Affordable Courses
Freedom Trail Realty School is a Massachusetts real estate school offering six courses to complete your CE requirements for only $24.99. It offers high-quality, mobile-friendly video courses through a service called Continue Me. At its price point, Freedom Trail Realty is the best school for agents and brokers who want the most affordable option.
Freedom Trail Pricing
All six of Freedom Trail’s courses make up its real estate continuing education MA package, which is only $24.99. While it doesn’t offer courses individually, this is the lowest price you’ll find for Massachusetts continuing education.
Freedom Trail Features
The online courses from Freedom Trail are unique because you get to watch an instructor go through the CE material live, and you can do it on its mobile app. It only offers six courses, which cannot be changed or purchased individually, but they make up the required 12 credit hours.
Course Format
All of Freedom Trail’s courses are online. It is the only school to offer continuing education as a live, online class with a video of an instructor. It’s similar to the format of a webinar. If you miss the live class, you can go back and watch the class on demand. Freedom Trail is also the only school to offer an app, which makes it easy to watch your classes on any device.
Course Variety
Unfortunately, Freedom Trail has limited course variety. You cannot purchase courses individually or pick the courses within your package. Also, it only offers the six courses that make up its 12-hour package. However, the affordable price, unique class format, and mobile app makes them attractive to many students.
Freedom Trail offers a few unique course topics, like “National Economic Trends,” “Brokerage Relationships,” and “Financing.” You can see a very detailed outline for each course on its website. For even more course choices, check out AREA.
Unique Offerings
Along with the unique class format offered my Freedom Trail Realty, it also has an online app. This app is called Continue Me and allows you to take your Massachusetts real estate continuing education courses on any device at any time. You can also switch devices in the middle of a course, and the app will keep track of your progress.
Freedom Trail Customer Service
The only way to contact a Freedom Trail representative is through the online chat on its website. Although this method is available 24/7, you aren’t guaranteed to get a response for 24 hours. If you ask your question during business hours, it’s possible to get a response in a matter of minutes.
Even though Freedom Trail offers fewer contact options than New England Academy, its customer service and access to a live instructor makes them one of the most available and helpful schools.
What Freedom Trail Is Missing
Freedom Trail is missing more course options. Once you purchase its package, there are no other classes or packages to choose from for your CE credits. For a school with more course options, try AREA.
What Users Think About Freedom Trail
There are many customer reviews on Yelp and Freedom Trail’s Facebook page, and it has very high ratings on both. Users express how knowledgeable the instructors are and how they made the continuing education coursework engaging and easy to follow. The very few negative reviews were from students who did not understand the class format before purchasing the courses.
Where to Find Freedom Trail
Freedom Trail is best for agents who want to complete the 12 hours of real estate continuing education MA requirements for the lowest price. You can read more details and register for the course package on the Freedom Trail website.
Bottom Line: Real Estate Continuing Education MA
It can be hard to find the right school for your real estate continuing education MA requirements because of the varying prices and course formats. To help you find the best ones, we reviewed more than a dozen and chose the best six based on price, course format, course variety, customer reviews, and customer service.
Given these criteria, our pick for the best overall Massachusetts real estate continuing education course provider is New England Real Estate Academy. Its affordable prices, à la carte options, and high-quality video courses provide you with an easy, convenient, and engaging way to complete your CE requirements and grow your real estate business. Learn more about New England Real Estate Academy.
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