If you’re a current or prospective real estate agent, finding a source for continuing education necessary for your career is crucial. Of course, when you begin exploring the variety of schools available, you may quickly become overwhelmed with the number of choices.
From online real estate schools to local education centers with online offerings…every source varies in features, benefits, and educational value. Even more, every agent or student may have different learning styles and preferences.
To help, the leaders in real estate education at NCI have compiled this ultimate guide. Here, we’ll dive deep into the most popular online real estate schools and see how they compare to NCI, and more.
Online real estate schools are the modern gateway to becoming a real estate professional, offering state-approved licensing courses to fulfill the educational requirements for taking the real estate licensing exam. From there, you can also receive continuing education that’s necessary for maintaining your license.
One key term from above is “state-approved”. Each state's requirements vary to become a real estate agent, and stay one.
However, the most prominent educational players include brands that operate nationally, like the CE Shop, Kaplan Real Estate Education, and Real Estate Express. Next, we’ll break down each school's features compared to those at NCI, a local Michigan educational provider, to help you decide which is right for you.
The real estate school you select for your education will significantly affect your overall success.
To help, here’s a breakdown of the most essential features and what to expect of other schools compared to NCI.
In regard to course content and curriculum, NCI offers an industry-aligned approach that emphasizes practical knowledge alongside required coursework. While other schools like the CE Shop and Kaplan rely heavily on textbook material, that can be outdated or not specific to the Michigan market.
Their coursework combines foundational real estate principles with contemporary market insights, though they offer fewer specialty courses compared to Real Estate Express's extensive catalog. NCI's practical focus helps students bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and actual real estate practice, incorporating current market trends and industry developments into their lessons.
NCI, like other online real estate schools, maintains standing with all the appropriate accreditations and state approvals for licensing, like LARA in Michigan. NCI’s curriculum meets all regulatory requirements and undergoes regular reviews to ensure compliance with state-specific guidelines.
While all reputable schools must maintain state approval to operate, NCI distinguishes itself by working closely with state commissions to rapidly integrate regulatory changes into their curriculum, ensuring students always learn the most current requirements for their market.
When it comes to value, NCI strives to offer quality education at a cost-effective price to further the education and livelihood of fellow real estate professionals. Their single classes range in cost from $45-$50, whether offered in person or online, while licensing packages are priced around $300, in range with other institutions.
NCI distinguishes itself by including exam prep materials and study guides without additional fees, unlike Kaplan's model of charging separately for these resources. Their transparent pricing structure features regular promotional discounts and comprehensive bundles that combine pre-licensing, exam prep, and professional development tools. This offers overall better value than seemingly cheaper alternatives that require multiple add-on purchases.
NCI allows students to embrace their self-paced learning model while still offering live elements or in-person educational opportunities. This strikes a balance other national schools like Kaplan and The CE Store can’t provide, with unmatched flexibility and structured support.
Unlike Kaplan's heavily instructor-led approach or Real Estate Express's purely self-guided format, NCI offers a hybrid system where students can progress independently while accessing scheduled webinars and Q&A sessions.
…Who do you want to learn from as a future real estate agent? Someone paid to just simply teach a class or a passionate team driven by their own experience and expertise? NCI offers one of the highest-quality experiences to current and future real estate professionals with more hands-on instructors driven by your success.
By choosing NCI as your chosen school, you’ll give your career the advantage of top-quality continuing education for optimal career advancement.
Selecting the right online real estate school is a deeply personal decision that should align with your individual circumstances and career aspirations. Before committing to a program, reflect on your learning preferences, lifestyle demands, and professional goals. Investing in your real estate education sets the foundation for your future career, making choosing a platform that resonates with your needs is crucial.
Simply put, if you’re in Michigan, it’s NCI over everybody when it comes to online real estate schools and continuing education. At NCI, our only focus is Michigan real estate law and practice, meaning students are afforded a highly targeted education for the communities and areas in which they’ll serve.
With a physical location and robust online offerings, NCI is well-suited for any Michigan student looking to start, improve, or grow their real estate career. View the current schedule to enroll now, selecting from live webinars and classroom courses or self-paced online offerings.
Want to learn more about real estate education? Check out our complete blog for even more resources, and guides, browse our FAQs, or get in touch to get more information from our team directly.
However, fulfilling the promise of a successful real estate future requires the right choices at the right times. The most important decision to make right now? Where you’ll begin — or continue — your real estate training. NCI Associates, Ltd. remains your intelligent choice for Michigan Real Estate Classes.
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