Top 5 Online Real Estate Schools in Michigan
Buying a house is the biggest financial decision for most people. That’s why government regulators want to make sure that whoever helps you buy or sell a house can be trusted. Requiring real estate agents to obtain a license holds them accountable while keeping the public safe.
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) is the state agency that oversees and enforces the real estate licensing requirements. In order to obtain a real estate license, they require you to complete 40 hours of approved pre-license classes as well as pass the salesperson’s exam at a designated testing center. Once you get your license, you will need to pick a broker of your choice to be able to work on real estate transactions.
Fortunately, it’s a simple process to get a real estate license. In fact, most people getting into the industry have no previous real estate experience and are already working full-time jobs. The hardest part will be trying to find the best real estate school. Here is a list of the top 5 online real estate schools that we have found in Michigan that will set you up for success.
Best for Getting the Most Value
Real Estate Express is the current market leader in real estate education. They have more of everything than any other school. They have more courses in more states, more exam prep, and more instructors on staff.
You get to choose from four different packages. They all contain the required 40-hour online course, which is text-based. You get 6 months to pass all the quizzes and final exam. If you want extra exam prep and support, they are available with the more expensive packages. If you want to study out of a hardcopy book, you can get that with the top package called Ultimate Learning.
Real Estate Express has a solid program. They don’t do anything particularly innovative. Everything is just your run-of-the-mill online course and practice tests. However, they do offer a lot of options that allow you to create a program that is tailored to your specific needs. With promotions going on all the time, they are worth a look.
Perfect for Busy People
Aceable Agent is one of the newest real estate schools on the scene. While they are still a small school with programs in just seven states, they have been quietly using technology to disrupt the way people learn. They are the only real estate provider with a dedicated mobile app that you can download to your phone, making studying on the go a snap. The content inside of the courses has been written by successful real estate agents who are out in the field closing actual real estate transactions, not instructors who sit behind a desk all day.
What really sets them apart is their all-in-one solution package. Other schools will have multiple packages for you to choose from. Aceable Agent has decided to supply you with everything already built in. With their one package, you won’t need to purchase any additional exam prep, and it is covered by their Ace The Test Guarantee, which says they will give you all your money back if you don’t pass the state exam.
With over 1,000 reviews giving them a score of 4.7 out of 5 points possible, Aceable Agent is our clear favorite for getting your real estate license in Michigan.
Perfect for Learning from the Best
Kaplan is a household name when it comes to education. They have been around for almost a hundred years and have over a million students in 28 different countries. They provide a premium service, but it comes with premium pricing. In fact, they are the only real estate school that doesn’t ever discount their courses.
A big part why people have been so successful with Kaplan’s real estate program is that it includes their proprietary QBank exam prep and Interactive Study Groups. The QBank is an online practice test engine that covers both the national and state portions of the salesperson’s exam. You can use it to simulate nearly any testing environment imaginable. The Interactive Study Groups are live webinar sessions scheduled at specific times and on specific dates. It is intended to make distance learning feel more like a classroom, where you can join faculty and other students in discussing engaging topics. They help reinforce key concepts that you have learned and allow you to ask questions.
Perfect for Preparing for the State Exam
OnCourse Learning is one of the biggest schools in the nation. They are specifically focused on the real estate industry, but they do offer courses in home inspection and appraisal as well. Their program is pretty much what you would expect from an online school.
What sets them apart is their proprietary exam prep called PrepxL. This powerful tool tracks how you are doing in each category and targets the areas you are struggling in by drilling you with quizzes. You won’t have to waste your time taking practice tests in the areas you are already doing well in.
OnCourse Learning gives you three package options to get the Michigan real estate license. The Silver package only gets you the required 40-hour online course. You can add on the PrepxL exam prep by upgrading to the next package called the Gold Solution. If you want to get hardcopy books to go along with the online reading, they are available in the Platinum package. This package also includes additional video exam prep that you can watch online to help you study for the state exam.
Perfect for People Who Love to Learn
The CE Shop has built a comprehensive platform for obtaining a Michigan real estate license. In fact, they even have a name for it called the LEAP system. While this program is 100% online-only, it is constantly being updated in order to keep up with current market trends.
What differentiates The CE Shop from other schools is that they really stress understanding the material. They are thorough in their approach and quiz you in multiple ways and from every angle. If you have questions, they have support available 7 days a week.
There are no shortcuts here. You will genuinely need to know the material in order to move on to the next section. Although this will take you longer to finish the courses, you will be armed with more knowledge than at any other school. They do give you a free one-month extension, on top of the 6 months of regular course access, for a total of 7 months to complete everything.
