In 2019, Pearson Vue reported that only 47% of first-time testers passed their exam to become a real estate sales associate in Florida. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and FREC, requires that students pass this exam with at least 75%. Using one of the online real estate schools in Florida can help you to pass the exam.
There are many online real estate schools ready and happy to help students pass this exam with flying colors. You just have to seek them out. Read on to find out more about what traits make up the best online real estate schools.
There are some things that students just need when looking for online Florida real estate courses. Some things to look for and/or consider include whether a course is FREC approved or not.
FREC is the Florida Real Estate Commission. They regulate the exams and requirements to become a real estate agent in Florida.
Other things a student may want to consider when looking for a school include whether the institution is online, or not. This also might determine if the classes happen live, in real-time, or if students just view pre-recorded videos. If it has a physical location that a student will be attending, they might want to look into the city, possibly Orlando or Jacksonville, and area the school is in.
Does the school have good pass rates? Do other schools have comparable offerings for a cheaper final cost? Other features, tools, or resources, such as quizzes, or class format, can be extremely useful, especially for a self-guided class.
1. Colibri Real Estate: Best Online Real Estate School In Florida
(4.9)
Colibri Real Estate offers many appealing options for the discerning student considering online real estate schools in Florida.
Course Features
They have multiple course bundles ranging from $81.90 up to $279.30. All packages include the required 63-hour course, instructor support, and 3 supplemental e-books about Real Estate.
The higher tiers include services such as exam prep, a dictionary, or specialized instructor question and answer time. The highest tiers include further tools like a print textbook. A course to guide students through the 45-hour post-licensing test is another bonus feature included with one of the advanced courses.
Colibri Real Estate’s higher tiers also offer memberships. Their basic Prep for Success program is for beginner realtors, but they also offer the 1-year “Professional Development” membership for those who are further along.
This website also offers individual courses without the extra materials and guidance of the other packages. Students looking for a very hands-off, self-motivated learning experience may wish to use these.
Pros and Cons
- Pro – Comprehensive Education: Other online Florida real estate courses don’t offer some services Colibri Real Estate does. Their courses include important adaptations that consider many easily overlooked aspects of your career, such as establishing your practice and finding clients.
- Pro – Personal Assistance: This school offers live support anytime you need it; even their lowest-priced course includes instructor feedback via email. Just like a professor in a traditional setting, the team at Colibri Real Estate is there to help you succeed.
- Pro – Excellent Instructors: Speaking of professors, it’s also impressive that their team has a humbling 80 years of experience. These leaders are the same ones available for questions from students.
Bottom Line
This school has helped over 350,000 professionals move forward in their careers to become realtors in Florida. If you’d like to join them, this is a fantastic educational resource!
(READ OUR COLIBRI REAL ESTATE REVIEW)
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2. Aceable Agent: Florida Online Real Estate School Review
(4.7)
Aceable Agent offers a basic pre-licensing real estate course for $81.90. This is a huge deal in comparison to competitors whose classes can often push upwards of $400 per course. Additionally, the impressive student reviews and reputation shows just how valuable this school is at this price.
Course Features
Aceable’s basic package includes the required FREC approved courses. All the class material and the final exam are taken online, which makes it easy for students to take the program at their own pace. While this means that the class can be finished in as little as a few weeks, it doesn’t have to be.
Aceable Agent offers many tools to users to help make learning easy and accessible. An extensive prep guide offers test tips and tricks. Additionally, many students laud Aceable’s mobile app for making it easy to access on both mobile and PC seamlessly.
Testing preparation includes assessments throughout the course. With thorough material that includes vital mathematics skills and comprehensive study guides, it’s clear that this school has high standards.
Some other features Aceable offers include the special interactivity of their classes. Pop quizzes, games, and study guides are integrated into the material to help students learn the components fully.
Aceable also boasts experienced support teams available Monday-Friday for help via email. They also have a student concierge available 7 days a week.
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Pros and Cons
- Pro – Professional Approval: This company is endorsed by Chris Heller, the former Chief of Operations of both Mello Home and Keller Williams. The accomplished businessman praised Aceable’s course as the “Only pre-license course that’s developed by Harvard Education experts.”
- Pro – Extra Assistance: On-staff mentors help students through the licensing process step-by-step. Meanwhile, realty instructors and other professionals in the industry are available for more in-depth questions during the learning process.
- Con – Vocabulary: Out of all the excellent study materials this course offers real estate students, the absence of vocabulary building resources such as flashcards or a glossary is concerning. This means you may not fully understand all the professional terminology of the real estate industry.
Bottom Line
Basic, simple, and among the cheaper options, Aceable is a great program. It stands out among the competition of real estate schools in Florida, and is one of the best options you can choose.
3. The CE Shop: Real Estate Classes Online in Florida
(4.6)
This online prep course is a great option for those in the industry looking to continue their education. As their motto says, they truly do “Innovate Career Education.”
Course Features
The CE Shop offers 3 different course tiers for those looking to get their license.
- Tier 1 includes the basic course, practice exams, and a prep guide that they claim gives students a competitive edge.
- Tier 2 includes several unique features. A course focusing on building your business and one for building a real estate business specifically. This also covers materials to help students decide if they should venture into commercial real estate as well.
- The CE Shop’s highest tier adds a course for the required 45-hour post-licensing exam.
- The CE Shop is confident that students will benefit from their online Florida real estate courses and experienced staff. So much so that all of their courses include a money-back guarantee.
- For post licensees, The CE Shop also has resources for the post-licensing course and other continued education needs. They can also help those looking to upgrade their license.
Pros and Cons
- Pro – Dashboard Design: Anyone navigating this course will recognize how well made and easy to use the dashboard is. It’s also accessible on your smartphone or iPad, although there is no official mobile app for any of those platforms.
- Pro – Unlimited Exams: Included with this course is an unlimited number of practice exams pulled from a large library of practice questions. Thanks to that you’ll always have something new to work on.
- Con – Guarantee: It’s concerning that The CE Shop doesn’t offer a pass guarantee for their lowest-priced bundle. This means you might save some money on your first purchase, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll avoid having to spend money on another course if you fail the licensing exam!
Bottom Line
Anyone interested in a test heavy course should try this one out. It’s also got great post-licensing education, so you may want to stick around after earning your Florida real estate license.
4. Prep Agent: Online Real Estate Courses in Florida
Whether you’re interested in become a sales associate or broker, Prep Agent can provide the necessary study materials to help you pass your test and start working quickly.
Course Features
- National and Florida-specific practice questions
- Sales associate and broker training
- 75+ video lectures and 70+ audio lectures
- 100+ page exam prep eBook
- Interactive vocabulary exercises
- Live and prerecorded webinars (Premium only)
Pros and Cons
- Pro – Well-Rounded Education: Signing up for Prep Agent will provide you with a very well-rounded education. You’ll know enough about the real estate practice, on both the state and national level, to be a successful broker or sales associate.
- Pro – Audio Lectures: There aren’t many online real estate schools that provide audio-only versions of their lectures, but Prep Agent happens to be one of them. This means you can easily study for your exams while focusing on other tasks or commuting.
- Con – Subscription Based: Unlike our top courses, Prep Agent requires you to pay for the length of time you need to study. This isn’t a bad deal if you plan on spending a year on prep, but their monthly and weekly prices are far higher.
Bottom Line
There are lots of great features to this online course, but it’s not the best fit if you only want to spend a few months preparing for your exam. Still, the Premium package is a great way to stay up-to-date with all the latest changes in your industry.
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5. CompuCram: Florida Online Real Estate School
CompuCram provides a course that can help you work through your test prep quickly and efficiently. However, it lacks a personal touch due to a web-based platform with minimal input from your instructors.
Course Features
- Flashcards, fill-in-the-blank, and matching questions
- Dynamic practice tests
- Compatible with mobile and tablet
- Pre-assessment and performance tracking
- Money-back guarantee
Pros and Cons
- Pro – Vocabulary Building: CompuCram primarily uses techniques to improve your vocabulary of real estate terms. This will help you pass your licensing exams, but it also helps you come across as a professional when communicating with future employers and clients.
- Pro – High Tech: Since CompuCram was designed recently, it’s easy to access on multiple devices and comes with excellent modern features. This includes their use of machine learning to provide a customized schedule and performance tracker.
- Con – Pass Rate: Although still much higher than the average, CompuCram’s advertised pass rate of approximately 86% is less impressive than our top picks. This means you have a slightly higher chance of passing on your first attempt if you choose Colibri Real Estate or The CE Shop instead.
Bottom Line
CompuCram offers a modern real estate course that can be completed at your own pace and on the device of your choosing. Although there’s limited instructor support, the vocabulary building exercises and other included resources will have a positive effect on your chances of passing.
6. Mbition: FL Real Estate License Course Review
Mbition is one of the best online real estate schools in Florida for any stage of one’s career. Their packages help you pass the required test like all the rest of course.
However, they also offer many materials for those looking to become realty appraisers or home inspectors. They even have resources for students looking to continue their Florida real estate education.
Some other opportunities include exam prep for License Broker students, post-licensing needs, and other professional development.
The basic package includes math courses, instant support, and tech support. Their intermediate package also adds exam prep and their “Pass First Time Guarantee.” For $199, the highest tier scores you a physical textbook on the course.
Like some previous schools on this list, Mbition also offers the FREC 1 course on its own for $99. All of Mbitions’ classes are Arello approved, which means they’re compliant with the state and contemporary.
Mbition’s staff have helped over 750,000 students in many stages of their careers begin and advance in the world of real estate. With their 40+ years of combined experience, they strive to guarantee their students’ success.
Mbition’s site has a comprehensive list of the state requirements to become a licensed realtor in Florida. They also have other advice about license renewal and requirements for that. You’ll find more information about these requirements at the end of this article.
7. AYPORealEstate: Online Real Estate Courses in Florida
“At Your Pace Online” Real Estate, or AYPO Real Estate, has a similar fare. Their basic package has 4.4 out of 5 stars, while the deluxe wins out at 4.8.
The latter includes practice exams, as well as a downloadable PDF file of the entire course. This can be a very handy thing to have. AYPO may be one of the more simple online real estate schools in Florida, but that shouldn’t make it any less enticing.
8. Bob Hogue School of Real Estate: Florida Real Estate License School Online
The Bob Hogue School of Real Estate is among the most expensive best online real estate schools in Florida. This school’s website provides some amazing resources for real estate students worldwide, however.
They only have 3 class options for pre-license learners. The least expensive is $245 for online classes, while a “Live Online,” or “Classroom” package is $295. (The classroom option is for students able to attend in person at the school.) All options have customer and IT support.
What makes this school impressive is that its site has a plethora of useful links all collected on its homepage. Below we will explore some of this vital information for Florida realty students.
The Bob Hogue School of Real Estate’s site has direct links to the state applications to become a sales associate, broker, instructor, or “CAM”. There are also links to find the forms for updating names and addresses or update your status as a realtor.
It also offers the phone numbers, links, and even directions to many other useful organizations for students of real estate schools in Florida. This encompasses things where and how to get required fingerprinting, FAQs, and other guides.
Even more, tools are linked to on their page, including the state license search. The page to check state application status, and to renew a pre-existing license online are found there, too.
There are also links to information like an official list of Florida real estate associations, and information about mutual recognition. Some of this information can be tricky to find without help, so it is extremely useful that Bob Hogue compiles it all in one place.
Bob Hogue also has a bookstore built into the site. Essentially anyone looking for more information on real estate in Florida should have this page bookmarked. If you need a resource, they probably have it or can direct you to it.
More Real Estate Schools In Florida
The list below contains all of the real estate schools that are located in Florida and that we believe deserve a place on our list. While not our top choices which are listed above, each of these schools has aspects that we like. Plus, we contacted each real estate school in Florida and these are the ones that had good response times:
A Plus Schools of Real Estate
Bert Rodgers Schools
Bob Fritze School-Real Estate
Climer School of Real Estate Orlando Main Campus
Cooke Real Estate School
Demetree School of Real Estate
First Coast School of Real Estate
Fitzpatrick Real Estate School
Florida Real Estate Learning Center
Gold Coast Schools
Hallmark School of Real Estate
Larson Educational Services
Magnolia School of Real Estate
Naples School of Real Estate
National Real Estate School
OneBlue Real Estate School
PERT Consulting – Florida Real Estate School
Real Estate School of Florida
Realty School 101
Rowlett Real Estate School
Sonia Galarza School of Real Estate & Appraisal Corp.
Southwest Florida School of Real Estate
Tampa School of Real Estate
TEAM Hughes Real Estate School
Tony Mesa Real Estate School Inc.
Top Choice Real Estate School
Top Producer School of Real Estate
Zenith Real Estate School
Requirements to Become a Real Estate Licensee In Florida
The base requirements to obtain a real estate license in Florida are fairly simple. To be approved a candidate must have the following qualities:
- Be 18 years of age or older, with a high school diploma or equivalent, and a US social security number.
- Sign up for and complete the 63-hour required course, and pass the final exam (the Florida Real Estate Salesperson Exam) with a score of 75% or higher.
- Get fingerprinted and pass a background check. (Please see the Bob Hogue schools site for more on where and how to achieve this.)
- Submit the application for the sales associate license. (The licensee’s broker will activate it once it is approved.)
Upon being approved, a licensee just has to complete the 45-hour post-licensing course and exam to begin working legally. The application has a fee of $83.75, and on average takes about 4-6 weeks to be approved.
The website for the Bob Hogue School includes links to submit this app via post by downloading and printing it, or online. They also provide locations and contact information for getting fingerprints done with Pearson Vue. They cite this as costing $57.25
Becoming a real estate broker requires a bit more time in the classroom. A broker has to pass a 72-hour pre-licensing course, followed by a 60-hour post-license course and exam.
The exam for a sales associate licensee can be retaken as many times as needed, at a cost of $36.75 per retake. The exam itself consists of 100 multi-choice questions and is scheduled with Pearson Vue. To take the test, students must bring the course completion slip from their school with them.
Interestingly, one does not need to be a Florida resident to become a Florida real estate agent. Due to a policy known as reciprocity, Floridian agents can become licensed in other states.
If another state has a mutual recognition agreement, then out-of-state licensees can apply without re-doing their pre-licensing course.
Florida Real Estate Commission Curriculum
FREC requires real estate schools in Florida to include core concepts in its curriculum. This curriculum covers many subjects. A taste of what this entails includes:
- An overview of the business and current state of Real Estate, Information about Real Estate, and License Law, as well as qualifications for becoming licensed.
- Violations of these, or other Federal or State laws. This also means familiarity with what happens when these laws are violated and the procedures for dealing with this.
- Rules on how to properly commission and manage one’s authorized relationships, duties, and disclosure.
- Proper procedures for real estate and/or investment brokerage. Business opportunity, brokerage property rights, and knowledge on how to use contracts accurately and correctly.
- Legal descriptions of property, including titles, deeds, ownership, and the related restrictions of these documents. Similarly, taxes that affect real estate.
- Full comprehension of mortgages, various types of mortgages, and other sources of financing like loans. This also includes math skills and other training required to close transactions.
- Planning and Zoning Laws and, how to analyze and appraise the current real estate market.
Continued Education and License Renewal
Every 2 years, a licensee must renew. This occurs either on March 31st or September 30th depending on when the licensee got their license originally. It will say on the license.
To renew, one just has to take a 14 hour CE requirement class. This consists of 3 core aspects and can be done in a traditional classroom environment or via a distance education provider.
This class includes 8 hours of specialty credit and a 3-hour update on Florida laws. It also means a 3-hour class on ethics and business practices.