Do you have what it takes to be a real estate salesperson in Massachusetts?
Several characteristics make for successful real estate salespeople, such as being honest and having integrity. Excellent communication and negotiation skills are also a must.
But you have to know what to communicate. And you need to know what to negotiate. Knowledge about the industry is just as valuable as these skills.
To begin your career in real estate, you need to get your license. The process starts with completing a 40-hour pre-licensing course as required by the state.
Which school you choose to complete the course plays a vital role in your success. That’s where this article helps you.
We’ll walk you through the 6 best online real estate schools in Massachusetts. We’ll talk about what they have to offer, so you can see whether or not it is the one for YOU.
Here we go!
6 Best Online Real Estate Schools in Massachusetts
Here’s a list of the 6 best online real estate schools in Massachusetts:
- Colibri Real Estate
- Freedom Trail Realty School
- The CE Shop
- Metropolitan School of Real Estate
- New England Real Estate Academy
- McKissock Learning
Let’s take a close look at each one.
Colibri Real Estate
With 25 years of experience under its belt, Colibri Real Estate is one of the pioneers in education.
They can help you with different stages in your real estate career – whether you’re getting your license for the first time, upgrading it to become a broker, or renewing it. Colibri Real Estate even offers exam prep courses.
Their instructors are real estate practitioners, which means their knowledge reaches beyond what’s in the books. They can offer practical tips and techniques regarding what works in real life.
If it’s a pre-licensing course you’re looking for, Colibri Real Estate offers 4 packages – The Basics, Exam Preparation, Exam Preparation Plus, and Ultimate Learning.
The Basics package includes the required education hours, instructor support, and 3 real estate study guides. It’s the most affordable package at under $300.
If you want to go the whole nine yards, you can go for their Ultimate Learning Package for a little under $400. It includes everything in the Basic Package, Exam Prep, a Pass-or-Don’t-Pay guarantee, a printed course textbook, and a Professional Development Membership for a year.
Freedom Trail Realty School
Freedom Trail Realty was the first school approved by the Massachusetts Real Estate Board to do their classes online.
They offer both on-demand and live instructor-led real estate pre-licensing classes, which you can mix and match to complete the required 40-hours education.
You can go through the material at your preferred pace – as long as you finish everything within a year, you’re good to go.
There are interactive online classes taught by real estate professionals, not just videos. This gives you a chance to interact directly with your instructor while being in the comfort of your home.
In Massachusetts, Freedom Trail Realty’s pre-licensing courses come in three packages.
The Starter package includes unlimited on-demand classes, access to 40 hours of live class webinars, and over 1,000 practice questions. You can purchase it for under $250.
If you want a middle-tier package, you can look at Exam Edge. It contains everything in the Starter package but with unlimited practice tests and a Pass-or-Don’t-Pay guarantee. You get access to 80 hours of live class webinars, as well as archived live class recordings.
Realty Pro, the top-tier package, includes everything in Exam Edge with the addition of 3 online tutoring sessions and access to 120 hours of live class webinars. It costs a little under $500.
The CE Shop
Although better known for its Continuing Education courses, The CE Shop also offers pre-licensing in Massachusetts.
Some of the standard contents across all four pre-licensing packages are business e-books, career and downloadable resources, a study schedule, and instructor-led webinars on exam topics.
If you only want to get the 40-hour course, the price is lower than $200. Options for exam prep are available starting with their Standard package. It also comes with a pass guarantee.
Their Value Package includes Business Building Courses, and the Premium Packages already has a 12-hour of Continuing Education bundled in. Even if you go for their top-tier offering, the price still falls below $300.
The CE Shop delivers its courses through an interactive platform called LEAP 2.0.
Check out this video that gives you a glimpse of what the platform has to offer:
There’s no need to worry about your progress because LEAP 2.0 tracks it – you can pick up where you left off, regardless of which device you use.
With practice exercises built in, the course doesn’t just teach you what you need to know – it also checks what you’ve learned. And, since the course is interactive, you become better engaged, which in turn, helps retain more information.
Metropolitan School of Real Estate
If you’re looking for a school that lets you finish all course materials in a week, then the Metropolitan School of Real Estate is a great option.
This school does things differently. Instead of a purely online course that you can study at your own pace, the Metropolitan School of Real Estate holds live webinars that have schedules. In other words, it’s an online class.
Now, before you think that this is a “no-no” for you, let’s show you the advantages of this type of learning.
The advantage of taking online classes is that you can finish it in a week and you don’t get stuck on a topic. You might even get a chance to learn straight from the owner!
But that’s not all.
One unique offer of the Metropolitan School of Real Estate is that if you get hired by the company, your package fee becomes reimbursed. So if you’re looking for a job on top of getting a license, you hit two birds with one stone here!
Of course, this school also has its disadvantages.
For one thing, it’s not flexible. You can’t just prolong your study hours for a month. However, you do have extra videos that you can watch in your own time.
Another disadvantage is that it lacks the extra resources some of the best online real estate schools have. There’s no exam prep, no glossary, and no free additional eBooks. So if you love to get more resources, this might not be the school for you.
But if it’s speed and a classroom-like structure you’re looking for, the Metropolitan School of Real Estate is a good fit.
Check Metropolitan School of Real Estate Here
New England Real Estate Academy
New England Real Estate Academy was founded in 2010 to provide traditional and, more specifically, online real estate education.
Its founder and instructors are all practitioners, which means their knowledge comes from real-life experience, not just theories and concepts.
Their pre-licensing course is delivered a little bit differently. Instead of making everything on-demand, NE Real Estate Academy divides it into two parts – 20 hours of self-directed online content and 20 hours of instructor-led online classes.
It doesn’t give as much flexibility as other online real estate schools, seeing as the instructor-led online classes are delivered over five days, each running for 4 hours. But if you’re the type who needs interaction, this may be more to your liking.
The Pre-License EXPRESS SERIES gives you 500 practice quiz questions but doesn’t have a final exam. With this, you get a 600-page digital manual, as well as study aids.
If not that, you might want to consider purchasing the Pre-License PRO SERIES instead. On top of what the Express Series offers, it provides monthly study group sessions and a pass guarantee.
This format has a final exam, but you also get over a thousand practice questions to help you prepare.
NE Real Estate Academy can also help you with Continuing Education courses. They currently offer a “Design Your Own Package” program – you can choose six topics from their roster of MA Board of Real Estate approved courses.
McKissock Learning
McKissock doesn’t offer pre-licensing courses, but it has excellent packages for Continuing Education.
For those agents in Massachusetts looking to renew their license, McKissock is your best choice.
If you want to save on your CE courses, you can choose their 12-Hour Renewal Package – it has six 2-hour courses that fulfill the state requirements for license renewal.
If you’re looking beyond just renewing your license, you can go for their MA McKissock CE Plus Membership. It gives you access to all CE courses available in Massachusetts, how-to videos, and job aids. You also get discounts on various products and services, as well as access to a 90-day Boot Camp.
Massachusetts Online Real Estate School FAQs
Can I Get a Real Estate License Online In Massachusetts?
Before October 2016, all pre-licensing courses in Massachusetts had to be done in person. Now, it’s possible to get your real estate license online.
Another recent change is that you can also take the real estate exam online through PSI Exams.
Is It Better To Take Real Estate Classes Online or In-Person in Massachusetts?
Both delivery methods have advantages.
Online classes offer more flexibility and are often more cost-friendly. If you’re a self-starter, disciplined, and not prone to procrastination, this will work for you. If you’re the type who prefers social interaction, however, in-person classes may work out better.
There are real estate schools that offer a mix of both in their pre-licensing course, allowing you to experience the best of both worlds.
How Much Does Online Real Estate School In Massachusetts Cost?
Pre-licensing courses range from under $200 to less than $500, depending on the package that you get. (If you’re going for a package, it’s a good idea to go through the inclusions to make sure you want to avail all of it.)
Exam preps, if taken separately, can cost anywhere from a little over $50 to just shy of $130.
How Long Does Online Real Estate School in Massachusetts Take?
The required real estate education in Massachusetts is 40 hours. How long it takes you to go through the coursework, however, depends on you.
It’s important to note that there are online real estate schools that require you to complete the course within a specific amount of time, ranging anywhere between 30 days to 12 months.
Conclusion
Understanding what each school offers helps you decide which one you’d like to attend. Since you’re willing to invest time and money, you might as well go with a school that matches your needs.
Hopefully, this article gives you a better idea of what the different schools have to offer. Keep your preferences in mind as you evaluate the various packages. With the number of online real estate schools available in Massachusetts, you’re sure to find one with which you’ll be happy.