Being a real estate professional is a rewarding and challenging job.
People think that as a real estate agent, you’re merely selling properties. However, there is more to the job than meets the eye.
Many people don’t know that having a career in real estate requires a long list of skills. And the tricky part is, you can’t get or renew a real estate license unless you go through real estate education.
That’s where another dilemma comes in. Where do you go for quality education? Which school do you choose?
Lucky for you, we’ve selected two popular online real estate schools that are highly recommended by real estate professionals.
Read on for a comparison between The CE Shop and Kaplan.
The CE Shop vs. Kaplan: A Side by Side Comparison
In 2005, Michael McAllister founded The CE Shop as a response to the industry’s growing demands.
He felt that the real estate education business was pretty much behind when it came to technology. This is why he reinvented real estate education and created an innovative and results-driven learning experience.
Fast forward to today, The CE Shop has become one of the top online real estate education providers in the country, with over 35,000 monthly users.
Kaplan, on the other hand, began as early as 1938 as a tutoring business. It was founded by Stanley Kaplan, who later sold the business to The Washington Post Company. In the years that followed, the company grew significantly.
In 2006, it acquired Tribeca Learning, an Australia-based real estate training provider. Since then, Kaplan has become one of the most popular online providers of real estate education in the nation.
Now that you know a bit about their histories, let’s get to the comparison. To compare both schools, we’ll consider:
- Availability
- Course options
- User experience
- Pricing
- Reviews
- Features
Here’s a quick comparison chart you can refer to:
kaplan | ||
|---|---|---|
Available in: | Pre-Licensing: 39 States (AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WI) Continuing Education: All 50 States | Pre-Licensing: 21 States (AL, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NM, NY, NC, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI) Continuing Education: 23 States (AL, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, SC, TX, VA, WA, WI) |
Course Options: | Pre-Licensing, Post-Licensing, License Upgrade, Continuing Education | Pre-Licensing, Post-Licensing, License Upgrade, Continuing Education |
User Experience: | Customizable and interactive | Informative materials and flexible formats |
Pricing*: | starts at $440.30 for Texas, or $90.30 for California | starts at $389 for Texas, or $179 for California |
Reviews: | 4.7/5 stars on Trustpilot | 4.2/5 stars on Trustpilot |
Features: | 5-day Free Trial | Supplemental learning materials |
Pricing as of 03/28/2022 |
Let’s dive into the details.
Availability
In terms of availability, The CE Shop reaches a higher number of states compared to Kaplan. While its pre and post-licensing and license upgrade courses are not offered nationwide, its continuing education courses are available across the country.
Overall, both online real estate schools have wide availability. Because of this, there are more chances for you to avail of their real estate education.
Course Options
You’ll be happy to know that both schools have everything you need throughout your real estate career. From pre-licensing to continuing education, both schools are a one-stop-shop for real estate courses.
User Experience
It’s usual for real estate programs to be boring due to the monotonous text, but The CE Shop sets itself apart by offering interactive courses.
Its online learning modules feature a mix of text, images, and videos that make learning fun and engaging. Its coursework is also continuously updated to contain only current information about various real estate topics.
Its course materials offer an innovative way for students to understand lessons better. They teach by providing real-life scenarios and examples, as well as practice exercises.
This unique approach prepares you best for your desired career and helps you become a well-rounded real estate professional.
The CE Shop’s courses use an inquiry-based learning model that works efficiently.
Its Exam Prep Edge works by assessing what you’ve mastered and what areas you need to focus more on. Based on your initial assessment score, you will be able to choose which topics you want to study, so you can prepare better for your licensing exam.
Unlike most online real estate schools, Kaplan offers flexibility when it comes to course formats. In most states, they offer three options - home study, on-demand videos, and live classes.
The home study package is best for those who enjoy self-studying. It is the least expensive option where you study at your pace using PDF textbooks. In some states, the school also offers printed textbooks, which will come in handy if you like the traditional way of learning.
If you prefer a more interactive course format, you can opt for Kaplan’s on-demand video courses or live online classes.
Compared to the home study options, these two will have more multimedia content, which will be helpful if you learn best with videos and visual aids. The live online class package is the most expensive course format and also does not offer much flexibility in terms of class schedules.
Pricing
With regards to pricing, Kaplan’s course fees are a bit steeper than The CE Shop’s, especially if you opt for Kaplan’s live online class format, which is the most expensive.
The CE Shop’s pre-licensing courses start at $440.30 for Texas, or $90.30 for California, while Kaplan’s offerings start at $389 for Texas, or $179 for California.
Reviews
Over the years, The CE Shop has had an abundance of praises and positive customer reviews. Many people agree that it is one of the best online real estate schools to enroll in.
In fact, one satisfied customer wrote a lengthy review on Trustpilot, detailing his positive experience with the company and saying, “The CE Shop is a one-stop-shop for everything you need in real estate!”
Also, as you may have guessed from the school’s name, The CE Shop specializes in continuing education. A satisfied customer commented, “I just completed my CE to renew my real estate license for my sixth year as a Realtor. The CE Shop is my go-to place for continuing education.”
With an average of 4.2 stars on Trustpilot, Kaplan receives largely good feedback from its customers, too.
One of the most recent reviews says, “I found the material very easy to follow, well laid out & thorough. I found the frequent short quizzes were very helpful with retention.”
Many of its users have stayed loyal to Kaplan, proven by the following review:
“I have been using Kaplan Real Estate for the past 7 years for my Real Estate Education. They have good customer service and are very helpful.”
The school offers excellent study guides, and one of its many satisfied customers agrees and says the “Material is excellent and really does a great job in preparation for a real estate exam.”
Features
While other online real estate schools require you to pay upon purchase, The CE Shop lets you enjoy a free five-day trial.
You get to have a feel of the course works first before you finally decide to spend your money. You want to make sure you’re getting the best service before you pay for it, don’t you?
Meanwhile, the best feature Kaplan’s got is its supplemental learning materials. With whatever education package you choose, you get additional PDF textbooks, a practice question bank, a glossary audio file, and access to interactive study groups and live sessions with a mentor.
Alternatives
Want more recommendations? Here are other popular and reliable online real estate schools in the US.
Colibri Real Estate
Colibri Real Estate is considered the nation’s top online real estate school with a long track record of success. I mean, more than 520,000 aspiring real estate agents have launched their careers with this school.
Find any article on the best online real estate schools in the US, and this school will almost always land first place.
Colibri Real Estate serves a high number of states. Its sister company, McKissock Learning, offers continuing education in all 50 states.
Founded only in 2017, AceableAgent is technically the youngblood in real estate education.
However, it has proved itself worthy of being called one of the best in the country due to its excellent services. It is probably the most modern real estate school; it is one of the few that enables studying on the go with its official mobile app.
It currently only serves 12 states. However, its pre-licensing courses are only available in seven states - CA, FL, GA, MI, NY, PA, and TX. Course fees start at $420 for Texas, or $119 for California.
Verdict
Based on the comparison we’ve made, we can say that both schools offer high-quality education and a good learning experience in the states they are available in.
There are aspects wherein one is better than the other, but overall, The CE Shop and Kaplan are evenly matched.
It will depend on YOU to decide which is better.
Do you want to get a free trial before you pay for the school? You can get that with The CE Shop. Do you want to have the option to pick a course format? Then Kaplan can provide that for you.
However, whichever school you choose, you can trust that you’ll be in good hands.