Are you looking at becoming a real estate agent? Does it seem like an exciting way to be your own boss, schedule your own time and make a good income? The first step is to take a pre-license real estate course. The big question that you should be asking at this point is not how long is a real estate pre-license school but where am I going to get the most help to be a great real estate agent?
Where to Look
You obviously want to find a real estate pre-license school that is licensed to provide your training. The Utah Department of Real Estate lists all the real estate schools that are licensed to offer a pre-license real estate course in the state.
When you start looking through the list and clicking on schools to find out about them, there are three things that you should be considering.
- Pass the Exam – You are going to have to pass a state real estate examination at the end of the course before getting licensed to be a real estate agent. You need to find a school that teaches and works with their students, so they are prepared to pass the exam. Which school has the highest pass rates?
- Learn the Business – You want to be fully prepared to understand the business and start making money when you graduate. Look to see what the caliber of the instructors of your real estate course are. Are they just agents or are they contributors to the real estate community? Are they excelling in the real estate field?
- Getting Value – You don’t want to overpay for your real estate pre-license course so find the one that fits your budget but more importantly, find the course that is going to give you the greatest value. You want a pre-license real estate course that will best prepare you for your career and allow you to recoup your educational investment in a reasonable period.
How Long to Complete the Real Estate Pre-License Course
Now that you have some direction on what to look for in a real estate school, the next question is whether you want to take the pre-license real estate course in a classroom setting or to complete it online. A student is required to take 120 hours of course work to compete the course, so you need decide how long you want to take. If you have the extra time, an online course might be completed faster.
- Classroom Setting – The pre-license course requires 120 hours of work. If you are going one-night a week for 4 hours, the course will take 30 weeks or over six months to complete. The classroom education does allow face-to-face interaction with the instructor and to get answers to questions in real time. The big question is whether you want to take that long to get ready for your new career?
- Online Courses – Online courses have the advantage of allowing you to move as fast as you want to move. For example, if you can devote 10 hours a week to classroom study, you can get through the course in 12 weeks or 4 months. If you can devote more time working at it many nights, you can do it faster. As fast as 15 days, if you can do 8 hours a day.
The question you need ask when you are interested in an online real estate school is how I interact with the instructor? When can I call the instructor? Can I email him and have him get back to me quickly? Can I get help as quickly as I need it?
An online course can provide quicker training and preparation for taking the state real estate examination but you must be comfortable that you will get the help and instruction you need in your pre-license real estate course that will prepare you to be a great real estate agent.
Summary
Your pre-license real estate school course can take as little as 6 weeks if you have lots of time to put into doing the course week and studying. It can also take over 6 months if you are learning in a classroom setting one night a week. The choice you make and the time it takes for you to complete your 120 hours of course work depends on your schedule.
However, also consider where you are going to get the most value from your course work and where you will receive the most help and instruction to complete the course and pass the real estate examination on your first try.
Online courses offer the best flexibility, whether you plan to take 6 weeks or 6 months. If an online course has instructors that are responsive, and answer your question quickly by email or phone, you will have a much better experience getting your real estate license.