Each school has their own pros and cons so ultimately, it depends on what you want. So, it can be hard to decide which one to go with. There’s a dizzying list of real estate schools out there. Usually, the best value is somewhere in the middle. I also wouldn’t go for the most expensive ones (unless they’re on promotion). They won’t give you the right amount of preparation for the state exam, and you’ll end up paying for it later anyways if you don’t pass it on your first attempt. I’m a strong believer in “you get what you pay for.” I don’t recommend going for the cheapest ones. I’ve seen online schools offer the program anywhere from $99 to $500. That means for 3 courses at 18 days each, the fastest you can finish would be 54 days. You have to wait for at least 18 days before taking the final exam, and you take one at a time. If you’ve taken a college course in Accounting, Micro/Macro Economics or Business Law, this can count as your elective course.Ĭalifornia has a restriction on how fast you can complete the courses. If you’re a member of the California State Bar, you are exempt from the courses but you still need to take the State Exam. I personally recommend the Finance course because there’s an entire section on Finance on the state exam, so it’ll help you the most later. You can choose from Finance, Appraisal, Property Management, Legal Aspects, Office Administration, Escrows, Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending, Business Law, General Accounting, Common Interest Developments or Computer Applications in Real Estate. The elective courses are completely up to you. You’ll need to choose an accredited school to take the 3 required courses: Principles, Practices, and one elective course.