Choosing the best online real estate school in Florida is critical to your future success as a real estate agent. Without the right education, you may struggle to pass the Florida real estate exam. And without passing the exam, you can’t earn your Florida real estate license to launch your new career. But how do you know which real estate school in Florida will give you the best chance at passing your exam?
We’re taking a magnifying glass to the top seven most popular online real estate schools in Florida to help you make an informed decision. Our key criteria for choosing the best include:
- Curriculum: is it engaging so you can remember the material come test time?
- Accessibility: will you have 24/7 access to course materials? What about support if you have questions?
- Value: how does the cost of each real estate school compare to other schools? Is the student experience worth the cost?
Let’s see how the best online real estate schools in Florida rank.
Here are the Best Online Real Estate Schools in Florida:
- AceableAgent
- Real Estate Express
- Gold Coast Schools
- Florida Real Estate School
- The CE Shop
- Bob Hogue
- Mbition (Formerly OnCourse Learning RE)
1. AceableAgent
It may seem biased to put ourselves at the very top of our best online real estate schools in Florida list, but if you compare our curriculum, accessibility, and value to any other school, we think you’ll agree that we’ve earned the top spot.AceableAgent coursework was designed by a team of experienced real estate professionals, Harvard-educated instructional designers, and professional writers. With AceableAgent courses, you don’t just get a dry eBook full of legalese; you get interactive graphics to keep the material engaging and pop up quizzes to make sure you’re understanding the concepts as you go.
Even more impressive is the fact that AceableAgent courses are designed to be accessed from any device with an Internet connection. Your student experience will be just as good from your phone as from your computer. So if you find yourself waiting in line for coffee or waiting to pick up the kids from school, you can turn your downtime into productive study time!
With AceableAgent, you also have access to real estate experts, tech support, and exam prep guides at no additional cost.
AceableAgent’s near-perfect Trustpilot rating proves that students are thrilled with the value they’re getting. For the same price as the online real estate schools who only offer a pdf eBook, you can get an engaging course curriculum that prepares you for your Florida real estate exam.
Where AceableAgent excels: The innovative curriculum (accessible from your computer, tablet, and cell phone), combined with expert support and exam prep combine to give you the best value in real estate education. This makes AceableAgent the best online real estate school in Florida.
Where AceableAgent could use a little work: Many continuing education courses (CE courses) are still in the design phase, so AceableAgent doesn’t have the large library of CE courses that some other schools offer. But by the time you’re ready to renew your real estate license, those courses may be ready for you!
2. Real Estate Express
Real Estate Express has been providing reliable real estate courses online since 1996, so they’re one of the best-known online real estate schools operating today. The user experience of finding courses, enrolling, and accessing your course materials is smooth and the platform is easy to navigate.
But when it comes to the course material, Real Estate Express leaves a little something to be desired. As one reviewer noted, “the content of the course is basically copy/pasted from the code of law, so it's often difficult to follow.” We just wish the content was more interactive and engaging.
We also wish exam prep was included in the standard course. Instead, you have to pay extra for the “Exam Preparation” package. And, annoyingly, even with this more expensive package, you don’t get access to instructors if you have a question. For instructor access, you have to purchase the “Exam Preparation Plus” package. Where Real Estate Express excels: Name recognition. Real Estate Express is one of the most recognizable brands in real estate education. Where Real Estate Express could use a little work: The course materials just aren’t engaging, so getting through the content can be a slog. And we hate paying extra for exam prep and access to instructors.
3. Gold Coast Schools
Gold Coast Schools has been providing career education courses since 1970, and because they’ve been around for so long, they’re among the most popular online real estate schools in Florida. In addition to real estate sales and broker courses, Gold Coast offers pre-license courses for real estate fields like appraisal, mortgage, insurance, and construction. They also have a complete offering of continuing education courses for renewing your real estate license.
Unlike most older providers, Gold Coast Schools has done a respectable job of updating their course designs. In fact, they’re one of the very few providers that design their online courses to run on tablets and phones in addition to computers.
The downside to Gold Coast Schools is the cost. At $325, Gold Coast is priced substantially higher than other providers. And this is just for the basic package. If you want exam prep included, you’ll need to pay an extra $100 for the full-service package.
Where Gold Coast Schools excels: Gold Coast Schools has a wide range of course options. You can choose online or on-campus, and you can get licensed in other real estate practices like appraisal, mortgage, and insurance through Gold Coast. They also offer a complete range of CE courses.
Where Gold Coast Schools could use a little work: Gold Coast Schools is substantially more expensive than the other options. And exam prep will cost you even more.
4. Florida Real Estate School
Florida Real Estate School was rated the Best Real Estate School for 2019 by the Student Choice Teaching Awards, so we had high hopes for this to be one of the best online real estate schools in Florida. Unfortunately, it fell flat from a technical perspective. While we love that the course is fully narrated and interactive, one look at the Florida Real Estate School’s website indicates that the school is outdated and probably won’t provide the most user-friendly online experience.
And then there’s the cost. $399.99 for just the basic course (with no exam prep) is excessive. Even with the 44% off deal (offered as of the date of this writing), Florida Real Estate School is still twice as expensive as some of the other options on this list.
Where Florida Real Estate School excels: Florida Real Estate School is an award-winning provider with narration and visuals for their online courses.
Where Florida Real Estate School could use a little work: The outdated look of the school’s website doesn’t inspire confidence in Florida Real Estate School’s ability to provide an online user experience that meets the expectations of today’s students. And the high cost indicates little value for the money.
5. The CE Shop
Since launching in 2005, The CE Shop has quickly grown to offer real estate courses in all 50 states. They do a good job of providing a modern online course experience at a fair price.
The pride of The CE Shop is their real estate exam pass rates. They report that 86% of their students pass the Florida exam (compared to the state’s average pass rate of just 63%). We love it when real estate schools prepare students to pass the exam! After all, what good is your real estate school if you can’t pass the test and get your license to practice real estate?
As much as we love these high pass rates, we’re disappointed that the base-level “Courses Only” package doesn’t include exam prep. You need to purchase the next level “Standard Package” to get the test prep that will help you pass the real estate exam.
Where The CE Shop excels: High exam pass rates compared to other online real estate schools (make sure you choose the correct package if you want test prep included).
Where The CE Shop could use a little work: As much as we love high exam pass rates, it’s annoying to be charged extra for exam prep when passing the exam is the primary reason to take real estate classes.
6. Bob Hogue
Bob Hogue has been “educating Florida real estate professionals since 1978.” Being so established in the local real estate community has helped Bob Hogue remain a popular real estate school in Florida despite the dated student experience.
There’s nothing interesting or engaging about the way the course information is provided in the fully online course. And while the course includes all necessary materials, you may need some of the study guides that are sold separately to make the most of your online course.
There is a “live online” option for people who learn best from a live instructor. For just $50 more than the fully online class, students are given class times so they can log in to a virtual classroom with a live instructor. While this is a good option for students who prefer a traditional learning experience without the in-person component, for most students, it’s just too difficult to work around a set schedule in this day and age.
Where Bob Hogue excels: Offering a “live online” course gives students the option to have a remote learning experience with a live instructor.
Where Bob Hogue could use a little work: The school’s fully online course option isn’t well designed, doesn’t come with test prep, and is expensive compared to newer online real estate schools.
7. Mbition (Formerly OnCourse Learning RE)
Mbition (formerly known as OnCourse Learning Real Estate) closes out our list of the top seven real estate schools in Florida. To be honest, nothing really stands out about Mbition. The curriculum is standard, prices are in-line with some of the other schools, and test prep will cost you extra.
We should note that the reasonably-priced base-level course package includes instructor support. And, even better, it includes a MathMaster program, which is a plus for students who struggle with real estate math.
Where Mbition excels: Instructor support and MathMaster are both included in the affordable base-level package.
Where Mbition could use a little work: Like so many other online real estate schools, the curriculum is stale, and exam prep is not included in the cost of the course.
So, which of the best online real estate schools in Florida is the right fit for you? Don’t keep your new career waiting; take the first step toward your real estate agent’s license by enrolling in a real estate school today!