Deciding to start a career in real estate is a difficult task. And so is growing further professionally as an agent.
Yes, it has a high-income potential, but it also requires lots of time, skills, and of course, patience.
However, an even bigger dilemma comes next, when you finally need to choose a real estate school.
Choosing the best school that suits your learning style is pivotal because it lays the groundwork that will jumpstart or develop your career.
The problem is, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of options that make deciding even more difficult.
Today, though, I will help you by narrowing down your choices into two of the best online real estate schools: AceableAgent and The CE Shop.
Video Review: Aceable Agent
AceableAgent vs. The CE Shop: A Side by Side Comparison
Before we begin comparing, let me first give you a brief introduction to both schools.
AceableAgent is an online real estate school that started in 2017. Since its inception, it has become one of the best, offering superior educational programming and instructional materials.
In the few years that it has been in the business, AceableAgent has managed to put itself on top. It is barely five years old, but it quickly became an industry leader due to its excellent services.
AceableAgent proves that years of experience aren’t the only thing that matters.
The CE Shop, on the other hand, is an e-learning provider that has received multiple awards in the past years. Apart from offering online education, it also believes in giving back to the community through its foundation.
At The CE Shop, you get an innovative and results-driven learning experience. Its decades of expertise in real estate education will help mold you into a well-rounded professional.
With that out of the way, it’s time to compare both schools and see which is the better one for YOU. To do that, we will compare AceableAgent and The CE Shop based on the following categories:
- Availability
- Course Options
- User Experience
- Pricing
- Reviews
- Features
AceableAgent vs. The CE Shop: Comparison Chart
Available In: | Pre-Licensing: 13 states (AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, MI, NY, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA) Continuing Education: 2 states (NY, TX) | 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), plus the District of Columbia Continuing Education: All 50 States |
Course Options: | Pre-Licensing, Continuing Education | Pre-Licensing, Post-Licensing, License Upgrade, Continuing Education |
User Experience: | Fun and intuitive | Easy and interactive |
Pricing*: | starts at $420 for Texas, or $119 for California | starts at $440.30 for Texas, or $90.30 for California |
Reviews: | 4.9/5 stars on Trustpilot | 4.7/5 stars on Trustpilot |
Features: | Mobile app Has a Pass or Don’t Pay Guarantee | Offers a 5-day free trial |
Availability
As it’s very new, AceableAgent currently only caters to 13 states. But as it rapidly grows, we can expect that it will widen its reach soon.
The CE Shop is the one-stop-shop for every real estate journey. Their CE courses are offered to all 50 states. Not only that, but you can see from the chart above that its pre-licensing courses are also widely available. Plus, there are a few states that can benefit from its post-licensing and license upgrade.
So when it comes to availability, The CE Shop is the more superior school.
However, keep in mind you still need to check with your local real estate commission if its programs are state-approved in your area. As for AceableAgent, the states they are available in are already 100% approved.
Course Options
Since AceableAgent is still new in the industry, it’s understandable that it only offers pre-licensing and continuing education courses. Again, with its current success, it will likely expand its operations in the coming years.
Meanwhile, The CE Shop has all the course offerings you will need at every stage of your career as a real estate agent. Apart from pre-licensing, it also has online post-licensing, license upgrade, and continuing education programs.
User Experience
When you log in to your AceableAgent course, you will find that the course layout is simple and well-organized.
You see the levels first - each of which consists of different chapters. The course then breaks them down into small-sized chunks that make it easy for you to retain what you learn.
What’s good about AceableAgent’s online real estate courses is they are not text-heavy. They feature a good amount of images and videos to keep students engaged.
The course home page also allows easy access to different tools such as practice tests, study guides, and mastery tracking.
The practice tests help you assess your knowledge of the past chapters you’ve completed and ask questions that will prepare you for real-life scenarios.
The study guides serve as a reference that highlights formulas, key terms, and hot topics.
Mastery tracking is a personalized tool that will mark the sections where you need more studying to ensure that your learning sticks.
When you log in to your course at The CE Shop, you’ll see the table of contents and other details, such as when your account expires and your course timer.
The table of contents is slightly less organized than AceableAgent’s layout and can look overwhelming since chapters are not grouped.
However, like AceableAgent, The CE Shop’s course layout gives you easy access to the things you need, such as help options and unit resources.
All unit resources are available in text and video formats. Whether you are a reader or a visual learner, you will find the resource materials helpful. You can also bookmark them so you can easily refer back to them.
While The CE Shop does not have a mastery tracking feature, it helps students retain what they learned through short quizzes after each chapter. Whether you answered right or wrong, the course will provide a simple explanation.
Pricing
AceableAgent offers more affordable course options. Its course fees start at $420 for Texas, or $119 for California
On the other hand, The CE Shop’s courses are a little more expensive. Pricing begins at starts at $440.30 for Texas, or $90.30 for California
To be sure, though, both schools are a lot cheaper than most traditional real estate schools. So whatever you pick, you’re getting great value for your money.
Reviews
Both schools offer interactive content that makes learning a lot less dry. They present essential information in digestible pieces that help students learn efficiently. And, they both offer supplemental resources that can serve as secondary study tools.
However, AceableAgent takes it up a notch by providing personalized support. Many students love its mastery tracking feature because it points out areas they need to improve on. Students say they feel better prepared to take the licensing exam this way.
One review on Trustpilot goes, “Aceable makes it easier to learn with different techniques.”
Another previous user commented, “Lessons are broken down in an understandable way to make sure you learn the content.”
Moreover, AceableAgent is also known to be the first to introduce practice coursework that shows real-life scenarios. These exercises prepare aspiring real estate agents for what awaits them in the real world.
With all the student love, it’s no wonder AceableAgent gained a whopping 4.9/5 rating in Trustpilot. I mean, you can hardly find a negative review about this online real estate school.
The CE Shop also boasts a high customer satisfaction rating. On Trustpilot, it has received over 6,200 reviews, 84% of which are five-star ratings.
Students agree that “The CE Shop is well worth the investment and that the Premium Package is a must.”
Many seasoned real estate professionals also go to The CE Shop for their continuing education requirements, and they say that the school helps them, not only by easily renewing their licenses but also by advancing their knowledge and skills even more.
Features
The greatest feature of AceableAgent is definitely its mobile app, available for both iOS and Android.
The app isn’t just a mobile-friendly version of the website browser. It comes with its own features, comprehensive lessons, and so much more. You’ll be able to study your real estate course anywhere you go with no glitches. How does that sound?
Aside from the official mobile app, AceableAgent’s other great feature is its Pass or Don’t Pay or Ace the Test Guarantee. It ensures that if you take the state exam thrice and fail, you get your money back. To be eligible for the refund, you must have completed the course and scored at least 85% on the practice tests.
AceableAgent offers this guarantee because it has high success rates. Its Texas program even has a 72.25% in-course first-time pass rate.
On the other hand, The CE Shop’s money-back guarantee is not available on its basic packages, only on silver and gold bundles. However, the school offers a five-day trial. It lets you experience the course at no charge before you proceed with the purchase.
So there’s no risk when trying out for the CE Shop.
Alternatives
Looking for other alternatives? Check out these online real estate schools.
Colibri Real Estate and McKissock Learning
Colibri Real Estate is another great option, especially for those who are on the stage of preparing for their licensure exam.
The school is best known for its pre-licensing courses that provide solid material and contain complete, accurate, and up-to-date information and supplemental study materials.
This is usually one of the top choices because the school offers programs for 42 states in the country and provides learning at a more affordable rate. The price for complete pre-licensing programs vary, but they can go for as low as $129!
Their partner school, McKissock Learning, on the other hand, offers CE courses available in all US states. Their courses are designed to help you advance further in your career.
McKissock offers an ultimate package with its CE PLUS Membership. You get unlimited access to all CE courses in your state, plus pro-series webinars, 100+ job aides, how-to-videos, and so much more.
One of the veterans in real estate education is Kaplan Real Estate Education. For over 80 years, it has cemented itself as a reliable and professional partner in getting your dream career.
And even if they started as an in-person school way back, they are one of the best online providers out there. In fact, they have 3 different online methods that cater to different learning methods of students - Home Study, On-Demand, and Live classes.
Programs range from $160 to $1,100 depending on the type of program and the add-ons you wish to include in your package. Whatever you choose, you are guaranteed to get industry practitioners as your instructors or learning materials created by them.
They also have a Career Launcher Program that’ll help you prepare for job placements, interview preparations, and guidance in choosing where you should look for employment.
Enrolling into a program is costly, so we always encourage students to choose the schools where they can learn best!
Verdict
Based on the factors that we’ve looked at, it’s time to answer the question:
Which is better?
It all depends on YOU.
If you prioritize convenience, AceableAgent’s course materials and mobile app will provide that for you. Not to mention, the course itself is very easy to understand, entertaining, and engaging.
Keep in mind that AceableAgent offers its courses to a limited number of states only.
If you’re looking for a straightforward course that is widely available and offers many course options, then The CE Shop is the better option for you.
Consider the things we’ve mentioned here and see which school best caters to your needs and preferences.
Good luck!