As more and more people look towards real estate as a side gig, it's no wonder why online real estate courses have become wildly popular over the past few years.
The ability to study anywhere and at any time is a godsend if you have a day job or a busy schedule.
While many people do get a license, they often don't know that states have requirements for a minimum amount of continuing education courses to renew their license each year.
Some states may even require post-license courses to be completed within a year of getting your license.
Enter McKissock, a renowned provider of continuing education and post-license courses which you can take online for convenience.
In this review, I'll go over the key features, pros, and cons of the school. This detailed review will help you decide whether McKissock is right for you.
Let's begin.
McKissock Overview
McKissock has over 30 years of experience. It has grown to become a Titan in the online real estate scene, providing post-licensing along with continuing education (CE) courses.
It is your one-stop shop for everything real estate.
Its sister company, Colibri Real Estate, manages the pre-licensing education and license up-gradation, while McKissock focuses on post-licensing, CE courses, and general realtor support.
McKissock provides not just real estate courses, but appraisal courses as well, giving customers a range of different career path options.
Now approved in over 40 States and having trained over 2 million professionals, McKissock has achieved great success and approval from leading industry specialists and agents across the country.
Key Features
Here’s a quick rundown of the key features that McKissock offers:
- A completely online course designed by experienced realtors
- Tailored to state requirements
- Multiple modes of instruction including videos, audios, and text
- Customer support
- E-books, a Question bank, and other resources included in all courses
Pros
With McKissock, you can expect these benefits:
- Flexible course
- Go through the course as quickly as you want
- Easy user experience
- Can select individual courses
- 100% refund (Terms and Conditions apply)
- Take the final quiz as many times as you want
- Lots of material
- Competitive price
- AR McKissock CE PLUS Membership
Their online courses are very easy to navigate and control, with an intuitive website design that makes the whole online process trouble-free.
Here’s a helpful video to McKissock courses:
Another great feature is that there is no time limit that you must meet when completing these courses, which allows you to go through them as quickly as you want. (Of course, this does not apply if your state requires course timers.)
The AR McKissock CE PLUS Membership gives you access to all CE courses, webinars, and real estate coaching tools from the best in the industry for just under $100 annually!
This is a whole other level of value that their competitors can’t match.
If you’re not interested in this one-of-a-kind deal, they allow you to select individual courses.
(They also show you all the required courses you need to take in your state, meaning you don’t need to do the guesswork anymore.)
Selecting these individual options can be very convenient if your license is about to expire and you need to finish the courses ASAP.
The best part about the CE courses is that you can take the test as many times as you want for no extra fee.
What’s more, McKissock offers post-licensing if your state requires you to take these courses after you get your license. Here, you can also pick and choose individual courses or purchase their full package with all the helpful tools included.
Cons
As for the downsides, here’s what you should expect:
- Can become boring
- Mostly text
- No proper mobile application
- Customer support isn't the best
Like many other real estate schools, McKissock’s courses are a bit boring. It would have been nice if they made it a little more interesting by adding more teaching style variety.
While they do have a few videos here and there, the course is mainly text-based (lengthy text), which can make it hard to concentrate for long.
Also, while customer service options do exist on the website, it can be difficult to get a response at times through the chat function.
This may require you to use the old fashion phone to get a hold of your instructors, which isn’t that convenient if you ask me.
Finally, while their website does work on mobile devices through the browser, it isn’t the easiest experience and it would’ve been better if they designed a full-fledged mobile app to host their course.
So while you can still use it out and about, it’s better to stick to studying it on a laptop.
Alternatives
Let’s move on to alternatives.
AceableAgent is probably the most modern online real estate school.
From engaging lessons to educational videos, it isn’t a dull course in the least.
Plus, their app is compatible with either an iPhone or Android. You’ll be able to take the course with you anywhere you go and you can study it anytime you want.
To also help students remember the lessons more, Aceable Agent also provides glossaries, topic summaries, study guides, and compilation of important math formulas.
If you need clarifications on specific topics, you can directly email AceableAgent’s instructors. The feedback usually takes up to 7 days, so best to list down all your questions so they can be sent all together.
With AceableAgent, you’ll be ready to ace your state licensing exam.
However, AceableAgent is only approved in a few states. Make sure you check first if it accepts courses where you live.
Another great option you have is The CE Shop.
They are a big online school that is striving to become the ultimate real estate resource.
That's why their pre-licensing is available in 44 states, while their CE and exam prep are available in all 50 states and some U.S. terrotories as well!
Their coursework is modern, nothing like a wall of text textbook that you get with old-fashioned schools.
It's probably not as modern as Aceable Agent, but the fact that they're more widely available makes them the preferred choice for many.
And when it comes to continuing education, they do give McKissock a run for their money!
FAQs
For this final section, let’s answer some of the frequently asked questions about McKissock.
How Much Does McKissock Cost?
Prices vary based on which state you’re in and the course requirements that they demand.
Also, numerous packages are provided ranging from the most basic to the premium offerings. As expected, these affect the total price you’ll pay.
Generally, post-license courses cost around $200-$400, while continuing education courses start at $139.95 for Texas, or $68.95 for California.
Is McKissock Registered In My State?
To check if McKissock is registered in your state, simply go to the website and look for your state in their search bar.
If it isn’t there, then the course isn’t available in your state.
McKissock will also show you the required courses in your state and how long the course is.
What’s The Difference Between Continuing Education and Post-Licensing?
Continuing education courses are mandatory courses required to renew your license and shall vary from state to state.
These courses do not upgrade your existing license and only satisfy the requirements to renew it.
CE courses are small and easier to do with a single course being around 3 education hours. (You can complete them quicker online though.)
Post-licensing, on the other hand, is a course required by certain states after you’ve gained your license.
Post-licensing courses have to be completed within a year after you’ve gotten your real estate salesperson license. It also doesn’t upgrade your license.
These courses are much longer and are more expensive than CE courses.
The number of hours that post-licensing programs take shall depend on the state you’re in.
For more info about post-licensing click here.
Does McKissock Offer Discounts?
Yes, they do!
McKissock often runs discounts and early bird offers that can reduce the course cost by up to 50%!
Should You Pick McKissock?
This school is for you if you are looking for a fast, effective and easy way to get done with the state-required courses so you can get back to doing what matters - flipping houses.
McKissock provides great value, especially if you’re managing a busy schedule or day job that leaves you hard-pressed for time.
So if you're looking for a course that teaches you everything you need to know quickly and conveniently, then this school is definitely an attractive option to consider for your real estate education needs.