Should you complete your real estate education with RealEstateU or VanEd?
To be sure, both are great choices, but you need to go with the one that will suit your needs and preferences.
To figure that out, we’re going to give you a complete RealEstateU vs VanEd comparison review. In this review, we’ll look at:
- Availability
- Course options
- User experience
- Pricing
- Reviews
- Features
All this will help you determine the best one for YOU.
So are you ready?
Let’s begin the review!
RealEstateU vs VanEd – A Side-by-Side Comparison
Here’s an overview of all we’ll be talking about in this article.
| RealEstateU | VanEd | |
| Availability (Pre-Licensing): | 14 states
(CA, FL, GA, MI, MO, NY, NC, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI) |
14 states
(AL, CA, CO, FL, GA, MO, MT, NE, NY, OK, SC, TX, VA, WA) |
| Course Options: | Pre-Licensing Exam Prep Continuing Education |
Pre-licensing Exam Prep Post-Licensing Continuing Education GRI Designation |
| User Experience: | Great course materials but textbooks not included 100% self-paced Students easily find the courses they need for their level of real estate experience |
Courses are affordable and easy to navigate The course materials are easy to digest Customer service needs more improvement Flexible class hours and relevant course contents |
| Pricing*: | $149 | $100 – $160 |
| Reviews: | 4.4/5 stars on Indeed | 4/5 stars on Indeed |
| Features: | Access to real estate coaches in higher-tier plans Exam prep packages to help students get ready for licensure exams Useful graphs that make studying easier |
A wide selection of real estate courses Comes with payment plans Has live customer service Downloadable textbooks are available |
Now that we laid it all out in the table above, let’s take a closer look at each of these factors.
Availability
Both RealEstateU and VanEd offer pre-licensing courses to 14 states. The difference lies in which state they serve.
For RealEstateU, here are the 14 available states:
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Michigan
- Missouri
- New York
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
And here are the 14 states available in VanEd:
- Alabama
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New York
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington
With this, there are more chances of finding a course that covers where you live.
Course Options
RealEstateU and VanEd are great because you can find all types of courses, depending on where you are in your real estate career.
Just starting out? Then take part in their famous pre-licensing packages.
Preparing for the licensure exam? Both schools offer exam prep programs to help you ace it on your first try.
Need to renew your real estate license? RealEstateU and VanEd have CE courses available in a few states.
On top of that, VanEd goes the extra mile by offering GRI Designation courses, too.
So whatever you need, you’re sure to find it with these online real estate schools. Just make sure to check if these courses are available in your state.
User Experience
When it comes to user experience, RealEstateU makes sure that its students get only the best.
Aside from a great UI and relevant and comprehensive lessons, RealEstateU also makes sure that any queries and complaints are answered as swiftly as possible.
One downside, though, is that you won’t have access to live instructors, only in the higher-end plans.
With VanEd, you get a great UI, too. Plus, it’s so easy to navigate and digest all the lessons. They arrange everything in a way that can be quickly understood without having to bust out a dictionary.
And while its customer service does need some improvement, there are still good reviews from students who had their queries answered swiftly.
Overall, both online real estate schools have great user experiences — just check the reviews!
Pricing
Looking for the more affordable school?
It can be hard to say as each state’s price will differ.
But to give you an idea, let’s look at the pre-licensing courses offered in California.
Usually, RealEstateU only offers 1 plan. In California, this will cost you $149. That already includes all the necessities.
As for VanEd, there are 2 packages, each priced at $100 and $160. The cheaper package comes with all the necessities, while the higher one has free exam prep.
If we’re talking about the cheapest of the cheap, then VanEd wins. On top of that, VanEd even accepts payment plans — you can spread out the cost by doing a two-month installment.
Also, you’ll be happy to know that both RealEstateU and VanEd are always giving out discounts, so make sure to check them regularly.
Reviews
From the reviews on Indeed.com, we can see that students appreciate both RealEstateU and VanEd, with each getting 4.4 and 4 out of 5 stars, respectively.
Let’s go over some of these reviews.
Here are some reviews for RealEstateU:
“In depth pre-recorded lectures • Mini quizzes after almost every section helped reiterate the important information needed for the unit exams • Unit exams covered a lot of the information learned in the chapters Overall, Real Estate U was extremely helpful in me achieving my certification.”
“The online class was timed and therefore could not move ahead until I complete my hours for that chapter. If you are not a self study person I would recommend going in person.”
“FAST support when requested. Affordable and graphs are informative. MUST learn at your own pace however you do have 6 months to complete the 40 hour requisite.”
And here are reviews for VanEd:
“Taught me everything needed for the exam. Structured in a way that was both easy to understand and informative. Can be completed fairly quickly if you are able to grasp the concepts.”
“Class is easy to follow and help is a click away. Everything is self oriented so you can go at your own pace. Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated but knowing it’s so close to your fingertips is helpful.”
“The workbooks are very interactive and if you have questions on the way, there are teachers online that you can video chat with or text. They provide tools to keep you organize and on track to finish your course in the allotted time allowed.”
Features
If you decide to study with RealEstateU, you will enjoy the following features:
- 100% online and self-paced classes for busy students
- Access to real estate coaches in higher-tier plans
- Exam prep packages to help students get ready for licensure exams
- Useful graphs that make studying easier
Here’s an inside look of Real Estate U:
Here are the special features that make VanEd stand out:
- Comes with GRI Designation courses
- Easy-to-follow coursework
- A smooth and easy-to-navigate website/learning platform
- Downloadable e-books
- Payment plans
Alternatives
Looking for more online real estate school options?
Then we have some alternatives for you to check out.
The CE Shop
Whether you are a beginner in real estate or a seasoned realtor looking to further your career and master your field, The CE Shop is one of the best places to take your online classes.
From its name, you might think that it only provides CE courses, but that’s not the case. While that is where the school excels, it also has amazing pre-licensing courses.
On top of that, it is available in almost every state.
So make sure to check them out!
AceableAgent
Another well-known online real estate education provider is AceableAgent. It offers awesome real estate training programs that yield a 94% passing rate.
What’s more, AceableAgent has one of the most modern lessons out there, with videos, images, animations, and yes, even games.
Since it’s still new, its availability is limited. But if you’re one of the lucky few, then go ahead and see if it’s the perfect fit for you.
The Verdict
So which school is better — RealEstateU or VanEd?
Well, that will depend entirely on YOU.
As we said, you need to pick the school that fits your needs and preferences.
And now that you know what each school offers, you can make a knowledgeable decision.
Good luck!