If you’re wondering where to begin your real estate career, you may want some help choosing from the Arizona Department of Real Estate’s list of 211 approved schools. That’s where we come in! We’ve researched extensively to help you choose the best real estate school in AZ based on course materials, cost, career advancement opportunities, and more.
To get your license, you’ll need to complete a 90-hour prelicensing course and six-hour contract writing class before you sit for the Arizona real estate exam. Let’s dive into our top picks for real estate schools in AZ.
5 Best Arizona Real Estate Schools
| Our Top Picks | ||
|---|---|---|
| Best Overall: The CE Shop | ||
| Best Instructor Access: American Realty Academy | ||
| Best for Extra Features: Kaplan | ||
| Best for Industry Connections: Arizona School of Real Estate & Business | ||
| Best Exam Prep Add-on: Colibri Real Estate |
(Arizona prelicensing package prices as of October 2023)
Arizona Real Estate Governing Board:
Arizona Department of Real Estate
Prelicensing Requirements:
90 Hours of Prelicensing + Six Hours of Contract Writing
Continuing Education Requirements:
24 Hours Every Two Years
If you want to know the types of classes you’ll need to take throughout your real estate career in Arizona, you may want to skip right to the helpful info section of this article first. But if you’re ready to choose your education provider, let’s take a closer look at our list of top picks.
Best Overall Real Estate School in AZ: The CE Shop
The CE Shop offers:
- Prelicensing
- Exam prep
- Continuing education
The CE Shop has long offered expertly designed real estate education with an online platform that’s easy to navigate. We love that their course content is broken down into easily digestible lessons with practice exercises and self-checks.
Because The CE Shop is so confident in their courses, they’ll reimburse you for your licensing exam fee if you don’t pass the first time. Their easy-to-follow format, interactive lessons, and high pass rate make The CE Shop our top pick.
Try The CE Shop’s FREE 5-DAY TRIAL
The CE Shop lets you test drive their courses and features before you buy. Visit their website today!
The CE Shop Pricing
The CE Shop offers three self-paced prelicensing course packages for prospective Arizona real estate students. Each package already includes career resources, business e-books, digital flashcards, a real estate glossary, and a study schedule.
- Standard Package ($659): This package includes your 90-hour prelicensing course, your six-hour contract writing course, Exam Prep Edge to help you study for the state portion of the license exam, and a pass guarantee.
- Value Package ($695): This package includes everything in the previous one plus business building courses to help new agents succeed from the ground up.
- Premium Package ($815): You’ll receive everything in the Value Package, a Real Estate Basics and Beyond e-book, and the 24 hours of continuing education you’ll need to complete after licensure.
(The CE Shop prelicensing package prices as of October 2023)
Readers of The Close can SAVE 35% on prelicensing courses from The CE Shop. Use promo code TheClose35 at checkout.
Best Feature
We love how The CE Shop breaks online instruction into bite-sized chunks. Their app will allow you to continue with your classwork from your phone during an unexpected moment of downtime.
Room to Improve
While most people seem happy with the instruction they receive from The CE Shop, the company only offers exam prep for the state portion of the license exam. For more comprehensive exam prep tools, consider Colibri Real Estate’s standalone exam prep to help you review what you need.
Bottom Line
We think you’ll like The CE Shop’s easy-to-follow format and mobile app that will have you finished with your education requirements in no time.
Best Real Estate School in AZ for Instructor Access: American Realty Academy
American Realty Academy offers:
- Prelicensing
- Exam prep
- Continuing education
American Realty Academy’s unique format and top-notch instructional support are two reasons this company landed on our list of best real estate schools in AZ.
Here’s how the class format differs: First, you’re presented with the material. You then answer questions that a client might ask about the subject. After that, you take a quiz to make sure you’ve mastered the topic. Finally, each module ends with a wrap-up video, which reiterates the most important information.
American Realty Academy Pricing
In Arizona, American Realty Academy offers three online self-paced packages:
- Basic Plan ($379): The basic plan includes your 90-hour prelicensing course, an e-book, and full instructor support.
- Silver Plan ($599): This mid-range package includes everything from the previous package as well as the six-hour contract writing course, a real estate math course, study materials and flashcards, practice exams, and additional comprehension checks.
- Gold Plan ($679): This top-tier plan includes everything in the previous package plus live virtual group tutoring, a prerecorded tutoring session, and bonus study material videos.
(American Realty Academy prelicensing package prices as of October 2023)
Best Feature
American Realty Academy has the lowest-priced package on our list. However, if you do choose the Basic plan, you will need to add on $49 for the contract writing course in order to fulfill state requirements. But no matter which package you choose, you’ll have access to a real-life instructor. Students can call, message, or stop by the Phoenix location to get extra help from an instructor who can answer questions as well as provide explanations, supporting documents, and real-world examples.
Room to Improve
Even though Phoenix-based American Realty Academy now offers real estate prelicensing courses for 30 other states, the online courses aren’t as polished as those offered by larger online real estate schools.
Bottom Line
American Realty Academy offers top-notch instructor support. They are a great option if you want the convenience of online education but still want access to instructors who will answer your questions.
Can You Be a Part-time Real Estate Agent? (+ Free Guide & Videos)
Best Real Estate School in AZ for Extra Features: Kaplan
Kaplan offers:
- Prelicensing
- Exam prep
- Continuing education
Kaplan is a big name in the education and test-prep industries, and the company’s real estate division does not disappoint. The online-only courses are made up of interactive activities, scenario-based case studies, quizzes, and videos. The contract writing class and exam prep are both presented online in an at-your-own-pace format.
Kaplan Pricing
In Arizona, Kaplan offers two prelicensing packages. Both include the 90-hour prelicensing course and the six-hour contract writing course.
- 96-hour Arizona Complete Licensing Package with Exam Prep ($489): This includes the 90-hour prelicensing course, six-hour contract writing class, live webinars, interactive study groups, textbooks, an exam prep course, and a workbook.
- Career Launcher Package ($689): This includes everything in the previous course as well as Kaplan’s exclusive Real Estate Accelerator program, which includes professional coaching to help you start your career.
(Kaplan prelicensing package prices as of October 2023)
SAVE 5% on Kaplan prelicensing courses when you use promo code KAPRE5 at checkout.
Best Feature
Described as an intensive boot camp, Kaplan’s Real Estate Accelerator can help you start building your business. We also like that Kaplan has recently revamped its website for a better student experience.
Room to Improve
While Kaplan offers a lot of bonus features in their packages, students won’t have the freedom to switch to a different instructional format. If you want to be able to try different class formats, check out Arizona School of Real Estate and Business (below).
Bottom Line
Kaplan provides all the online tools you’ll need to prepare for a rewarding career in real estate.
Best for Industry Connections: Arizona School of Real Estate & Business
Arizona School of Real Estate and Business offers:
- Prelicensing
- Exam prep
- Continuing education
- Broker prelicensing
Colibri Real Estate, a highly rated online real estate education provider, joined forces with Arizona School of Real Estate and Business (ASREB) to create prelicensing courses for Arizona.
ASREB offers three different instructional options, including in-person, livestream, and self-paced online formats. It also puts on a career expo, which allows all students to network with Arizona brokerages.
Arizona School of Real Estate and Business Pricing
All of the packages from Arizona School of Real Estate and Business allow you to choose the format that works best for you, whether in-person, livestream, or self-paced online.
- Basic Package ($699): You’ll receive a lot in this entry-level package, including your 90-hour prelicensing course, the six-hour contract writing course, instructor access, and networking opportunities.
- Career Start Package ($929): On top of all the features in the Basic Package, you’ll get an Exam Prep Crammer course, unlimited online practice exams, and a Pass or Don’t Pay Guarantee.
- Set for Success Package ($1,049): This includes everything in the previous packages as well as flashcards, 18 hours of continuing education, two math review courses, and a broker interviewing workshop.
(Arizona School of Real Estate and Business prelicensing package prices as of October 2023)
Best Feature
Arizona School of Real Estate offers virtual career expos to all students, no matter the class format or package you choose. Because all real estate salespersons in Arizona must work under a real estate brokerage, introductions to brokers hiring in your area will help you start your career faster.
Room to Improve
While Arizona School of Real Estate and Business often discounts its Arizona real estate education packages, its prices are still higher than most other schools on our list.
Bottom Line
Choose the best class format for your situation and meet professionals from the industry when you enroll at Arizona School of Real Estate and Business.
Best Real Estate School in AZ for Exam Prep Add-on: Colibri Real Estate
Colibri Real Estate offers:
- Exam prep
- Partnership with Arizona School of Real Estate and Business (see above)
In addition to its collaboration with ASREB (above), Colibri Real Estate also offers a standalone exam prep program designed to ensure you know everything you need to pass your license exam. Note that this package does not provide the 96 hours of prelicensing education you need in order to take your Arizona license exam.
The company takes exam prep one step further than most other schools by creating customized, animated learning videos tailored to your study needs. That way, you’ll save time reviewing the concepts you need help with, not the ones you already understand. Plus, Colibri Real Estate is so confident about the quality of their exam prep that they offer you a pass guarantee.
| Colibri Real Estate Pros | Colibri Real Estate Cons |
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Colibri Real Estate Pricing
In Arizona, Colibri Real Estate offers two exam prep bundles to prepare you for the real estate exam.
- Exam Prep ($115): This basic exam prep package includes progress exams with audio playback, state final exams with breakdowns by topic, digital flashcards, and a Pass or Don’t Pay guarantee.
- Exam Prep Live ($219): This includes everything in the previous package, plus a series of webinars led by real estate instructors and access to live Q&A sessions with experts.
(Colibri Real Estate exam prep package prices as of October 2023)
Best Feature
Our favorite feature is definitely the Pass or Don’t Pay guarantee. This tells us that Colibri Real Estate believes you can rely on their exam prep to succeed.
Room to Improve
You’ll still need to purchase a separate prelicensing package in order to qualify to take the exam. We wish Colibri bundled this option in with its ASREB packages.
Bottom Line
If you need the extra study help, look into an exam prep package with Colibri Real Estate. It’ll provide you with comprehensive practice and support so you’re confident come time for your exam.
Readers of The Close can get 30% off tuition at Colibri using coupon code “TheClose30“.
How We Selected the Best Real Estate Schools in AZ
To ensure that we provide our readers with the best options for real estate schools in Arizona, our team used a weighted rubric that involves scrutinizing each school based on the following criteria:
Read more about our methodology here.
Best Real Estate Schools in AZ: Helpful Info
Since you’ll be revisiting your real estate education throughout your entire career, let’s take a look at the types of programs you’ll encounter.
Prelicensing
Your journey to becoming an Arizona real estate agent begins with a 90-hour prelicensing course and a six-hour contract writing class. Courses are offered in a variety of formats, including online, livestream, and in person in a classroom. Most students opt for online courses since they provide great flexibility to accommodate work and life schedules.
Exam Preparation
Though not required, exam preparation tools are a valuable investment for anyone who wants to avoid retaking the Arizona real estate license exam. Standardized exams can be tricky, so opting for resources from the pros is a no-brainer.
You’ll find real estate schools offer exam prep materials as a standalone product and as part of prelicensing packages. Schools often include tools like flashcards, practice questions, and even simulated exams to help you study so you’re completely prepared for your exam.
Continuing Education
After becoming a real estate agent in Arizona, you’ll be required to take 24 hours of continuing education courses every two years. Out of those 24 hours, 18 hours of classes must cover specific topics, and the remaining six hours are elective courses of your choice.
We recommend keeping an eye on the features that stand out to you as you check out the schools on our list. Chances are, if you’re drawn to a school’s offerings for your prelicensing course, you’ll likely be able to trust them for your continuing education needs in the future.
Arizona Real Estate School FAQs
Got questions? We’ve got answers! Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about online real estate schools in AZ.
Can I get my Arizona real estate license online?
Yes, you can complete most of the steps required to get your Arizona real estate license online. You can take your prelicensing education and schedule your license exam online. But you will need to sit for your real estate license exam in person at Pearson VUE testing site. Learn more about the process for getting your license in AZ here.
How much does it cost to become a real estate agent in Arizona?
It costs around $900 to get an Arizona real estate license. This amount includes the prelicensing course, the application, fingerprinting, and exam fees. If you’re concerned about cost, American Realty Academy has the least expensive prelicensing course package on our list.
How long does it take to become a real estate agent in Arizona?
It takes about three months to get an Arizona real estate license. This depends on how long it takes you to complete your prelicensing course and study for and take your license exam. With scheduled prelicensing classes, you can complete the 96-hour course in a little more than two weeks full time.
How much can I make as a real estate agent in Arizona?
According to The Close’s salary information database, real estate agents in Arizona typically make $79,436, which is higher than the national average of $73,985. In a commission-based career, there is no limit to your earnings if you commit your time and effort to build your business.
What if I have a real estate license from another state?
If you have an active real estate license in another state, you may be eligible to receive licensure in Arizona through its Out-of-State License Recognition program. You’re eligible if you:
- Are an Arizona resident
- Are currently licensed in another state (and have been for at least a year)
- Have completed approved real estate education in another state
- Passed a real estate license examination in another state
Related article: Real Estate License Reciprocity & Portability: A State-by-State Guide
How many Realtors are there in Arizona?
According to the National Association of Realtors’ data, there are 54,020 real estate agents in Arizona. This is a slight increase from the previous month, and a 2.3% decrease from last year.
What’s the average home price in Arizona?
According to Zillow, the average home price in Arizona is $423,436, which is a 6.1% decrease from this time last year. In wealthier enclaves, the home values are even higher. Scottsdale, for example, has an average home value of $790,183.
Bringing It All Together
We hope we’ve narrowed your search for the best real estate school in AZ for your needs. Here at The Close, we offer resources for every stage of your career. We can help you succeed by providing insights and strategies from real estate professionals. Have an insight or question? Let us know in the comment section below!
