Choosing the right school for your Maryland real estate classes can be intimidating. There are so many options with so many different pros and cons. I’ve decided to help make your decision easier by choosing five of the best providers of real estate classes in Maryland based on essential factors like pricing, online or in-person formats, study tools, and access to instructors. Read through the evaluation of these schools and pick the one that best fits your needs.
- Kaplan: Best for career support
- The CE Shop: Best online
- Long & Foster Institute of Real Estate: Best live and in-person courses
- Elite Learning Academy: Best for instructor access
- Colibri Real Estate: Best package options
The Close’s Top Picks of Online Real Estate Schools in Maryland
| Our Top Picks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaplan: Best for Career Support | |||
| The CE Shop: Best for Online Education & Support | |||
| Long & Foster Institute of Real Estate: Best In-person Courses | |||
| Elite Learning Academy: Instructor Access | |||
| Colibri Real Estate: Best Package Options |
Need to learn more about Maryland education requirements before choosing a school? Check out our article How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Maryland in 4 Easy Steps or jump to our section below with Helpful Maryland Licensing Info to get all the necessary info.
Best for Career Support: Kaplan
My Expert Opinion on Kaplan
Kaplan is undeniably one of the best real estate schools online, and it’s designed to support agents in every stage of their career, from becoming a real estate agent to taking professional development. While all of Kaplan’s real estate agent classes in Maryland are online, multiple format options exist. There are self-paced online formats, as well as online video courses, live online classes with an instructor, and hybrid formats that include live videos and physical textbooks. This number of options guarantees you will find a learning style that’s best for you.
💡Room for improvement: Students would benefit from a mobile app to work through the self-paced courses. Although you can access the content online, it isn’t as user-friendly as an app.
Kaplan Cost
Kaplan offers multiple packages for every type of education. The lower-level tiers and packages are very affordable—in fact, the basic prelicensing package is one of the cheapest on our list! However, additional features of the other packages are worth considering.
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Best for Online Education & Support: The CE Shop
My Expert Opinion on The CE Shop
The CE Shop is a well-known online real estate school with self-paced, easy-to-use Maryland real estate license classes. It stands out from other online real estate schools because of its unique learning platform, LEAP, which makes the courses highly interactive and engaging. Plus, similar to Kaplan, the CE Shop has a variety of course packages before and after you get your license, like exam prep and continuing education, with lots of exciting topics!
Bonus: The CE Shop also has classes for many additional jobs you can get with a real estate license, like home inspection and appraisal.
💡Room for improvement: The flip side of The CE Shop being nationally recognized is that there aren’t any live courses or local, Maryland-based professionals to talk to. This isn’t a priority for everyone, but if you aren’t familiar with the real estate industry, it could be a big con.
The CE Shop Cost
The CE Shop’s course packages are tiered, so the higher-priced packages have the most resources and support. Both continuing education courses and exam prep options can be purchased individually or as a bundle.
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Best In-person Courses: Long & Foster Institute of Real Estate
My Expert Opinion on Long & Foster Institute of Real Estate
Long & Foster is a major real estate brokerage that offers scheduled Maryland real estate classes. This school is ideal for those who want access to an instructor in a small, tight-knit environment because classes are limited to about 12 to 20 students. Plus, the most unique benefit of Long & Foster is that if you join its real estate team after you become licensed, you may be able to be reimbursed for the cost of your courses. I believe this is an ideal choice for aspiring Maryland agents who want to build in-person connections and follow a schedule.
💡Room for improvement: Even though there are online and in-person courses, there are no self-paced options. Plus, there are attendance requirements, so if you need any flexibility, this might be a difficult place to take your real estate license course in MD.
Long & Foster Institute of Real Estate Cost
Courses from Long & Foster take about a month, and makeup classes must be rescheduled within 90 days of the course. The package options are slightly different, so read the descriptions carefully or talk to one of the staff members to prepare for the live courses.
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Best for Instructor Access: Elite Learning Academy
My Expert Opinion on Elite Learning Academy
If you’re looking for a live Maryland real estate course with some flexibility, Elite Learning Academy is a fantastic choice. This program is the only Maryland-specific real estate school on this list, and it offers courses taught by a Maryland real estate professional in person and online. There are five physical places to take its classes and various schedule options.
💡Room for improvement: Even if you choose to take your Maryland real estate classes online, Elite Learning Academy still requires you to go to a specified location to take your final course. I’d like an option to proctor the exam online since that format is used for the remainder of the course.
Elite Learning Academy Cost
Elite Learning Academy is one of the only Maryland real estate schools that doesn’t offer multiple packages. There is only one prelicensing course for aspiring agents and one for brokers, making it easy to determine if these classes suit you.
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Best Package Options: Colibri Real Estate
My Expert Opinion on Colibri Real Estate
Colibri Real Estate is an excellent real estate school in Maryland for those who want the most flexible options and the broadest range of choices. All prelicensing packages include the required courses and instructor support, and there are three additional packages with even more resources and support.
For example, the Ultimate Learning package provides all the exam prep materials and tools from CompuCram, multiple live and interactive sessions with teachers, and an extensive library of career-boosting support. Two exam prep packages can be purchased individually, and a wide range of continuing education courses and packages are available from McKissock Learning.
💡Room for improvement: Although Colibri’s prelicensing and exam prep offerings are comprehensive, it doesn’t offer any broker pre-licensing. Continuing education is only offered through its sister site, McKissock Learning. It would be ideal if students didn’t have to find separate real estate classes in Maryland to renew their licenses or become brokers.
Colibri Real Estate Cost
Colibri offers prelicensing, continuing education, and exam prep for Maryland real estate agents. There are four different prelicensing packages and two exam prep packages, so research the options to see what best fits your needs.
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Helpful Maryland Licensing Info
Maryland Real Estate Governing Body:
Maryland Real Estate Commission
Prelicensing Requirements:
60 Hours
Post-licensing Requirements:
None
Continuing Education Requirements:
15 Hours Every Two Years
- Prelicensing: How to Get a Real Estate License in 5 Simple Steps
- Continuing education: The 5 Best Real Estate Continuing Education Providers
- Exam prep: How to Study for the Real Estate Exam: Tips & Strategies and Free Real Estate Practice Exam + 7 Hacks to Help You Ace It
How We Selected the Best Online Real Estate Schools in Maryland
Regarding our methodology at The Close, our team of licensed real estate professionals, writers, and editors created a weighted rubric that evaluates each school. Our experts have done hours of research to analyze dozens of real estate schools to determine the best for our readers. The features we explored are essential for students to become successful agents and brokers in the real estate industry.
Our detailed criteria included:
- Course Features 25%
- This metric comprises items that assist agents and brokers in completing their education, like pass and refund guarantees, career and instructor support, coaching, training, interactive study groups, and course extensions.
- Value 20%
- Pricing and availability of coursework are essential factors to assess. This value accounts for real estate school offerings in prelicensing, post-licensing, continuing education, broker prelicensing, and exam prep.
- Learning Format & Accessibility 20%
- Real estate professionals must consider the best format for their learning, which includes self-paced, on-demand video, live streaming, and in-person classes. Also, accessibility via multiple devices, like computers, tablets, and mobile devices, determines user convenience.
- Expert Score 15%
- The Close closely reviews each course for stand-out features, details, ease of use, and the value for money spent from a real estate expert’s perspective.
- Help & Support 10%
- If students need additional support, they must be aware of the customer service options available through phone, email, live chat, and the ticket system.
- Reputation 10%
- This metric examines the reputation of each real estate school through the lens of current and past students, reviewing the customer reviews and popularity of each provider.
FAQs
How much does it cost to take real estate classes in Maryland?
The cost of Maryland real estate classes depends on your chosen school and the specific package. Based on our research, the most affordable Maryland prelicensing package is at Long & Foster Real Estate Institute, which costs $154. Exam prep courses and continuing education can be priced individually and are very affordable, with the schools on our list ranging from $15 to $199.
How long does it take to become a real estate agent in Maryland?
The entire process of becoming a Maryland real estate agent takes between three to four months. Of course, the timeline depends on how long you take to finish the 60 hours of coursework and when you schedule (and pass) the real estate exam.
Is MD real estate exam hard?
The Maryland real estate exam has a pass rate of only 52%—so it’s one of the most challenging courses in the country. I recommend you choose a prelicensing course that includes exam prep or take an individual exam prep course to help you thoroughly prepare.
Bringing It All Together
The first step to becoming a realtor in Maryland is taking prelicensing real estate classes. Plus, you’ll still have to use real estate schools throughout your real estate career for continuing education, professional development, and upgrading your license to become a broker. I’ve carefully picked five of the best places for real estate classes in Maryland, and I’m confident that one of these options will help you kick off or continue a successful career.
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