The CE Shop has long had an excellent reputation for continuing education (CE) courses and is quickly becoming one of the leaders in online prelicensing education. If you’re still undecided about The CE Shop, I’m here to help. I spent over 100 hours researching and evaluating this school. In this CE Shop review, I took an in-depth look at The CE Shop’s online platform, its costs, course offerings, pros and cons, and other students’ The CE Shop reviews to help you decide whether it’s the best real estate education provider for you.

The Close Score: The CE Shop

The CE Shop Scorecard
Pros
  • Offers a 5-day free trial
  • Pass guarantee
  • Exam prep materials included in prelicensing packages
  • Lots of bonus resources
  • Live instructor-led webinars on exam topics offered in some states
  • Continuing education included in Premium
Cons
  • No livestream course format
  • No networking opportunities or job placement services
  • No access to live instructors
The Close Score
4.6
Value:
5.0
Learning Format & Accessibility:
2.5
Course Features:
3.0
Help & Support:
4.5
Reputation:
4.0
Expert Score:
5.0
out
of
5

My Verdict on The CE Shop & Why You Should Trust It 

As a real estate staff writer and researcher at The Close, I have extensive experience reviewing and evaluating real estate schools and other software. I have tested many schools’ online learning platforms, evaluated course offerings and class formats, looked at pricing, and considered verified student reviews. Rest assured that my CE Shop real estate reviews are based on thorough analysis.

The CE Shop's student dashboard interface
The CE Shop student dashboard (Source: The CE Shop)

The CE Shop is an excellent option for online prelicensing real estate education. It offers affordable packages and a self-paced curriculum via a clean, easy-to-navigate interface. However, while The CE Shop approach works for some, it’s not a good fit for learners who thrive on live instruction. 

Real estate education introduces complex concepts, and it feels limiting not to have an option for livestream or in-person instruction. In addition, there is no direct access to instructors. If a student has a question, they must pose it to the support team, who will then send it to the proper contact or instructor. While there is a promise to respond within two days, I feel this is too long to wait when trying to progress through a course with many detailed concepts.

The CE Shop Course Availability

In this section, I’ve listed the types of real estate classes The CE Shop offers and where they are available.

Prelicensing

A U.S. map with states where The CE Shop's available prelicensing courses are shaded

The CE Shop offers prelicensing courses to those seeking their real estate license for the first time. These can be purchased online, and self-paced courses are accessible for 12 months. The CE Shop’s prelicensing courses are available in all states except Alaska, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

Exam Prep

A U.S. map with states where The CE Shop's available exam prep courses are shaded

Most of The CE Shop’s prelicensing course packages come with exam preparation materials. These include an initial assessment, unlimited practice tests, individual lessons per topic, and an interactive dashboard. The good news is that The CE Shop’s Exam Prep Edge is available in all 50 states.

Post-licensing

A U.S. map with states where The CE Shop's available post-licensing courses are shaded

After getting your real estate license for the first time, you’ll need to take post-licensing courses to renew your license. The post-licensing hours vary from state to state, so check how many hours your state requires. The CE Shop offers post-licensing courses in 26 states:

  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Mississippi
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington

Continuing Education

A U.S. map with states where The CE Shop's available continuing education courses are shaded

As if it couldn’t be any more pronounced—the “CE” in The CE Shop originally stood for continuing education. The CE Shop offers continuing education courses in all 50 states. The advantage of having CE as part of your education provider’s offerings is that it’s all in one place. When you need to finish that renewal coursework (maybe even at the last minute), everything is ready to complete and submit to your licensing board.

In addition, I appreciate The CE Shop’s range of interesting courses. Some states offer classes as diverse as Assistance Animals and Fair Housing, Working with Real Estate Investors, Sex and Real Estate, and Serving the Unique Needs of the Senior Market.

Broker Prelicensing

A U.S. map with states where The CE Shop's available broker prelicensing courses are shaded

The CE Shop has state-approved broker prelicensing courses if real estate agents want to upgrade their licenses and level up their careers. Currently, The CE Shop only offers broker prelicensing courses in the following states:

  • Alabama
  • California
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Mississippi
  • New York
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington

The CE Shop Pricing

Since the cost to become a realtor isn’t cheap, The CE Shop ensures students that its pricing is reasonable. While each package has many additional resources, The CE Shop’s pricing still varies depending on your state and how many hours you must complete. Here are the usual inclusions in The CE Shop’s course packages:

Prelicensing
$139-$1,015
  • Self-paced courses accessible across all devices
  • Exam prep materials
  • Kickstarter Professional Development Program
  • Career resources
  • Real estate glossary
Exam Prep
$79-$135
  • Available in all states
  • Initial assessment
  • Unlimited simulated exams
  • Interactive dashboard
  • Individual lessons per topic
Post-licensing
$25-$529
  • Individual and packaged courses
  • Mandatory and elective courses available
Continuing Ed.
$9-$275
  • Available in all states
  • Individual and packaged courses
  • NAR Ethics course
Broker Licensing
$115-$1,999
  • Unlimited practice exams
  • Real estate glossary
  • Career resources
  • Downloadable course materials

The CE Shop Alternatives

While The CE Shop offers an up-to-date curriculum, relevant self-paced courses, and reasonable pricing, there might be better options for students seeking live instruction. Some students might prefer access to live instructors or a job placement service, which The CE Shop doesn’t offer. That said, here are some alternatives students might consider:

School
Why It’s a Great Alternative
Reviews
Learn More
colibri real estate logo
  • Pass or Don’t Pay guarantee
  • Exam prep packages include lots of features
  • Self-paced and livestream course options
  • Buffini & Company coaching videos
  • One year of access to Colibri’s Career Booster Pack
  • Professional growth tools for real estate agents
Colibri Real Estate Review
Visit Colibri Real Estate
aceable agent logo
  • Best for mobile
  • Affordable individual courses and packages
  • Pass guarantee
  • Mini-course on finding the right sponsoring broker
  • Private tutoring, live webinars, and live Q&A included in Premium packages
AceableAgent Review
Visit Aceable Agent
kaplan real estate education logo
  • All packages have test prep materials
  • Interactive study groups
  • Career Mentor Connect via Zoom
  • Real Estate Accelerator online video course and live online coaching
  • Interest-free payment plans
Kaplan Real Estate School Review
Visit Kaplan

Key Features of The CE Shop

Now, let’s look at The CE Shop’s standout features and what makes it one of the best real estate education providers.

LEAP Online Learning Platform

The CE Shop's LEAP online learning platform interface
The LEAP online learning platform (Source: The CE Shop)

One of The CE Shop’s greatest advantages is its user interface, which runs on a custom-designed online learning platform called LEAP. I appreciated its clean look, ease of use, and variety of activities for student engagement.

Real Estate Glossary

The CE Shop's real estate glossary on the LEAP online learning platform
Brush up on essential real estate terms using The CE Shop’s glossary (Source: The CE Shop)

The CE Shop’s real estate glossary is a comprehensive tool to help agents and students understand jargon. It covers hundreds of terms, from basic concepts to more advanced language in real estate contracts and transactions.

Exam Prep Edge

The CE Shop's Exam Prep Edge
Prepare for your licensing exam with Exam Prep Edge (Source: The CE Shop)

Its interactive dashboard allows users to gauge their understanding of key topics through the initial assessment. In addition, the Exam Prep Edge platform breaks down the topics into three categories: “focus here,” “needs work,” and “good,” providing students with a clear roadmap for targeted study.

Real Estate Agent Resources

The CE Shop’s agent resources
The CE Shop’s agent resources (Source: The CE Shop)

The CE Shop’s real estate agent resources offer valuable insights for aspiring and experienced agents. Topics range from growing your business to the latest industry news, equipping them with actionable tips to advance their careers.

Methodology

In terms of our methodology at The Close, our licensed real estate professionals, writers, researchers, and editors created a weighted rubric for this The CE Shop review. Our experts have done hours of research to analyze key features, pricing, course offerings, The CE Shop real estate reviews, and more. All 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 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 important factors to assess. This 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. Accessibility via multiple devices, like computers, tablets, and mobile devices, also 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, knowing the customer service options through phone, email, live chat, and ticket system is necessary. 
  • Reputation 10%
    • This 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. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)




The Bottom Line: Is The CE Shop Worth Your Money? 

Based on my The CE Shop review, I strongly recommend it for students who don’t need live instruction. I like that the school offers exam prep and continuing education in all 50 states. Also, discounts and promotions make these some of the most affordable and comprehensive packages available. With its flexibility and easy-to-use interface, The CE Shop is one of the best online real estate schools.

Is The CE Shop worth your money? I’d say yes. With its pricing, The CE Shop gives you many bonus resources to prepare for the licensing exam. There are also agent perks like free subscriptions to helpful industry resources when you become a student. However, if you’re someone who thrives in a classroom environment or prefers networking opportunities with local agents and brokerages, then you’re better off with your local or neighborhood real estate school.

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