The Best Online Real Estate Schools in Texas of 2023

Texas boasts some of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., offering plenty of opportunities for licensed real estate professionals to build a thriving career. The growing number of online real estate schools may be making it easier to get started, too. To become a licensed real estate professional in Texas, applicants will need to complete mandatory prelicensing education, either in person or online.

For those desiring greater flexibility, completing all the coursework online could save time and money. Online real estate classes offer the convenience of being able to learn virtually, sparing students from having to trek to a physical classroom at specified times. This may allow students to complete the coursework faster and move at their preferred pace. The best online real estate schools in Texas also help prepare students to take the real estate licensing exam, which is a critical step to getting licensed. These programs can teach the ins and outs of the real estate profession, whether students hope to one day work with buyers, sellers, investors, home flippers, or renters. This guide will help identify some of the best online real estate programs to get students started on the path of building a successful real estate career in Texas.

1. BEST OVERALL: Colibri Real Estate
2. RUNNER-UP: The CE Shop
3. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: RealEstateU
4. BEST EXAM PREP: AceableAgent
5. ALSO CONSIDER: Kaplan Real Estate Education

What to Consider When Choosing the Best Online Real Estate School in Texas for You

To get a real estate license in Texas, applicants must have at least a high school diploma or GED equivalent and complete 180 college-level classroom hours of qualifying real estate courses. This coursework can be completed online, offering the convenience of accessing the material digitally and completing it at the student’s own pace.

To help evaluate online real estate programs, prospective students will want to consider accreditation and state approval status, course offerings, costs, availability and accessibility of the online platforms, preparation and testing procedures, program guarantees, student support, and more.

Accreditation and State Approval

The Texas Real Estate Commission will need to approve real estate prelicensing coursework for it to count in meeting the education requirement. When applying for a license, a student will need to complete a real estate application that will include submitting proof of completing all of the required coursework. Before a student enrolls in a real estate program, it’s vital to verify that it’s accredited; this can help avoid delays in meeting licensing requirements. Some programs may also offer third-party accreditation, which could signify an extra level of accountability that course materials are up to date and reflect the latest market conditions.

Course Types

College-level courses that fulfill Texas’ required 180 hours of prelicensing education include the principles of real estate, law of agency and contracts, promulgated contract forms, and real estate finance. But education doesn’t stop once an agent is licensed, as they’ll need to acquire continuing education credits every 2 years. Fortunately, many schools offer courses to help real estate professionals meet their future education needs as a licensed professional. For example, many online real estate schools in Texas also offer broker licensing and renewal courses as well as continuing education. Some programs may allow students to even bundle course packages to include professional development or future license renewals. Students may find it beneficial to select an online real estate school that can help them meet all their real estate educational needs, from prelicensing to obtaining continuing education credits.

Cost

Online real estate course offerings range in price from $99 to about $1,000. Students can find abundant opportunities no matter their budget. Online programs may help save on costs since they don’t require commuting to class or printing coursework materials. But while cost is an important criteria for picking a school, students won’t necessarily want to go with the cheapest real estate course. Sometimes a more expensive program may be worth the extra investment, especially if the student is new to real estate and desires greater instructor support or prefers a Texas real estate exam prep course to help feel more prepared to take the state’s licensing exam.

Beyond prelicensing education fees, students may want to factor in other costs of their real estate pursuit—like the state’s real estate exam (which costs about $43 per attempt), application fees ($185 for a 2-year real estate license), and a background check and fingerprint fee (costing about $40). Additional costs may include continuing education, brokerage desk fees, multiple listing service, marketing, renewal costs, National Association of Realtors membership, and more.

Availability and Accessibility

Students will want to consider the format of how online courses are delivered or accessed and whether that fits the student’s preferred learning style. Course material may be presented as playback of audio or video lectures or live-streamed classes. Some programs may be self-paced or on demand, which means the student can complete them at their convenience. Other courses may be delivered via live, virtual sessions, requiring the student to be present at a specified time. Additionally, when evaluating online real estate programs, students will want to consider how they prefer to access course materials, whether through print-friendly PDFs or digitally via mobile device, tablet, or computer. Students may prefer digital course materials or mobile access if they plan to complete the coursework while on the go.

Many online programs do require a commitment to completion, giving a deadline to complete the coursework within a certain time frame after enrollment (often spanning 6 months to a year). Students will want to make sure that timeline is feasible to meet.

Preparation and Testing Procedures

Real estate professionals are required to get licensed in Texas to practice real estate. Texas requires passing a real estate exam to become a broker or salesperson. But first, students will need to complete the 180 hours of education. Many of these courses will require students to pass assessments to ensure they’ve learned the key concepts. Most online real estate schools proctor these assessments all online, allowing students to skip having to be physically present in a classroom even for tests.

The best Texas real estate license courses also often provide various levels of exam prep support in preparing students to take the state’s prelicensing exam. For example, some programs may offer practice questions, digital flashcards to help students learn key concepts, video exam prep sessions, or exam prep study guides.

Guarantees

Many of the best online real estate programs offer guarantees, such as a 30-day money-back guarantee if students find they’re dissatisfied with the program. Some programs also may offer a pass guarantee, which allows students to receive a full refund for the licensing exam or their coursework if they fail to pass the state licensing exam. These guarantees may provide some extra peace of mind for students.

Student Support

It can feel lonely taking online courses without the presence of peers or an instructor meeting in person in a classroom. Many programs, however, offer resources for students to connect with instructors if they have any questions about the course materials. Instructors may be available via email, instant message, phone, or through video calls if questions arise as students go through the curriculum. Having that extra support and responsiveness available may help ensure a better experience and a smoother completion of the course.

Some real estate programs may offer add-on student support services, such as one-on-one tutoring to help students with their coursework (which may be particularly helpful to those who are new to real estate) as well as post-license opportunities, such as mentoring for those who just earned their license and are beginning their careers.

Our Top Picks

The best online real estate schools can fulfill the prelicensing education requirement in Texas. Some students may prefer a real estate training program that just offers basic course materials that they can complete at their own pace with minimal support from instructors. Other students may desire programs that offer more robust instruction and study aids to prepare for the prelicensing real estate exam. No matter what students are looking for, the best online real estate schools in Texas featured in this guide cover a broad range of the available offerings.

Best Overall

Colibri Real Estate

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Why It Made the Cut:

Colibri Real Estate has a user-friendly interface with its online learning platform that mixes in instructor support, live and on-demand course options, and abundant study prep to prepare students to take the prelicensing real estate exam.

Colibri Real Estate students can choose their preferred learning option, whether that’s self-paced with on-demand course options or greater instructor support with live courses. All course materials are available either as printouts or digitally, optimized for desktop or mobile use, so students can study whenever and however it’s most convenient to them. The program includes a high number of course offerings and study aids, including exam prep materials and practice tests. Live, interactive exam prep sessions include instructor support and invite students to ask questions and receive instant answers in real time. Colibri Real Estate also offers training options for post-license students, such as continuing education, sales license renewal, and professional development course options.

Students will need to stay on track, as they have 6 months from enrollment to complete the program. But they can have some assurance of success. Colibri offers a “pass or don’t pay guarantee” for all except its most basic course packages. This can offer extra assurance to students that their investment in the program will pay off by passing the state’s licensing exam, or they’ll receive a refund.

Specs

• Cost for prelicensing: $129 to $449
• Additional course types: Broker prelicensing, sales licenserenewal, professional development
• Course expiry: 6 months after purchase
• Pass guarantee: With Exam Preparation, Exam Preparation Plus, and Ultimate Learning packages

Pros

• Live and on-demand course options
• Live, interactive exam prep sessions
• Pass guarantee available with select packages
• Physical and digital course materials provided
• Convenient mobile-friendly courses

Cons

• Relatively short 6-month course expiry

Runner-Up

The CE Shop

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Why It Made the Cut:

The CE Shop offers several online course packages so students can choose their preferred learning format to complete coursework and take advantage of extensive exam prep offerings and post-license assistance with continuing education.

Students can choose the coursework package that best fits their needs with The CE Shop. Package offerings include extra features like e-books, digital flashcards, study schedules, extra exam prep, and business-building courses for launching a real estate career. The content is downloadable, so it can be available offline and accessible at a student’s convenience. The courses are in mobile-friendly formats and optimized for both desktop and mobile use.

The CE Shop boasts high exam pass rates and high student satisfaction marks for its online real estate program. Many of its course packages come with pass guarantees for the prelicensing exam; students who do not pass the exam are eligible to receive a refund. Still, some users have cited concerns over the platform the course uses to administer tests (not for the official state licensing exam but for coursework exams). However, student support is touted as being responsive to troubleshoot any issues that may arise. Prospective students who are unsure of whether they want to commit to the program also can take advantage of a 5-day free trial to test out the program first.

Specs

• Cost for prelicensing: $139 to $469
• Additional course types: Sales license renewal, broker renewal
• Course expiry: 1 year after purchase
• Pass guarantee: With Standard, Value, and Premium packages

Pros

• Generous 5-day free trial for prelicensing courses
• Wide range of continuing education courses
• Convenient mobile-friendly courses
• Pass guarantee available with select packages

Cons

• Reports of user-unfriendly testing platform

Best Bang for the Buck

RealEstateU

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Why It Made the Cut:

RealEstateU offers one of the lowest costs for an online real estate program at just $99, and it includes a large library of audio lectures that allow students to listen in as they go about their daily lives.

RealEstateU leans heavily toward delivering content via audio lectures, which caters to students who prefer to listen rather than watching instructors on video or reading coursework online. The audio lectures may offer busy professionals an opportunity to squeeze in coursework during their day. The entire RealEstateU platform can be accessed from any device, whether mobile, tablet, or desktop. Each lesson plan through RealEstateU is taught by experienced real estate professionals. The course offers several practice quizzes to help prepare students for the prelicensing exam. Students can review and study key sections using downloadable documents and infographics. Since RealEstateU does not offer courses beyond prelicensing, students will need to look at other programs or platforms when looking to complete requirements for license renewal or fulfilling continuing education credits.

The program features 24/7 student support, and students who enroll will need to complete the program within 1 year. However, RealEstateU does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee after enrollment. Students can receive a refund if they’re dissatisfied with the program (assuming they’ve only completed less than half of the program by that time).

Specs

• Cost for prelicensing: $99
• Additional course types: N/A
• Course expiry: 1 year after purchase
• Pass guarantee: Not specified

Pros

• Relatively affordable cost
• Convenient mobile-friendly courses
• 24/7 student support

Cons

• No courses offered beyond prelicensing

Best Exam Prep

AceableAgent

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Why It Made the Cut:

AceableAgent offers a comprehensive study site to prepare students for the prelicensing exam, which includes study aids, digital flashcards for learning key vocabulary terms, 75 videos, and 70 audio instructor lessons.

AceableAgent’s exam prep is a standout: Students get access to a real estate exam prep e-book featuring more than 100 pages of study materials as well as 1,660-plus practice exam questions to prepare for the prelicensing test. AceableAgent also includes live, interactive exam prep sessions. Even those students who enroll with the Basic package still have access to instructor support and can email course experts anytime for feedback or questions regarding the course materials. AceableAgent offers coursework in a PDF format to give students the flexibility to “read course material like a textbook” from their digital screen or by printing it out. AceableAgent’s program includes more limited student support hours, such as limited weekend and weekday hours, for troubleshooting any platform issues.

Offering a pass guarantee for the prelicensing sales exam under some of its plans, AceableAgent provides students extra assurance of success after they enroll in the program. The Deluxe and Premium packages include live webinars and live stream Q&As with instructors or even private tutoring from a real estate professional. AceableAgent, unlike other programs, does not have a specified timeline students must meet to complete coursework after enrolling, allowing them to take as long as they need to finish each course. Additionally, students may find AceableAgent’s professional development courses helpful in launching their real estate career.

Specs

• Cost for prelicensing: $179 to $319
• Additional course types: Professional development
• Course expiry: None
• Pass guarantee: With Deluxe and Premium packages

Pros

• Comprehensive exam prep materials offered
• Live, interactive exam prep sessions
• Pass guarantee available with select packages

Cons

• Somewhat limited student support hours

Also Consider

Kaplan Real Estate Education

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Why It Made the Cut:

A giant in the exam prep space, Kaplan offers an online education solution focused on real estate that may be appealing to those who prefer a more live-streamed format in completing their training.

Kaplan Real Estate Education offers flexibility for learning with a variety of class format offerings, such as printed textbooks or digital course materials and on-demand online videos or live online classroom instruction. It boasts a wide variety of courses, whether students are looking to fulfill their prelicensing education, are newly licensed professionals, or even those who are seasoned pros. The program does come at a higher cost than many of its competitors; program packages start at about $400 and can stretch upwards to nearly $1,000. Kaplan also offers a relatively short timeline of 6 months for students to complete the program after enrollment. Students will want to make sure that time frame fits with their schedule to ensure their investment is worth it.

Kaplan offers extras besides meeting prelicensing education requirements, such as additional courses on how to run a real estate business or even opportunities for meeting in person with a career mentor. It also has post-licensing courses, broker prelicensing, sales and broker renewal, professional development, and continuing education—offering a one-stop shop to meet all real estate education needs for both prelicensing and post-licensing in one platform.

Specs

• Cost for prelicensing: $399 to $949
• Additional course types: Broker prelicensing, sales license renewal, broker renewal, professional development
• Course expiry: 6 months after purchase
• Pass guarantee: Not specified

Pros

• Live and on-demand course options
• Physical and digital course materials provided

Cons

• Relatively high costs
• Relatively short 6-month course expiry

Our Verdict

We recommend Colibri Real Estate as the best online real estate school in Texas because of its offerings of live or on-demand course options, interactive exam prep sessions (which also includes instructor support), and abundant study and course materials. Colibri Real Estate also offers an affordable cost for its online real estate program, starting at $129, with even its lowest- cost options including instructor support. The CE Shop is another great option for students in Texas looking to pursue a real estate career with its 5-day free trial and courses designed for use on mobile devices.

How We Chose the Best Online Real Estate Schools in Texas

The online programs featured in this guide were evaluated based on multiple factors, including course type offerings, how the content is made accessible within the online platform, costs, availability of exam prep materials, program guarantees, student support, and more. All of the courses evaluated in this guide have been approved by the Texas Real Estate Commission, and we assigned awards based on strengths and unique opportunities afforded to students.

Before You Enroll in One of the Best Online Real Estate Schools in Texas

Students have many options regarding how, when, and where to attend real estate business school. Online colleges for real estate usually fit under asynchronous or synchronous formats. Asynchronous classes have no scheduled meetings, and students complete work and assignments within their own time frames; synchronous classes offer courses with set meeting times and a professor who instructs learners virtually. Another option for completing prelicensing education is in a traditional classroom setting, meeting face-to-face with instructors and classmates on a regular basis. Some Texas vocational schools or real estate business schools may offer prelicense education programs. Hybrid classes may be another option, offering a mix of online and live in-person courses.

Self-starters or busy professionals may prefer the greater flexibility offered by asynchronous classes, which they can complete on their own schedule. On the other hand, some students may desire greater structure and prefer live-streamed virtual classes or even in-person courses for networking or getting instant feedback and having questions answered promptly.

Cost of Enrolling in One of the Best Online Real Estate Schools in Texas

When desiring to earn a real estate license, students will want to consider the full scope of costs to avoid surprises. In meeting prelicensing education requirements, an online real estate program can cost anywhere between $99 and about $1,000. Students also will want to budget for additional fees: Exam fees cost about $43 (per attempt), application fees cost about $185 for a 2-year real estate license, background check and fingerprint fees cost about $40, and it costs about $350 or more to cover miscellaneous expenses such as brokerage desk fees, membership dues, multiple listing service, marketing, and more.

The Advantages of Enrolling in One of the Best Online Real Estate Schools in Texas

An online program can offer many benefits to completing prelicensing education requirements. The growing availability of accredited online options in Texas may be beneficial to time-crunched professionals. Here are some benefits of enrolling in an online real estate school in Texas.

• Convenience and flexibility: Students will not need to physically attend a class and can access course materials from anywhere and at any time as they work around their own busy schedules and move through coursework at their own pace.
• Adaptive learning styles: Online programs cater to many different learning styles, whether that’s through audio lectures or printable PDF course materials, live streaming, or on-demand video lectures.
• Post-licensing opportunities: Besides just offering prelicensing education and exam prep, many of the best online real estate programs also can help meet real estate professionals’ education needs throughout their career, including for sales or broker renewals, continuing education, and real estate certification or designation training.

FAQs

Before committing to an online real estate program, students will want to ensure it’s a good fit for both their budget and how they learn. They’ll also want to assess whether the course will adequately prepare them to pass the prelicensing exam. Here are a few common questions students have about online real estate schools and becoming a real estate agent in Texas.

Q. How do I become a real estate agent in Texas?

You must be at least 18 years old, complete 180 hours of classroom education (this can be completed online), pass the state’s licensing exam, and find a broker sponsor. After passing the state’s licensing exam, applicants will receive an inactive license. They will need to be sponsored by an active Texas licensed broker. Once all of this is completed, they will be issued an active license to work as a sales agent.

Q. Can I take Texas real estate courses online?

Yes. Students often find this the easiest way to fulfill the 180 hours of classroom work that is mandated through the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). A benefit to taking online real estate courses is that they allow applicants to go through the course materials at their own pace, which offers convenience for time-crunched professionals.

Q. How do I get a real estate license in Texas online?

Applicants have 1 year from filing an application to then meet the licensing requirements. That includes taking 180 hours of qualifying college-level education, which can be completed through a TREC-approved online real estate program. After completing the coursework, applicants can then apply to take the state licensing exam and request an active Texas licensed broker to be their sponsor.

Q. How long does it take to become a real estate agent in Texas?

On average, applicants find it takes between 2 to 6 months to complete the classroom hours, apply for the license, and take the final licensing exam. Prelicensing education requires six 30-hour real estate courses before a student is eligible to take the state licensing tests. Applicants will need to be committed because they will need to repeat courses or exams if they don’t pass them, which could add to their timeline.

Q. Is the Texas real estate exam really hard?

Yes, it is; students will need to study and prepare. Only slightly more than half of applicants pass the licensing exam on their first try. Enrolling in an online real estate program that is TREC approved can help prepare students to take the exam. Many programs offer study materials and even tutoring sessions to help prepare. If applicants fail the exam three times, they will need to complete an additional 30 classroom hours of qualifying real estate education for each failed portion of the exam before they’re able to register to retake the exam.

Q. Is it worth becoming a real estate agent in Texas?

Texas’ sheer volume of buyers, sellers, and investors have long made it a lively real estate market. Becoming a licensed real estate professional and then a Realtor, which is a member of the National Association of Realtors, helps to build credibility, access a network of professionals, and gain opportunities to further education with Realtor classes for designations. But even those who don’t want to work with buyers and sellers may find a real estate license beneficial in other ways—such as in becoming a smarter investor, identifying lucrative home-flipping opportunities, or even paving the way into a career in property management, appraisals, and more.

Q. How much does a beginner real estate agent make in Texas?

A lot of factors get rolled into a real estate agent’s commission and how it gets sliced up per sale. The average base salary of an entry-level real estate agent working in Texas is $102,746 per year, which is higher than national averages. Agents with more experience tend to earn higher salaries. Also, agents who work full-time make considerably more than those who work only part-time. About 30 percent of active agents in Texas work part-time, which makes average commission rates vary greatly throughout the state.

Sources: AceableAgent, ZipRecruiter