The CE Shop Review

The CE Shop is an online real estate school known for its extensive offering of continuing education classes in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. It also offers agent and broker pre-licensing classes, post-licensing classes, and exam prep courses. It has an up-to-date website with various ways to get in touch with customer service agents including an online chat option. All classes are offered online. 

Pros Explained

• Continuing education classes offered in all 50 states: Continuing education classes are offered in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. This school has a huge variety of topics including core classes and interesting electives. 
• Online chat: The online chat button makes it easy to get in touch with the school and get a quick answer to a question. 
• Provides licensing steps: Each state has different licensing steps and the website does a thorough job of explaining them for each state they offer pre-licensing courses in. This saves you time so you don’t have to go to other sites for licensing information.  

Cons Explained

• No in-person classes: Classes are all offered online, so if you thrive in a classroom setting and having in-person interactions with students and teachers, then this isn’t the right school for you. 
• No mobile app: There isn’t a mobile app, making it more difficult to take classes on the go. 
• No professional development classes: The school doesn’t offer designation classes, professional development classes, or classes to become an appraiser or a home inspector. You will have to take these courses at another school.   

Available Courses

The CE Shop offers pre-licensing real estate agent courses, as well as exam prep courses and classes for agents to get their real estate broker license. It also offers post-licensing and continuing education classes. Post-licensing courses are required in some states before renewing your agent or broker license for the first time. Continuing education classes are completed after renewing your license for the second time and each subsequent time thereafter.

Salesperson Pre-Licensing

Salesperson pre-licensing courses, also known as agent pre-licensing courses, at The CE Shop are offered in 43 states plus Washington, D.C. The only states excluded are: Alaska, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Dakota, and Wyoming. All pre-licensing classes adhere to the states' educational requirements. For example, Florida pre-licensing courses cover 63 hours of coursework, and California classes cover 135 hours of mandatory coursework. 

Pricing for salesperson pre-licensing classes varies widely by state. Most states offer two to four course packages. The basic package will offer just the courses, the next package will offer something extra such as exam prep materials and workbooks, and the next tier may include post-licensing materials.  

For example, in Florida, there are four pre-licensing packages to choose from. The basic package is $129 for just the courses. The Standard Package comes next and includes the courses plus an exam prep course for $189. The Value Package is $229 and also includes courses for new agents on how to build your real estate business. The final package is The Premium Package, which costs $349. It includes everything from previous packages plus 45 hours of post-licensing courses.   

Exam Prep

In most states, some form of exam prep courses and/or materials will be included in one of the packages. However, it can also be purchased separately. Exam prep is designed to be your final step in preparing to take the real estate exam in your state. It summarizes what you learned in pre-licensing courses and provides practice questions and sample exams. It also goes over real estate math, commonly used real estate terms, and helps you review areas you’re struggling in. 

Exam prep classes vary in price by state. 

In Florida, exam prep costs $125 and includes everything you need to prepare yourself for the Florida real estate exam. It begins with an initial assessment and then guides students through each topic while assessing their competency in each subject. Students receive feedback in real-time and have access to unlimited, dynamic practice tests with unique questions. 

Continuing Education

Continuing education classes are where The CE Shop really shines. It offers classes for agents and brokers in all 50 states. You can purchase classes individually or in a package. Choose from mandatory and elective classes. If you need continuing education classes in multiple states, the school will create a custom package for you at no additional cost. 

For example, in Florida, the license renewal period is every two years, and 14 hours of continuing education classes are required. Individual classes start at $9 and packages start at $29. Topics include ethics, law, fair housing, short sales, and affordable housing. Additional elective topics include document diligence, first-time homebuyers, mortgage fraud, and media compliance. 

Other Courses

In addition to agent pre-licensing classes, exam prep classes, and continuing education classes, The CE Shop also offers post-licensing courses and broker pre-licensing courses. Post-licensing classes are offered in 25 states and broker pre-licensing classes are offered in 16 states. Pricing and educational requirements vary by state. You can find details by clicking on the state where you’re interested in taking classes. 

Keep in mind that The CE Shop doesn’t offer professional development classes or classes to get your mortgage broker’s license or your home inspector’s license. 

Course Format

The CE Shop offers courses that are interactive, engaging, and completely online. They can be taken anytime. You can access your courses as soon as you sign up and pay for them. The school is constantly updating its content and course platform to keep up with industry changes. Each pre-licensing course includes all the required materials in a digital format. You also get customer support seven days a week, access to student and career resources, and a course which meets the educational requirements for that state. 

Additionally, when you click on the state you want to take courses in, there will be licensing information, steps to get your license, and exam information. Each pre-licensing course is good for six or 12 months from the purchase date, depending on the state. Pre-licensing course material varies by state, but generally includes laws related to real estate in that state, contracts, agency, and real estate principles and terminology. 

Instructors

All of the classes offered by The CE Shop are written and developed by industry experts with years of experience in their respective fields. The school’s website has a list of course instructors with detailed bios on each one. Instructors are called experts and they teach up-to-date industry information and know about hot topics in their various niches. Some instructors are real estate brokers, others have decades of real estate experience including owning a real estate brokerage or managing properties, and others are real estate marketing pros. 

Reputation

The CE Shop has an excellent reputation as is noted through its many positive customer reviews and testimonials. Students praise the variety of classes, flexible schedules, and competitive pricing. It made the list as one of our recommended online real estate schools. It is well known for its extensive offering of continuing education classes. Additionally, it has years of industry experience and is ARELLO-certified. This means that this well-respected institution believes that The CE Shop meets its stringent criteria as an online real estate school. 

Price

The CE Shop is priced competitively and its continuing education classes are priced among the lowest in the industry. These classes start at just $9. All class prices vary based on the state that they’re offered in. In Florida, exam prep classes are priced at $125 and salesperson pre-licensing courses range from $129 to $349. The CE Shop often has promo codes and discounts on its website for reduced pricing on a variety of classes. 

Customer Service

Customer service can be reached via phone, email, live chat, fax, and online contact form seven days a week. The phone number is (888) 827-0777 and the email is support@theceshop.com. Customer service hours are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CST, and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST.

Competition: The CE Shop vs. Kaplan

Kaplan is one of the most well known online educational centers. It offers a vast number of real estate classes and courses in various other disciplines including appraisal and home inspection. It has years of industry experience, is accredited by both ARELLO and IDECC, and has positive overall student reviews. 

We compared Kaplan with The CE Shop because both schools offer pre-licensing, exam prep, and continuing education classes online to real estate agents and brokers in a variety of states including Florida. Both schools are reputable and have accreditation, online chat options, and up-to-date websites that are easy to navigate and contain helpful student resources. Kaplan gets the edge for also offering live online classes.

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Our Methodology: How We Review Real Estate Schools

We researched and analyzed numerous facets of each real estate school with a quantitative approach in mind. Some of the elements considered include costs of the classes, course formats, accreditation, and former student reviews. We also look at the overall reputation of the provider, geographic areas where the courses are available, and instructor qualifications. Additionally, we assess how easy it is to navigate the website and whether it includes additional student resources such as blogs, webinars, and career tips.