Wondering if you should take your real estate classes in person or online? In this post, we’re going to make the case for why you should avoid in person real estate classes, and instead, enroll in an online real estate class, such as Aceable Agent.
The case for online real estate classes is built around the way we all learn. Here are the five reasons to avoid in person real estate classes.
Let’s go.
We Require Spaced Repetitions
A lot of research exists about how we learn. In the hundreds of research papers and educational journals, one thing is clear, we learn and retain information through frequent and spaced repetitions.
In other words, we learn information best when our learning is spaced or distributed. This is in contrast to cramming.
When studying for the real estate exam, spaced learning might look like studying for up to four hours composed of studying for one hour and then taking a 30-minute break.
Cramming for a real estate exam looks a lot like traditional in person real estate classes.
For example, in Michigan, there is only a 40-hour pre-licensure education class requirement. Most in person real estate classes in Michigan are a week long, consisting of five days of 8-hour class and study periods with limited breaks.
The in person real estate classes that most prospective students find are based on a “cramming-approach”. They go over all of the information as quickly as possible.
It’s like drinking out of a fire hose rather than pouring yourself a glass of water from the sink.
On top of that, a cramming-approach results in little information retained after a few months. If there is any gap between when you complete your in person real estate class and when you take the exam, you will struggle.
Your brain will dump a lot of the information you learned. Making your job of passing the real estate exam that much harder.
An online real estate class is aligned with how we learn. You control the pace. Study frequently, in shorter periods with adequate spacing.
You stand a much better chance of passing your real estate exam this way.
We Learn Differently
Educational research indicates there are four different learning styles: kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and reading and writing. They are defined as follows:
- Kinesthetic – a hands-on approach and learn-by-doing style
- Visual – charts, graphs, and picture aids help these learners remember information
- Auditory – verbal instruction, lectures, and listening
- Reading and Writing – Texts, articles, or writing are the ways these people learn
We all have the capacity to learn in each of the styles, however, each of us has a dominant learning style where we learn best. It’s called our primary learning style.
Can you guess what learning style in person real estate classes are most geared towards?
The answer: auditory learners.
Good in person real estate classes understand the various learning styles and try to incorporate the various learning styles through offering guides, a powerpoint, and encouraging note taking.
Unfortunately, the main teaching style is lecture and built for auditory learners.
And…
…research indicates only about 30 percent of people are auditory learners.
That leaves an entire 70 percent of learners who need something MORE than sitting in a real estate class for lengthy periods listening to a lecture.
Online real estate classes, in contrast, offer learning opportunities for every learning style.
Those who learn by reading and writing will have no shortage of text and content to read. Visual learners can download and study the various infographics, charts, and pictures.
And of course, most online real estate classes contain video and lectures for those who have an auditory learning style.
With the ability to deliver multiple online practice tests, too, it’s a great option for kinesthetic learners.
Why risk taking a real estate class in person when there is a chance it won’t match your learning style? You can enroll online and study in the way you learn best.
Study How You Test
What is studied together gets wired together. Nothing proves this more than study done by Steven M. Smith in 1985.
Smith took a group of Psych 101 students and had them study a 40 word list. Divided into three groups — one studied in silence, another to Milt Jackson, and another to Mozart — they spent 10 minutes trying to memorize the words.
Two days later, they were asked to retrieve the words.
Students who listened to Mozart and were asked to recall the words while Mozart was playing did better than those who studied listening to Mozart, but were asked to recall the list while listening to Milt Jackson or sitting in silence.
The point isn’t the music that was listened to. It’s “what is studied together is wired together”.
How does this silly little experiment tie into taking the real estate exam?
Simple. On your real estate exam, you are asked to recall information so you can pick the right answers to the questions.
Your real estate exam is on a computer in a testing facility.
We can use an outside cue — like a computer — to improve our recall information. We study the information online using a computer AND we take several practice exams online, students will do better at recalling information come real estate exam time.
Even better, some companies, like Aceable Agent, offer the option to take the real estate exam online from YOUR home. In other words, it’s the perfect way to take advantage of the way our brain works.
Memory recall is easier when you can take an exam in the same exact place you studied.
In person real estate classes are completely different environments from your testing environment. Making memory recall more difficult.
Real Estate License Takes Longer To Get
In person real estate classes lack the on-demand features that are so common of online real estate classes. When you make the choice to complete your real estate classes in person, you’re at the mercy of the education provider’s schedule.
For example, there might be a class that starts in a few days or, and more likely, it means starting a real estate class in a few weeks or months.
In my city, the Michigan pre-licensure class is offered every 60 to 90 days.
With that same timeframe, a prospective real estate student can enroll in an on-demand real estate course, complete the education requirements, and take the exam.
It’s possible to get your real estate license much faster when you opt for an online real estate course.
Don’t be at the mercy of a provider’s schedule. Get started on your journey to becoming a real estate agent today.
It’s More Expensive
Online products and services always scale better, and as a result, are less expensive. Think about business outside the real estate industry.
What did Amazon do to brick-and-mortar stores? How did Netflix drive Blockbuster out of business?
Like every online business, online real estate schools deliver more value at a cheaper price than in person real estate classes.
Let me compare a real estate class in my area to an online option like Aceable Agent in Michigan.
Holloways Real Estate Institute: One option and costs $295. Includes a manual and access to some online videos.
Aceable Agent: Three different options — $155, $255, and $315. Each package has different features and you can compare their options in your state on their website.
Just looking at the price alone, you can see that there are two options that are cheaper than in person real estate classes.
Even if you went with the more expensive option, there is far more value offered through Aceable Agent than an in person real estate course.
Why Enroll In Aceable Agent?
Aside from the pitfalls with in person real estate classes, there are two main reasons I recommend enrolling in an online real estate class like Aceable Agent.
- The “Ace Guarantee”
- Take Your Exam From Home
With the “Ace Guarantee”, you pass the exam or get your money back.
There’s no risk to signing up for an online real estate class. Few in person real estate classes, and even many online classes, don’t offer a guarantee like this.
Depending on your state, you could pay hundreds or thousands of dollars on your real estate education.
Imagine failing the exam after spending that much money. If you took an in person class, you’re probably out the money.
TOUGH.
At Aceable Agent, you pass or get the money back.
Second, you get to take the exam from your home. For many states, like Michigan, Aceable Agent proctors the exam.
That means no separate testing facility that could be shut down or have limited testing times due to Covid.
Remember, what gets studied together gets wired together. What better way to use this learning hack than taking the exam from exactly where you study.
Final Words
Based on how we learn, in person real estate classes make passing the exam harder. Information is crammed and suitable for one learning style. They take longer to get your real estate license and are more expensive than many online real estate class options.
Enroll today at Aceable Agent, today, and get started on your real estate journey.
