7 best real estate classes in Ohio (OH) for 2024

*Note: All Prelicense Courses meet Ohio’s 120-hour sales associate pre-licensing requirement. All Post-license Courses meet Ohio’s 20-hour post-licensing requirement for first-time renewals, which must be completed within the first year of licensure. The License Renewal CE Courses meet the 30-hour CE requirement for subsequent sales active license renewals after that.

Pros:

• User friendly and interactive
• Courses may be taken as many times as necessary in order to pass

Cons:

• Not all scenarios are relevant to real estate

Course Formats: On-demand video or self-paced courses.

Course Access: While the CE Shops pre-licensing courses expire six months after the purchase date, you can get a one-month extension. For post-license continuing education and license renewal CE, expiration dates are typically one year from the date of purchase, but may vary by course.

Pass Guarantee or Refund Policy: The CE Shop will refund the purchase price of any course within the first 30 days if the course is not more than 50% completed.

Student Support: Support is available from Customer Service Representatives via email, live chat, and phone, seven days a week.

Exam Prep: Exam Prep Edge is the CE Shop’s intuitive online study experience. It can give you the confidence to pass your exam and start your real estate career off on the right foot by providing you with an initial assessment, immediate feedback on the topics you’ve mastered, and guidance on the ones you still need to work on. Additionally, CE real-time dashboards help you navigate each topic while gauging your competency, telling you when you’re ready for your exam.

Final Exam: The CE Shop’s pre-licensing, post-licensing, and CE final exams must be passed with at least a 70%. You may, however, take the courses as many times as necessary in order to pass.

Pros:

• An array of course formats to choose from, including self-paced courses and livestream packages
• Courses can be accessed with any device or operating system

Cons:

• Pre-licensing courses are not offered by Colibri at this time
• Continuing education courses are also not available

Course Formats: Livestream or self-paced courses.

Course Access & Schedule: Six months from your registration date.

Pass Guarantee or Refund Policy: Colibri will reimburse the cost of your pre-licensing package or your exclusive exam prep purchase if you don’t pass on the first try.

Student Engagement & Support: Colibri’s Exam Prep includes monthly access to a live Q&A with expert instructors. You can also participate in interactive study groups to enhance your learning experience.

Exam Prep: Colibri offers a basic Exam Prep course and Exam Prep Live for those who prioritize access to live instructors and exam prep through webinars. Exam Prep Live also includes The Exam Crammer Webinar Series. These six, 1-hour, instructor-led webinars can be attended in any order.

Other Courses: In order to qualify for the licensing exam in Ohio, you need to complete a 120 hour pre-license education certificate. Pre-licensing courses are offered through Colibri’s sister school, Hondros College. When it comes to renewing your Ohio real estate license, you need to fulfill your 20-hour post-licensing requirement. Required Ohio real estate continuing education courses for first and subsequent license renewals are offered through Colibri’s sister school, McKissock Learning.

License renewal courses start at $55 and are broken out as follows:

9-Hour CE Required Package: Includes Complying with the Canon (3 Hrs, Required Ethics), Navigating Ohio Agency (3 Hrs, Required Ohio Law) & Sex and Real Estate (3 Hrs, Required Civil Rights)

21-Hour CE Electives Package: Includes Property Inspection Issues (3 elective Hrs), Taxes and Real Estate, Current Issues, First-Time Homebuyers, Serving the Senior Market, Section 1031 Tax-Deferred Exchanges & Document Excellence for Smoother Transactions (3 Elective Hrs each)

30-Hour CE Package (with NAR Ethics course): Includes Complying with the Canon, Navigating Ohio Agency, Breaking Barriers, Fair Share, First-Time Homebuyers, Growing Green, Selling to Your Sphere of Influence, Technology Tools & More.

Pros:

• Free resources, including a Guide to Real Estate and the Social Media Toolkit for Real Estate Agents
• Learning formats include online, in person, or livestream
• Scholarships are available on the website, as well as other forms of financial assistance

Cons:

• Not the best option for students on a tight budget

Course Formats: Complete any course in person, online at your own pace, or via livestream (held in real time from any device). Hondros also lets you change your learning method at any time.

Course Access: You have six months from the day of purchase to complete your class.

Pass Guarantee or Refund Policy: With the “Pass or Don’t Pay Guarantee,” students enrolled in a Pre-licensing course, or a Set for Success & Ultimate Real Estate bundle, will be refunded if you don’t pass your exam on the first try.

Student Support: If you have a question, you can chat with or call the Student Services team members at 1-888-HONDROS. Anyone enrolled in a pre-licensing class can also access instructor support 7 days a week.

Exam Prep: Hondros College offers several livestream exam prep options, including the Crammer Sales Review Course, which features an exam that simulates the national and state specific portion of the real estate exam, a Real Estate Math Review designed to prepare students for the exam’s math and real estate calculation questions, and CompuCram Exam Prep, which delivers vocabulary tools, practice testing, and comprehensive simulated exams.

Completion Certificates: In order to take the Ohio Real Estate Licensing Exam, you need to meet the 120-hour sales associate pre-licensing requirement. Upon successful completion of your real estate pre-licensing classes, Hondros will give you the necessary completion certificate.

*Note: All Prelicense Courses meet Ohio’s 120-hour sales associate pre-licensing requirement.

Pros:

• On campus class options mean in person support for students
• Associate Degree Program meets educational requirements for OH real estate licensure

Cons:

• Post-licensing CE course are not offered

Course Formats: Daytime, evening, and weekend courses are offered in-person. Many courses are also offered online.

Course Access & Duration: Most courses are offered on designated days of the week at specified times. Depending on the college semester, four months is the typical duration of a course.

Pass Guarantee or Refund Policy: If you paid tuition out-of-pocket at Columbus State and you drop a class, you may receive a refund in the amount you paid for tuition. The amount you get back is dependent on how much of the class you complete.

Student Support: Student Central is ready to answer your questions via chat, email, phone, and even in-person.

Ohio University’s Real Estate Pre-Licensure Certificate requires the completion of four REAL courses and an additional elective course. For the additional course, choose from topics such as economics, workplace collaboration, communications and persuasion, and sales and corporate finance.*

If you are an undergraduate student who has been admitted to Ohio University, then you’re eligible to enroll in the certificate program and take real estate courses for credit. You will need to pay tuition at the rates outlined on the Bursar’s website. The noncredit cost for the university’s real estate courses is typically $175, which does not include the course textbook.

* Terms & Class Information
** Note: All Prelicense Courses meet Ohio’s 120-hour sales associate pre-licensing requirement.

Pros:

• Small classes mean direct access to the instructor for an enhanced learning experience
• Real estate courses complement the university’s undergraduate degree programs

Cons:

• Class schedules are not flexible, so you can’t complete courses at your own pace
• With max capacities between 28 and 104, classes can fill up fast

Course Formats: Classes are online with the exception of the Athens Campus, which offers certain real estate classes in-person and on-site. In-person attendance is required for on-site classes.

Course Access & Duration: Ohio University’s real estate classes meet weekly at a designated meeting time. Classes begin the first week of each semester and last for four months.

Pass Guarantee or Refund Policy: You may request refunds of non-financial aid funds by emailing the Bursar.

Student Support: If you value one-on-one time with instructors, the university’s in-person classes mean unmatched instructor support. Even the online courses have a max capacity of 35, which means more engagement with peers and the instructor, as well as high quality communication.

Exam Prep: With the Real Estate Pre-Licensure Certificate Program of Study, the courses you take will give you the opportunity to prepare for the Ohio Real Estate Salesperson’s License Exam while supplementing an existing major.

Final Exam: Successful completion of this certificate program is defined by the school as satisfactory seat hours for each REAL course and a C or better in each course, and fulfills the educational requirements a student must complete in order to sit for Ohio’s Real Estate Salesperson’s License Exam. Since these are university classes, be prepared for a final exam in each class. If you’re taking a class that is offered online using an online course delivery and management system, proctored exams may be required. In the case of a failing grade, you may retake the course up to two times, excluding withdrawals.

* Note: 30-hour License Renewal CE Courses meet Ohio’s CE requirement for subsequent sales active license renewals.

Pros:

• Courses in many packages can be swapped out and customized
• Courses can be taken at your own pace
• Free learning aids are available

Cons:

• No pre-licensing courses are offered
• Exam Prep is also not available

Course Formats: On-demand video or livestream course

Course Access: Six months from the date a course is first opened

Course Swap: If you enroll in a continuing education package and change your mind, you can easily swap out the package’s courses. Just make an exchange by selecting the preferred courses.

Pass Guarantee or Refund Policy: With the McKissock “Satisfaction Guarantee,” online course students have 30 days to request a refund, starting from the date of purchase. Students of classroom and livestream courses must request a refund within 24 hours from the first day of the course to receive a refundIf you no longer qualify for a refund, you can always swap to a self-paced online course.

Student Support: Expert instructors with years of real-world experience can be reached by phone to answer your questions, on weekdays from 8am – 8pm and weekends from 12pm – 3:30pm, and by email outside of normal business hours. If you have questions or need additional assistance with your course, you can reach your instructor via email.

Final Exam: You will have a comprehensive multiple-choice final at the end of each online course and your exam will be automatically graded, so you know if you passed immediately.

* Note: The License Renewal CE Course meets the 30-hour CE requirement for subsequent sales active license renewals.

Pros:

• Content is created by real estate experts to mirror the licensing exam topics
• Two distinct QBanks simulate most test environment, helping improve your exam score
• Ala carte options make meeting your CE requirements more affordable

Cons:

• A livestream course format is not offered
• There are not pre-license courses available in Ohio

Course Formats: Online video and self-paced online.

Course Access: Six months from the date of purchase.

Pass Guarantee or Refund Policy: Kaplan offers a full tuition refund within 30 days of purchase, but only if the course or class has not been completed.

Student Support: Real estate experts are available to answer any questions via email. General support is also available via live chat.

Exam Prep: Kaplan’s Exam Prep Packages include the National Drill & Practice QBank and Ohio Real Estate Drill & Practice QBank. The National Drill & Practice QBank lets you test yourself with hundreds of questions on an advanced interactive testing platform. And the Ohio Real Estate Drill & Practice QBank allows you to test yourself by simulating nearly every test environment to help improve your exam score.