Van Education Center Review

Van Education Center provides self-paced real estate classes to current and aspiring real estate agents in multiple states. Pre-licensing courses are offered in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. Customer service agents and live chat are available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST. Once you sign up for a course, you will be able to contact your instructor over the phone and through email. 

Pros Explained

• Payment plans: When you click on the state in which you want to take a class, it will let you know if there is a payment plan option and how much you need to put down. For example, Florida only requires $57 to get started. This is designed so you can start now and pay later. 
• Online chat: This is a convenient option if you want to ask a quick question and don’t necessarily want to be put on hold or have to speak to someone on the phone. 
• Real estate designations: These are specialties for experienced agents and can boost a resume and impress potential clients. They also teach you specifics on a certain topic such as being a buyer’s agent.   

Cons Explained

• No on-campus classes: If you’re an in-person kind of learner, this school isn’t for you. Instead, check out real estate schools that have campuses near where you live so you can best retain the information. 
• No app: Classes can be taken anytime but not as easily on the go. Because there is no app, they may be slower to load on your smartphone or tablet. It means you usually need to take the class from your home or office where a computer is available. 
• All classes aren’t offered in all states: Exam prep, post-licensing, and continuing education courses are only offered in select states. It may be inconvenient if you want to take one of these courses, so check the website for more details. 

Available Courses

Van Education Center offers a variety of real estate courses including pre-licensing classes for real estate agents in 17 states as well as pre-licensing broker classes, exam prep, continuing education classes, and post-licensing courses in various states. Once you click on the state you’re interested in, a list of available class options will come up. For example, California and New York only offer agent pre-licensing classes, but Florida also offers continuing education and post-licensing courses. 

In addition to real estate courses, Van Education Center offers mortgage broker, appraiser licensing, and appraiser continuing education courses. There are also real estate designation courses that showcase realtor’s credentials and expand their knowledge on a particular real estate niche including things like property management, land consulting, and relocation professionals. 

Salesperson Pre-Licensing

In some states, real estate agents are referred to as real estate salespeople. Pre-licensing courses are offered to prospective real estate agents, and Van Ed offers these courses online. All courses meet the specific state’s mandated real estate education hours for licensing. For instance, the Florida classes contain 63 hours of coursework, and the California classes include 135 hours of coursework. All courses include the materials that you need in a digital format. 

Most states have two to three pre-licensing packages to choose from. The least expensive tier will just offer the required course, and as the tiers increase in price, they will include extras like exam prep courses, additional study workbooks, and discounts on future continuing education classes. For example, in California, there are two packages. The first one is the Standard Package, which costs $100 and just includes the required coursework of Real Estate Practice, Real Estate Principles, and Real Estate Finance. The next tier is the Premium Package, priced at $160, and in addition to the coursework, it also includes an exam prep course. Discounts are often available.

Exam Prep

Van Education Center offers most exam prep courses as part of their pre-licensing packages in some states, but it isn’t included in any of the basic packages. It also provides separate exam prep courses in Colorado, Florida, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia. These courses are state-specific and range in price from $59 to $150. They include things such as topic reviews, practice questions, summary reviews, and study hints. 

If exam prep isn’t offered in the state you’re getting licensed in, you can purchase a national exam prep course which is applicable for all states. Keep in mind that it will only help you prepare for the national part of your real estate exam and won’t include any state-specific information. These classes cost $59 and include topic reviews, topic exams with varied questions, and a graded comprehensive final exam to see how you scored to discern how prepared you are for the real exam. 

Continuing Education

Van Education Center provides continuing education classes designed to renew and maintain your real estate license in 17 states including states offered in partnership with 360 Training’s Agent Campus program. Some of them include continuing education for agents, others for brokers, and other states offer classes for both agents and brokers. Prices range from $13 to over $250 depending on the length of the course and the state it’s offered in. 

Requirements vary by state and the state’s requirements are listed on the continuing education page. For example, Colorado requires 24 credit hours every three years. The school also provides steps on its website with information on how to renew your license in the state you are licensed in. 

Other Courses

In addition to the standard pre-licensing, exam prep, and continuing education courses, Van Education Center also offers several professional courses including mortgage broker classes, appraisal classes, and a variety of real estate designation classes. Course formats and costs vary, and you can contact the school directly for more information or find it on their website. 

Course Format

All courses are offered in a self-paced format and all meet the state’s requirements for real estate licensing. Courses are designed to be taught with multiple learning styles in mind. They are modern, engaging, and can be accessed 24/7 from any device. All digital material including any e-books and workbooks are included in each course. Courses include learning objectives and course outlines so you know what material will be coming up. They also include real estate math, glossaries, licensing laws, and licensure requirements in the state you’re taking the course in. 

Instructors

All of Van Education’s instructors have years of field expertise in the subject they’re teaching, as well as ample teaching experience. Many of them also hold real estate designations and advanced degrees.

Reputation

Van Education Center has an overall positive reputation as an online real estate school, as shown by third-party sites and student testimonials on its own website. Former students praise the course content, fast customer service response times, and their easy-to-use website. Students also like the course structure, but some complaints about the confusing refund process and that course content can be difficult to understand. 

Price

Van Education Center offers a variety of classes for different states with varying price points. Pre-licensing classes range from $100 for a course in California to $650 for a top-tier package in Colorado. Exam prep classes range from $59 to $150, and continuing education courses typically range from $13 to more than $250. 

Customer Service

You can reach customer service at Van Education Center via phone at 1-800-313-8751 or through a contact form or via live chat on their website. The school has customer service hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8p.m. CT. Live chat is only available during business hours.

You can also find the answer to one of your questions on their site through the FAQs section. Additionally, once you sign up for a class, you will get the contact information and availability of your instructor.  

Competition: Van Education Center vs. Colibri Real Estate

Colibri Real Estate is a real estate school that is certified by both IDECC and ARELLO. It teaches real estate classes in two online formats, livestream and self-paced, but doesn’t have any actual campus locations. It has positive overall student reviews and is part of a large real estate education group of companies called McKissock. It offers pre-licensing courses in 36 states and continuing education classes through its partners in all 50 states. 

We compared Colibri Real Estate with Van Education Center because both schools are entirely online, offer a variety of real estate courses in multiple states, and have modern websites with student resources. Overall, we recommend choosing Colibri Real Estate because it is accredited, licensed in more states than Van Education Center, and offers a career hub with helpful tidbits on the real estate industry, getting a job, and creating a resume.