Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the nature of Real Estate education has evolved rapidly, and Carolina School of Real Estate is here to help you make sense of the changes. We want to help you choose the right educational delivery method that will give you the greatest likelihood of success. All online courses are NOT equal. I’m sure you are wondering how to find the best online real estate classes in North Carolina. We hope that this article will help you make the best choice for your learning style.
Previously (Prior to COVID-19), the NC Real Estate commission required that Prelicensing (training to become a licensed Realtor) and Postlicensing (Provisional brokers must take these three courses within 18 months of getting their license) hours be taught in-person in a classroom setting. Instructors that are certified by the NC Real Estate Commission go through a rigorous screening and training program, and the belief was that having an in-person experience with a certified instructor offered students the greatest likelihood of success.
When the pandemic removed the ability to offer a safe in-person classroom experience, the NC Real Estate Commission adjusted its rules to allow alternate delivery methods for the learning experience. NCREC's permanent education rules effective July 1, 2020 now allow ALL education, prelicensing, postlicensing and continuing education* to be offered in-person, synchronously, or asynchronously (excluding the CE Update course that must be taken in-person or synchronously).
At Carolina School of Real Estate, we evaluated these options and quickly decided that there was no substitute for the live, synchronous experience of learning from an instructor with whom students can actively interact. It is our philosophy that a live learning experience, even one on Zoom, is far superior at delivering student success than a pre-recorded (Asychronous) course. We knew this based from our years of offering in-classroom courses and receiving feedback from our students about the high quality of our instructors and their incredible willingness to help answer questions both during and after class hours. We have also seen this in action lately as we have had many students enroll at CSRE after first trying the lower-cost pre-recorded (Asynchronous) classes being offered online by many national real estate schools. These students have come to enroll at CSRE after their disappointment with the Asynchronous classes and their challenges to learn the material needed to pass the state exam.
We offer you this advice not to discourage you from taking a lower-cost pre-recorded course from another provider, but to give you the information we have learned from years of educating real estate professionals. Your time and money are valuable. The Prelicensing course to become a realtor takes 75 hours. It is not something that you want to have to repeat because you are unable to pass the state exam! Invest in your success by choosing a locally-owned North Carolina real estate school that has a track record of phenomenal, caring instructors and high student success rates on the state exam.
To help clarify the differences between synchronous and asynchronous learning, we have created this comparison chart. At CSRE, we ONLY offer synchronous learning because we firmly believe it offers a superior learning experience for our students.
What are the differences between synchronous and asynchronous learning?
| Synchronous learning | Asynchronous learning |
|---|---|
| Traditional classroom | Recorded class |
| Instant Messaging | |
| Immediate feedback from instructor and peers | Sending a question and waiting for an answer |
| Phone call | Recorded voice message |
| In-person training | Online traiing courses (without live video) |
| Live webinar | Self-paced |
| Same time | Different times |
The benefits of synchronous learning
- Interaction between participants.
- The ability to ask questions as they arise.
- Exchange of knowledge and experience between participants.
- Real-time feedback for the instructor.
- Training happens on a fixed schedule.
- Instructors get to know you and care about your success
We hope that when the time comes for you to choose a NC Real Estate school, you will choose Carolina School of Real Estate for your Prelicensing, Postlicensing, or Continuing Education Needs. If you are interested in learning more about our school, please call our Director, Lane Young at 336-391-2910.