Not all real estate schools are created equal, and when deciding which school is going to shape the entire future of your career, it is imperative to do your research.
This article focuses on two of the leading online real estate schools – VanEd and Colibri – compared side-by-side across all the important criteria so you can decide the best real estate school for you. You can find other real estate school comparisons in our back catalog, including Kaplan and Aceable Agent.
1. Overview
VanEd
VanEd Real Estate School has been a trusted real estate education provider since 1997. Their courses are 100% online, so students have access to their coursework anytime and can complete their modules anywhere. This model is attractive to students who have full-time jobs or busy personal lives. Students take the course at their own pace.
VanEd offers courses designed for agents, brokers, and appraisers within the industry. Although not every course category is available in every state, their offerings include:
- Real estate pre-licensing courses for Agents & Brokers
- Real estate license exam prep, also available standalone
- Real estate post-licensing courses
- Continuing Education (CE) for Agents & Brokers
- GRI Designation courses
- Appraisal licensing courses
- Appraisal license exam prep
- Appraisal Continuing Education (CE) courses
The breadth of their curriculum makes VanEd an ideal school for real estate professionals who intend to have a long career in the real estate industry. After completing your pre-licensing courses and passing your real estate exam, you can take CE courses or advance your career by taking broker or appraiser courses on a familiar platform.
In addition to the convenience of taking all your coursework in one place, the VanEd student portal keeps track of all the courses you complete over time. No need to worry about hunting down proof of course completion!
Perhaps one of the most noteworthy features of VanEd is the customer support team. Reviews repeatedly mention the helpfulness of this staff. The support staff is a team of dedicated real estate instructors who have years of experience in the real estate industry. This staff is available to students for anything ranging from technical support to coursework assistance.
Colibri Real Estate
Colibri Real Estate school – formerly known as Real Estate Express – has provided online and app-based real estate education since 1996. This means that both online real estate schools have similar longevity.
Their course offerings include:
- Real estate pre-licensing courses for agents & brokers
- Real estate license exam prep
- Real estate post-licensing courses
- Continuing Education (CE) for agents & brokers
- RENI Designation courses
- ILHM Designation courses
- CNE Designation courses
- CBAE Designation courses
As with VanEd, not every course category is available in every state. Colibri does offer courses in a larger number of states, but real estate students in more than a dozen states have a choice between VanEd and Colibri.
One important distinction from VanEd is that Colibri launched livestream classes in response to the global pandemic, allowing students to become a part of real-time pre-licensing, post-licensing, or CE classes without stepping foot inside a classroom. For students who value a classroom experience, this may be an important option for choosing the best real estate school.
2. Accreditations
VanEd
All of VanEd’s courses are accredited and meet each state’s requirements. Some major accreditations and other credentials include:
- Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO)
- Real Estate Educators Association (REEA)
- REALTOR® Association Professional Development Directors (RAPDD)
- International Distance Education Certification Center (IDECC)
- Certified Distance Education Instructor (CDEI)
- Approvals in each state
You can find a complete explanation of VanEd Real Estate School Accreditations on their website.
Colibri
Colibri doesn’t have as many accreditations as VanEd, but like VanEd, they have ARELLO and IDECC accreditations as well as approvals in each state.
3. A Look Inside the Courses
VanEd
VanEd's interactive courses can be accessed 24/7 from any device, but the material is also available as a downloadable eBook for students who prefer more heavily text-based learning.
Students can complete courses online at their own pace, so courses can be completed as fast as several weeks or as slowly as 12 months. This is perfect for students trying to juggle real estate license prep with other responsibilities.
VanEd courses contain videos, infographics, various interactive exercises, course progress reminders, flashcards, quizzes, and the ability for students to take notes and save them to their accounts.
Colibri
Like VanEd, Colibri courses can be taken online through self-paced interactive courses, allowing you to learn at your own pace.
However, when you buy the most expensive learning package, Colibri also offers livestreamed classes and webinars that let you join other students in learning from a live instructor. This is a significant difference between the two online real estate schools.
4. Customer Service & Support
VanEd
VanEd offers all students the ability to speak directly with a knowledgeable instructor. VanEd instructors are successful real estate professionals who now teach students how to find success in the industry. Having instructors who know the industry and understand the exams is a huge advantage.
All instructors are practicing professionals with many years of experience in real estate and appraisal. The VanEd instructors are available during the workweek by phone or email, and the quality of the support is often mentioned in VanEd’s real estate school reviews.
Don’t want to wait for a response? The online Q&A system not only lets you contact instructors but also lets you browse through a well-organized collection of previously posted student questions and instructor answers.
Colibri
Colibri has a tiered system where the more you pay for each course, the more support you can access from the Colibri team.
Students with the more expensive packages have access to instructor Q&A, live exam crammer study sessions, and communication with real estate professionals five days a week. These are not available to students at the lower two levels.
Lower levels can call or email a state-approved course expert and expect a response in approximately one business day.
5. Reviews & Student Testimonials
The most critical opinions to consider when looking for a real estate school are from current and past students. Checking real estate school reviews can be a convenient way to get the lay of the land and learn the strengths and weaknesses of a program.
Here is what recent students said about these online real estate schools.
VanEd
VanEd Real Estate School has received an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from 216 students.
Colibri
Unlike VanEd, Colibri Real Estate School does not promote its average student rating on its website.
When reading Colibri Real Estate School reviews on third-party sites, students who purchase the more expensive Colibri packages post few complaints, while those who purchase the cheapest package seem to feel they don’t get their money’s worth and must upgrade to get adequate value. This may be important to consider during your real estate school comparison.
6. Cost
Cost is an essential factor in real estate school, but understanding what you are paying for is equally important for finding a product with the right value.
In other words, don’t just look at the dollar amount when doing real estate school comparisons. VanEd vs Colibri is the perfect example of this – Colibri’s cheapest package costs less than VanEd’s but also provides less value.
VanEd
VanEd Colorado pre-license courses offer three different packages priced according to the bonus features and extra education: Essentials, Advantage, and Premium.
Every package consists of a complete education, payment plans, live customer service, and live instructor support. Unlike Colibri, even the cheapest packages include exam prep resources. More advanced packages include bonus coursework and CE discounts that you can apply during your first year.
Prices vary in each state. VanEd hits the middle mark at its base pricing, but it constantly offers significant discounts that make its school extremely affordable.
Colibri
Colibri offers four different course package levels, ranging from The Basics to Ultimate Learning.
The Basics package undercuts VanEd’s lowest price but does not include any exam prep assistance whatsoever. You can draw your own conclusions about whether that matters based on the lack of a “Pass or Don’t Pay” guarantee from Colibri at this level.
The advantages of the more expensive levels include live-streaming courses, webinars, more extensive instructor support, and short-form professional resources like coaching videos and how-to guides. There are no additional courses or CE discounts available.
Colibri offers a "Pass Or Don't Pay" money-back guarantee at higher package levels in certain states. They also run frequent sales on the website.
VanEd vs Colibri: The Bottom Line
VanEd and Colibri are both online real estate schools with over 20 years of experience and the necessary credentials.
The main difference between VanEd and Colibri is that while Colibri requests more money for higher-value education and support, VanEd provides the same high-quality education for all tiers while adding extra educational resources as you move up. Colibri’s real estate school reviews from lower-tier students express disappointment in the value at lower price points.
Colibri’s live-streamed classes and “cram sessions” do set it apart from VanEd if you are looking for a virtual classroom experience – but note that these are only available at the most expensive tiers.
Now that you have an idea of the best real estate school for you, check out the availability of pre-licenses courses and CE courses in your state!
Written and Published by: VanEd
