Whether you’re getting licensed for the first time, meeting your continuing education requirements, or looking to enhance your career, make RealEstateExpress.com your real estate school of choice.

After years of a constant up and down pricing battle, the U.S. housing market is finally returning to its’ normal state. Fiserv Case – Shriller is predicting home prices will increase by an average of 3.3% annually over the next five years. With the housing market resembling normalcy for the first time since 1997, there is not a better time than now to get into the real estate industry.

Students who enroll with Real Estate Express will find a library of over 150 original dynamic state-approved courses to choose from. The American School of Real Estate Express not only provides, convenient, easily accessible real estate courses, but an entire career plan; from training, to passing your exam, to the hiring process. With over 500,000+ successfully trained real estate students, our courses and exam prep programs provide informing content and knowledge that allows students to pass their state exams, the first time.

In today’s market, agents need to stand out from the crowd, Real Estate Express’s Career Launcher package provides everything an agent needs to set themselves apart and gain new customers. Agents can build their brand, choose any field specialization course of their choice, and provides two customizable websites to target new clientele.

With America’s favorite online real estate school, agents have the opportunity to make themselves more marketable by completing any of Real Estate Express’s four professional designation courses. Upon completion of the required course curriculum, agents earn the right to use their official designation abbreviations behind their name on all business cards, letterhead, and professional correspondence.

Take the first step and enroll today, real estate education in the palm of your hand!
Want to find out if you have what it takes to be a Real Estate Agent or Broker?

About Tom Davidson — Tom Davidson is Vice President of Express Schools, LLC. which operates online education providers Real Estate Express, Insurance License Express and License Tutor. Follow him on Twitter.

So many people are struggling to find a career that they can feel secure in during these tough economic times. One surprising front-runner that is expected to see a lot of opportunity for employment over the next few years is the real estate industry. The real estate market recovery is not a matter of if it will improve, but rather a matter of when the recovery will begin. In many areas, it has already begun. The following are just three of the reasons to start a real estate career right now.

The first reason is simple…there are jobs in real estate. Experts are listing real estate careers among the top jobs for the future. Whether you get a real estate license to become a real estate agent or broker, or you become a licensed real estate appraiser, careers in real estate are expected to be in high demand over the next 5-8 years all over the country.

The second reason to start a real estate career is affordability. For anyone who has ever considered getting a real estate license, this is the time to do it. The cost of the real estate training and the licensing fees combined are far less than the cost of a single semester at a traditional college, so you will not have to start your new career in debt as you would with most college degree programs. Even for anyone simply interested in buying a home or rental property while the pricing and interest rates are low, a real estate license could be a great opportunity. By investing a minimal amount of time and money in getting your real estate license before you buy, you could save thousands at the closing table by keeping your share of the commission rather than paying someone else to represent you.

Finally, the ease and convenience in getting your real estate license is the best reason to start a real estate career. To get your real estate in any state, the basic qualifications are very simple. If you are at least 18 years of age and have no undisclosed criminal record, then you will be eligible to take the real estate courses required by your state to earn a real estate license. Although the actual number of course hours needed will vary from state to state, they can usually be completed in anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months. Online real estate schools, such as RealEstateExpress.com, allow you to have access to your course work and exams at any time of the day or night, so they are easy to fit into your schedule, no matter what hours you keep.

These are just three of the reasons; you could find many more reasons in your own life to guide you toward this decision. Income generating potential, the complete flexibility of a real estate career, the opportunity for advancing your career as you gain experience, becoming a broker or an employing broker; becoming a real estate professional is a great career with huge growth potential. Right now is a great time to start a real estate career.

Want to find out if you have what it takes to be a Real Estate Agent or Broker?

About David Goldstein — David Goldstein is an Owner and Founding Partner of Express Schools, LLC. which operates online education providers Real Estate Express, Insurance License Express and License Tutor. Follow him on Twitter.

As you may know, a license is required to participate in most real estate transactions. Most states require future real estate industry personnel to apply for licensure, demonstrate aptitude by passing an exam, and show that they are of good character in order to earn a real estate license.

What you may not know, however, is that a real estate license is by no means permanent. Real estate departments in every state insist that licensees continuously renew their licenses, and impose additional requirements – namely, continuing education courses – in order for professionals to stay licensed. Those who do not complete these courses, or otherwise fail to complete the renewal process, risk having their licenses declared inactive or forfeited altogether.

Many real estate agents and brokers grew wary of the industry after the market turned sour several years ago. Now that the market has shown recent signs of a rebound, some of these professionals are looking to get back into the swing of things, only to find out that their licenses are no longer valid. So how does one get his or her license back, if this is the case?

Each state has its own unique requirements for maintaining a real estate license. While the specific requirements vary, they are all imposed for the same reasons. State real estate commissions have a duty to ensure that industry professionals are maintaining the knowledge of real estate they demonstrated when originally applying for licensure, as well as continuously learning more about industry practices in order to serve their customers ethically and responsibly. Imposing license maintenance requirements is the best way for state commissions to live up to their own responsibilities.

For example, in Florida, a real estate license lasts for two years. During this time period, a licensee must complete a minimum of 14 credit hours of continuing education in classroom setting, as prescribed by the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC). Those who fail to meet this continuing education requirement are ineligible to renew their licenses, and any license which is not renewed at the end of a license period is deemed involuntarily inactive.

If your Florida real estate license is inactive, you face one of three possible scenarios:
• Those with a license deemed involuntarily inactive for 12 months or less can reactive it by completing at least 14 continuing education credit hours.
• Those with a license deemed involuntarily inactive for more than 12 months, but less than 24 months can reactive it by completing at least 28 continuing education credit hours.
• Any license deemed involuntarily inactive for more than 24 months is considered expired, and cannot be reactivated. Those looking to regain licensure will have to begin the process again anew, or request a hearing before FREC.

Another example, California, has laws that differ from Florida’s, but are unique in spirit. While a California real estate license lasts for four years (compared to only two years in Florida), it also cannot be renewed without completing continuing education courses. California requires that 45 hours of continuing education be completed within a four-year licensure period, as follows:
• 18 hours must be devoted to consumer protection courses
• 15 hours must be devoted to separate three-hour courses detailing the following subjects: Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, Fair Housing, and Risk Management (Note: professionals who have already successfully renewed a license at least once can instead take an 8-hour survey course detailing these five subjects)
• The remaining hours can be related to either consumer service or consumer protection courses.

Licensees who fail to complete these education requirements during the four-year licensure period will see their licenses expire. However, they have up to two years following the license expiration date to complete their education requirements and earn reinstatement; however, those that do so during this late renewal period will have to pay an extra reinstatement fee. And much like Florida, a license that is not reinstated during the late renewal period becomes null and void, and licensees will have to start all over if they want to become licensed again.

As you can see, requirements for reinstating an inactive license can vary greatly from state to state. Those hoping to regain licensure should visit the website of their home state’s real estate department to learn more about the exact requirements for reinstatement.

Want to find out if you have what it takes to be a Real Estate Agent or Broker?

About Tom Davidson — Tom Davidson is Vice President of Express Schools, LLC. which operates online education providers Real Estate Express, Insurance License Express and License Tutor. Follow him on Twitter.

So many people are struggling to find a career that they can feel secure in during these tough economic times. One surprising front-runner that is expected to see a lot of opportunity for employment over the next few years is the real estate industry. The real estate market recovery is not a matter of if it will improve, but rather a matter of when the recovery will begin. In many areas, it has already begun. The following are just three of the reasons to start a real estate career right now.

The first reason is simple…there are jobs in real estate. Experts are listing real estate careers among the top jobs for the future. Whether you get a real estate license to become a real estate agent or broker, or you become a licensed real estate appraiser, careers in real estate are expected to be in high demand over the next 5-8 years all over the country.

The second reason to start a real estate career is affordability. For anyone who has ever considered getting a real estate license, this is the time to do it. The cost of the real estate training and the licensing fees combined are far less than the cost of a single semester at a traditional college, so you will not have to start your new career in debt as you would with most college degree programs. Even for anyone simply interested in buying a home or rental property while the pricing and interest rates are low, a real estate license could be a great opportunity. By investing a minimal amount of time and money in getting your real estate license before you buy, you could save thousands at the closing table by keeping your share of the commission rather than paying someone else to represent you.

Finally, the ease and convenience in getting your real estate license is the best reason to start a real estate career. To get your real estate in any state, the basic qualifications are very simple. If you are at least 18 years of age and have no undisclosed criminal record, then you will be eligible to take the real estate courses required by your state to earn a real estate license. Although the actual number of course hours needed will vary from state to state, they can usually be completed in anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months. Online real estate schools, such as RealEstateExpress.com, allow you to have access to your course work and exams at any time of the day or night, so they are easy to fit into your schedule, no matter what hours you keep.

These are just three of the reasons; you could find many more reasons in your own life to guide you toward this decision. Income generating potential, the complete flexibility of a real estate career, the opportunity for advancing your career as you gain experience, becoming a broker or an employing broker; becoming a real estate professional is a great career with huge growth potential. Right now is a great time to start a real estate career.

Want to find out if you have what it takes to be a Real Estate Agent or Broker?

About Tom Davidson — Tom Davidson is Vice President of Express Schools, LLC. which operates online education providers Real Estate Express, Insurance License Express and License Tutor. Follow him on Twitter.