A big name in the real estate industry, Coldwell Banker Realty has an education division titled Coldwell Banker Real Estate Schools. This school is dedicated to helping real estate professions of all backgrounds to get started in a career they love. This Coldwell Banker Real Estate School review is everything you need to know about the school, including if it’s worth enrolling.
UPDATED: December 2024
Our Overall Rating
(3.8)
Overview Of Coldwell Banker Real Estate School
This real estate school is dynamic in its offerings, making it an acceptable choice for many situations. The group has a unique set of benefits originating from its business philosophy. Let’s take a look at their cultural mantras to better understand what to expect from the group.
Coldwell Banker Real Estate School’s culture begins with production power. This means they want to help their agents to sell more homes and, in turn, make more money by working the most efficiently.
The group then goes on to say that the next pillar of their culture is coaching confidence, in which they work to help agents build confidence via expanded business and skill development. From there is the culture of awesomeness, a pillar that hopes to increase diversity via collaboration, support, and fun.
The last culture pillar for Coldwell is a wealth builder. This pillar expresses how important financial strategies are so that agents can protect and grow their personal wealth as the years come. Because Coldwell is such a real estate giant, it’s a must that they maintain a central list of culture cores in order to avoid mismatched information.
Since the company usually spends hours teaching new agents, the group has a unique opportunity with their real estate school to build from the ground up. This allows the core values of Coldwell to be ingrained into students early on.
The school currently operates out of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, helping to teach students in each, eventually leading to licensure. Where the school does not have its own classrooms or options in each of the three states, it does offer partners Colibri Real Estate and The CE Shop for students to consider.
For the Coldwell Banker Real Estate School option in Illinois, Oscar Darden leads as the licensing instructor. Being a real estate broker is his passion, and he enjoys using all of his knowledge to help students gain insight into the world of real estate.
Within the school’s order of operations is Ayoub Rabah, president, and chief operating officer Bob Burns, regional vice president, Rebecca Thomson, regional vice president, Susan Swift, district vice president, Natalie Carpenter, district vice president and Gianna Ricci, district vice president. As for locations, Coldwell Banker has offices all across the south and southwest border of Lake Erie. Though, not all of these locations offer teaching services.
Wynnone Dudek also acts as a licensing instructor and enjoys being involved in real estate. Like Oscar, she has a passion for the career and loves to help clients find what they’re looking for. When it comes to teaching, she is committed to sharing her enthusiasm for real estate, and she loves to help her students grow as professionals. When presenting a list of reasons she loves to teach, she says, “I feel very rewarded when that little light bulb goes off.”
Lastly, we have Dennis Sladek. Dennis has been in real estate for many years and loves to bring his passion to the forefront of everything he does. One of his interests includes helping new agents to understand how to navigate the new world of complex realty. He is also a Chicago native and loves to infuse his teachings with local insight.
Coldwell Banker at a Glance
Coldwell Banker, the parent company to Coldwell Banker Real Estate School, was established in 1906. Coldwell boasts many achievements, and one of them is being the biggest and oldest real estate brand in North America. Founded by two entrepreneurs back in the early 1900s, Coldwell is regarded as the original real estate start-up effort. Lucky for them, it paid off! The company now has 3,000 offices spread across 40 countries and territories.
In-Depth Look At Coldwell Banker Real Estate School
Coldwell only teaches for licensure in three states at the time of writing this review. Each of these states has its own unique requirements and processes, but at the forefront of them all is Coldwell Banker’s efforts to improve and prepare them.
Illinois Broker Process Breakdown
When becoming an agent in Illinois, you will become a broker by default. The process is 75-hours, and students will have six months to complete from when they purchase their course. To become an Illinois broker, students only need to be 18 years or older, complete their 75-hour coursework, 60-hour pre-licensing topics, 15-hours of interactive applied real estate principles, and pass the broker exam. The state requires that the 15-hour portion of pre-licensing be interactive and in a live format.
This school offers an all-include virtual class option for students who wish to have an entirely live course to become a broker in Illinois. Coldwell Banker requires that students meet for 15 sessions spread out to three times a week. The school also provides both day and night options for students to choose from.
Coldwell’s pre-licensing online course for Illinois is offered through Colibri Real Estate. This is the online partner who provides students with their education. Colibri Real Estate is a well-regarded online licensing program that we usually recommend across the country as it is reliable and affordable. However, the Colibri Real Estate partnership does not speak to Coldwell’s pre-licensing materials because it is not directly through the school or offering something uniquely school-specific.
Indiana Broker Process Breakdown
In order to become a real estate agent in Indiana, students will become brokers by default. The process takes 90-hours to complete. Students will need to be over the age of 18, have a high school diploma or GED, and complete all 90 hours of their pre-licensing work. From there, they may schedule a licensing exam, pass with the minimum, and then join a brokerage.
Coldwell’s pre-licensing course for Indiana is offered through Colibri Real Estate. This is the online partner who provides students with their education. Colibri Real Estate is a well-regarded online licensing program that we usually recommend across the country as it is reliable and affordable. However, the Colibri Real Estate partnership does not speak to Coldwell’s pre-licensing materials because it is not directly through the school or offering something uniquely school-specific.
Wisconsin Broker Process Breakdown
Students must complete 72 hours of licensing coursework in order to become licensed in the state. From the point of purchase, students have six months to complete their course. In order to begin, students must be 18-years or older and have a high school diploma or a GED. From there, students are eligible to complete all 72 hours of pre-licensing coursework successfully before passing the Wisconsin licensing exam.
Coldwell’s pre-licensing course for Wisconsin is offered through The CE Shop. This is another online partner we often recommend for students to use when searching for an affordable, solid option. Unfortunately, because Coldwell Banker outsources their licensing course through The CE Shop, we do not have the best understanding of what the school itself offers and can only base our assessment off of The CE Shop.
Coldwell Banker Real Estate School Pricing
Illinois courses begin at $213 and rise in price and offerings on Colibri Real Estate.
- The Basic Package (online) – $213
- Exam Preparation Package (online) – $278
- Exam Preparation Plus (online) – $324.35
- Ultimate Learning (online) – $385.45
For the virtual live sessions, Coldwell charges $599.
Indiana prices range and are based on Coldwell Banker’s partner Colibri Real Estate.
- The Basic Package (online) – $327
- Exam Preparation Package (online) – $363
- Exam Preparation Plus (online) – $401
- Ultimate Learning (online) – $473
Wisconsin prices will vary depending on Coldwell Banker’s partner, The CE Shop.
- Courses Only (online) – $299
- Standard Package (online) – $344
- Value Package (online) – $374.25
- Premium Package (online) – $441.75
Pros And Cons Of Using Coldwell Banker Real Estate School
Pros
Established Company at Forefront
Coldwell Banker is a big name in the real estate world, arguably the biggest. The school has a strong foundation, and there is a sense of security in play, knowing that such a large company is backing this real estate option.
Affordability
Overall, each of the partners that Coldwell uses is extremely affordable. Charging anywhere between $200-$400, students have the option of which price point works for them. Coldwell Bankers’ price is fairly steep at $600, but some might not mind paying that price if it means being instructed at the source.
Flexibility
Pairing with the last pro is flexibility. Depending on the state you hope to be licensed in, there are multiple avenues to get there. Illinois, for example, has Coldwell Banker-led courses and a partnership that allows for online solo learning. Students can once again choose what works best for them.
Well-qualified Instructors
The team at Coldwell Banker is well-qualified with a unique set of skills specific to the area they serve. This benefit is priceless as students will benefit from local market knowledge, history and potentially grow connections.
Strong Success Culture
Laid out on the website is a business philosophy that Coldwell Banker operates by. These guiding values help to lead teachings and set up a high likelihood of success. These pillars of success include production power, coaching to confidence, culture of awesomeness, and wealth builder
Cons
Third-party Usage
Coldwell does not serve all of its students through its own brand, either online or in person. Though some areas may have access to the option, most will be deferred to third parties, including The CE Shop and Colibri Real Estate. This adds no uniqueness to the education of those that enroll for the Coldwell Banker Real Estate School experience.
Conclusion And Verdict
In order to properly assess, it’s important to consider Coldwell Banker Real Estate School reviews. However, this process is a bit complicated as it includes both the school itself, the company, and any third parties that Coldwell Banker Real Estate School uses as partners. To get a better idea of what these schools excel or lack in, we look at platforms like Trustpilot, Colibri Real Estate, and Facebook for more information.
Colibri Real Estate Reviews
Colibri Real Estate has overall positive reviews both on its website and across multiple platforms. The school is well-regarded as being affordable and in a format that makes it easy to navigate, even if studying completely solo. The most basic options are not special and simply include materials as required by the state, so there are no benefits there.
However, as students scale up, it’s easier to find more benefits that better align with what students are looking for. From exam prep to instructor support, higher-level packages earn the best reviews. Though, if a student does not need any extra assistance, then basic packages, simply including text, are not a bad choice. Across the board, Colibri Real Estate ranks roughly four stars.
The CE Shop Reviews
As mentioned briefly above, The CE Shop is a very reliable school option that has educated thousands of students around the world. Coldwell Banking selecting the school as one of its partners is a logical decision as The CE Shop is a beloved real estate education brand and one that we often recommend. The CE Shop earns between 4-4.5 stars across multiple platforms, and students admire the school’s flexibility as one of the main drawing points.
With so many different package options and interaction levels, there is something that works for every student at The CE Shop, even if via Coldwell Banker’s real estate school. Before selecting a package, it’s important to choose which aspects are most important. For example, is it only important that you have a textbook, or do you need an instructor to ask questions too when you’re stuck? Neither is a wrong choice, but with so many, it’s important to know what’s best.
Coldwell Banker Real Estate School Review
Coldwell Banker Real Estate School only has a couple of places where it is the source of teaching licensing material. As far as ratings go, the school earns high 4’s, but there are very few reviews attesting to the school’s skills. Students who attended the Chicago Coldwell Banker school praised the school’s affordability, teachers, environment, and career prep.
One reviewer said, “The training was easy to learn. The staff was very great at guiding me through the process. I feel more equipped than the average leasing agent. A very enjoyable experience.”
Final Verdict
Given all of this information, from reviews to our own findings, this real estate school may be a good choice for students, though it is not for everyone. Because the school itself does not have many reviews online, it is hard to tell what works for the school and what does not.
Additionally, the school uses a partner for most of its teachings, and it is only in three states at that. Partners Colibri Real Estate and The CE Shop can be great options for your pre-licensing coursework, but they stand alone from Coldwell, and their reviews are independent of the company. All in all, for those looking to further their real estate careers, we would suggest just going directly to Colibri Real Estate or The CE Shop over Coldwell Banker Real Estate School.