Before we dive in, download our free real estate business plan template to follow along.

Step 1: Identify who you are as a real estate agent

Let’s start with your “why.” Understanding the purpose behind choosing real estate is crucial, as it forms the foundation for your business plan and guides your decision-making process. Defining your mission, vision, and values will help you stay focused and motivated as you navigate your real estate career.

Mission: Your mission statement defines your purpose for pursuing a career in real estate. It clearly states what you’re trying to do, the problem you want to solve, and the difference you want to make.

Vision: Your vision statement focuses on the outcome you want for your clients and community.

Values: Your core values are the guiding principles that shape your behavior, decisions, and interactions with clients and colleagues.

Clearly defining your mission, vision, and values lays the foundation for a strong and purposeful real estate business that enables you to positively impact your clients’ lives and your community.

Step 2: Analyze your real estate market

As a real estate professional, you must deeply understand your local market. This knowledge encompasses key metrics, including average days on market, average price points, common home styles and sizes, and demographic trends. When someone asks about the market, you should be able to recite those numbers confidently without hesitation.

To quickly become the local expert, choosing specific farm areas to focus on is crucial. Concentrate your marketing efforts and build your local knowledge in a handful of communities and neighborhoods. Some places to do research include:

• Your local MLS: Check your hot sheet daily.
• Zillow: Scan through the Premier Agents who show up in your neighborhood.
• Social media: Review who targets their posts in your area.
• Direct mail: Check your mailbox for flyers and postcards.
• Drive by: Drive through your farm areas to see who has signs in their yards.

Once you’ve identified your target areas, start conducting comparative market analyses (CMAs) to familiarize yourself with the properties and trends in those neighborhoods. That way, you’ll provide accurate insights to your clients and make informed decisions in your business.

Remember to research your competition. Understand what other agents working in the same area are doing and who they’re targeting, and identify any gaps in their services. This understanding will help you differentiate yourself from your competition and better serve your clients’ needs. In our real estate business planning template, I ask you to examine and record:

• Trends: Track key metrics, such as days on market and average sold prices, to stay informed about your specific market.
• Market opportunities: Identify situations where there are more buyers and sellers (or vice versa) in the marketplace so you can better advise your clients and find opportunities for them and your business.
• Market saturation: Identify areas where there may be an oversupply of specific property types or price points, enabling you to adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Local competition: Analyze your competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in their services to identify opportunities for differentiation and possibilities to create a more meaningful impact.

Remember, real estate is hyper-local. While national and state news can provide some context, your primary focus should be on specific needs and trends within your target areas and the clients you want to serve. By thoroughly analyzing your local real estate market, you’ll be well-equipped to make informed decisions, provide valuable insights to your clients, and ultimately build a thriving business.

Step 3: Identify your ideal clients

When creating your real estate business plan, it’s crucial to identify your ideal client. You can’t be everything to everyone, no matter how much you think you should. And trust me, you certainly don’t want to work with every single person who needs real estate advice.

By focusing on your ideal client, you’ll create a targeted marketing message that effectively attracts the right people to your business — those you want to work with.

Think of your target market as a broad group of people who might be interested in your services, while your ideal client is a specific person you are best suited to work with within that group. To create a detailed profile of your ideal client, ask yourself questions like:

• What age range do they fall into?
• What’s their family situation?
• What’s their income level and profession?
• What are their hobbies and interests?
• What motivates them to buy or sell a home?
• What are their biggest fears or concerns about the real estate process?

Answering these questions will help you create a clear picture of your ideal client, making it easier to tailor your marketing messages and services to meet their needs. Consider using this ideal client worksheet, which guides you through creating a detailed client avatar. This will ensure you don’t miss any critical aspects of their profile, and you can refer back to it as you develop your marketing plan.

By incorporating your ideal client into your overall business plan, you’ll be better equipped to make informed decisions about your marketing efforts, service offerings, and growth strategies. This clarity will help you build stronger relationships with your clients, stand out from the competition, and ultimately achieve your real estate business goals.

Step 4: Conduct a SWOT analysis

If you want to crush it in this business, you’ve got to think like an entrepreneur. One of the best tools in your arsenal is a SWOT analysis. It sounds ominous, but don’t worry — it’s pretty simple. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It’s all about taking a good, hard look at yourself and your business.

By conducting a SWOT analysis as part of your real estate business plan, you’ll have a clear picture of your current situation and future goals. And don’t just do it once and forget about it — review and update it regularly to stay on top of your game.

Step 5: Establish your SMART goals and sustainability targets

In real estate, you can’t just set vague targets. You need SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) that act as the building blocks of your realtor business plan. Your SMART real estate goals should drive everything from growing your client base to reducing your carbon footprint.

The table below shows how to establish strong SMART goals, along with examples that cover both revenue targets and sustainability efforts:

Specific	Focus on a particular niche, outcome, or behavior.	10 closings by September 30, 2025 Cut office electricity use by 5% in Q3.
Measurable	Attach metrics or benchmarks that you can track weekly or monthly.	10 closings by September 30, 2025 5% year-over-year energy reduction
Achievable	Assess past performance and available tools. Set a challenging yet reachable bar.	Ten closed deals are doable in your real estate market. A 5% energy savings is realistic.
Relevant	Ensure that your goal aligns with your core business and has a long-term impact.	Drives commission revenue and grows your business Lowers overhead costs and appeals to eco-conscious clients
Time-bound	Set a clear deadline.	By December 31, 2025. By December 31, 2025, our office should have energy-efficient lighting, windows, and doors.

6. Create your financial plan

Financial planning might not be your idea of a good time, but this is where your real estate business plan comes together. Most of the heavy lifting is already complete, thanks to all the research and strategizing done earlier. Now, it’s just a matter of plugging in the numbers and ensuring everything adds up.

Once you’ve figured out your expenses, it’s time to reverse-engineer the numbers and determine how many deals you need to close each month to cover your costs. If you’re just starting out and don’t have a track record to go off of, no worries! This planning period allows you to set a budget and create a roadmap for success.

If you’re evaluating your starting assets and realizing they don’t quite match your startup costs, don’t panic. This new insight suggests that you must revisit and refine your strategy until the numbers align with your goals. It might take some trial and error, but getting your financial plan right from the start is worth it.

Pro tip: Keep your personal and business finances separate. Never dip into your personal cash for business expenses. Not only will it make tax time a nightmare, but it’s way too easy to blow your budget without even realizing it.

Step 7: Track your progress and adjust as needed

You’ve worked hard and created a killer real estate business plan and are ready to take on the world. However, remember that your business plan isn’t a one-time deal. It’s a living, breathing document that needs to evolve as your business grows and changes. That’s why tracking your progress and making adjustments along the way is so important. 

Here are a few key things to keep in mind:

• Set regular check-ins: Schedule dedicated time to review your progress and see how you’re doing against your goals, whether weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
• Keep an eye on your KPIs: Your key performance indicators (KPIs) are the metrics that matter most to your business. Metrics such as lead generation, conversion rates, and average sales price can clearly show your performance.
• Celebrate your wins: When you hit a milestone or crush a goal, take a moment to celebrate. Acknowledging your successes will keep you motivated and energized.
• Don’t be afraid to pivot: Change course if something isn’t working. Your real estate business plan should be flexible enough to accommodate new opportunities and shifting market conditions.
• Stay accountable: Find an accountability partner, join a mastermind group, or work with a coach to help you stay on track and overcome obstacles.

Remember, your real estate business plan is your roadmap to success. But even the best-laid plans need to be adjusted from time to time. By tracking your progress, staying flexible, and keeping your eye on the prize, you’ll be well on your way to building the real estate business of your dreams.

Why agents need a real estate business plan

Your real estate agent business plan is your roadmap to success. Think of it as your GPS: it maps out where you are today, where you want to go, and the steps to get there. When the market shifts or challenges arise, your business plan is the guiding star that keeps you focused.

A well-crafted business plan helps you:

• Understand your current position in the market
• Set clear and achievable goals
• Create a roadmap for success
• Track your progress and performance
• Make informed decisions and adjustments

Pro tip: Invest the time to create a solid real estate business plan to stay on track, hit your goals, and thank yourself later for avoiding aimless detours in your career. Without it, you risk losing direction and focus in your career.

FAQs

How much would it cost to start a real estate business?

How do I start a small real estate business?

Which real estate business is most profitable?

Your take

Now you’ve got the steps — no more guesswork. A solid real estate business plan isn’t extra work; it’s your edge. Take the time to map it out and make it happen. Have you created your real estate business plan? Share your experience in the comments!

The post 7 Steps to Writing a Real Estate Business Plan (+ Template) appeared first on The Close.

• US Realty Training: Best for live instruction
• The CE Shop: Best for continuing education
• Colibri Real Estate: Best for exam prep
• Kaplan: Best for career advice
• AceableAgent: Best for mobile
• OnlineEd: Best on a budget
• Allied Schools: Best for customer support

The Close’s Top Picks of Best Online Real Estate Schools in California

Our Top Picks	Best for	Starting Price*	Read More Below
	Live instruction	$154.99	US Realty Training ↓
Enroll in US Realty Training
	Continuing education	$139	The CE Shop ↓
Enroll in The CE Shop - Use promo code: TheClose35 to save 35%!
	$Exam prep	$199	Colibri Real Estate ↓
Enroll in Colibri - Use promo code: TheClose40 to save 40%!
	Career advice	$399	Kaplan ↓
Enroll in Kaplan - Use promo code: KAPRE5 to save 5%!
	Learning on the go	$199	Aceable Agent ↓
Enroll in Aceable - Use our link to save 25%!
	Students on a budget	$129	OnlineEd ↓
Enroll in OnlineEd
	Customer support	$199	Allied Schools ↓
Enroll in Allied Schools - Use promo code: TheClose30 to save 30%!

Need to learn more about California education requirements before choosing a school? Check our guide on how to become a real estate agent in California in 7 easy steps, or jump to our helpful California licensing info section.

Best for live instruction: US Realty Training

Pros

• Variety of class formats
• Local company
• Offers free trial
• Pass guarantee in all prelicensing packages
• Job assistance through a partnership with local brokerages

Cons

• Payment plan only offered with live training package
• Free course access for only six months

The Close Score

4.9

Value:

4.3

Learning Format & Accessibility:

4.5

Course Features:

3.4

Help & Support:

4.5

Reputation:

5.0

Expert Score:

5.0

out
of

5

My Expert Opinion on US Realty Training

Besides being a local company with access to local brokerages in the state, US Realty Training specializes in both live instruction and online classes, making it one of the best online real estate classes in California. The school offers California real estate courses with many schedules on its campuses across the state. US Realty Training’s live, in-person classes deliver hands-on practice, real-time feedback, and valuable networking opportunities.

If you need more convincing on US Realty Training, I encourage you to register and use the three-day free trial to check out its magnificent online student dashboard and discover why it has the best real estate online courses. It’s definitely worth it!

Room for improvement: I’d like US Realty Training to improve by adding more interactive features for students. Study groups among students and one-on-one coaching sessions will lead to a more engaging experience.

US Realty Training Cost

Whether you end up with an online-only course or an in-person one, US Realty Training doesn’t skimp on extra features. Each course package comes with excellent online trainer support and job assistance.

Best for Continuing Education: The CE Shop

Pros

• Expertly designed curriculum
• Easy-to-use online platform
• Pass or Don’t Pay guarantee
• Exam prep packages include lots of features
• Offers self-paced and livestream course options

Cons

• The Basics doesn’t come with test prep materials
• No access to local real estate brokerages

The Close Score

4.9

Value:

5.0

Learning Format & Accessibility:

3.0

Course Features:

4.1

Help & Support:

5.0

Reputation:

4.0

Expert Score:

5.0

out
of

5

My Expert Opinion on The CE Shop

If you’re looking for a California real estate school with many continuing education options after you get licensed, this is the one. In California, agents must complete 45 hours of CE every four years to renew their license. 

The CE Shop prides itself on interesting CE courses that will keep you returning every renewal period. Whether you’re renewing your license for the first or tenth time, The CE Shop’s courses are always relevant to the ever-changing real estate landscape.

Room for improvement: In all the times I’ve reviewed The CE Shop, I’ve never seen it include networking opportunities for students and agents. I’d like The CE Shop to offer more interactive package features, such as live webinars and Q&A sessions.

The CE Shop Cost

Whichever package you choose from The CE Shop’s best real estate classes online, expect lots of bonus resources — even from its most basic ones.

Save 35% when you use our code “TheClose35”

Best for Exam Prep: Colibri Real Estate

Pros

• Expertly designed curriculum
• Easy-to-use online platform
• Pass or Don’t Pay guarantee
• Exam prep packages include lots of features
• Offers self-paced and livestream course options

Cons

• The Basics doesn’t come with test prep materials
• No access to local real estate brokerages

The Close Score

4.6

Value:

5.0

Learning Format & Accessibility:

3.5

Course Features:

3.4

Help & Support:

3.0

Reputation:

4.7

Expert Score:

5.0

out
of

5

My Expert Opinion on Colibri Real Estate

Colibri Real Estate’s exam prep materials are worthy of special mention. The exam prep packages may be pricey, but everything included will help you pass the real estate exam. With Colibri’s test prep materials, you’ll get audio review guides to help you retain information easily, simulated exams to master common exam topics, and a readiness assessment to see how prepared you are for the exam. Check out our Colibri review for more information.

Room for improvement: I’d like Colibri to offer students direct access to local brokerages and an online community of nearby agents for real‑world networking and mentorship.

Colibri Real Estate Cost

Almost all of Colibri Real Estate’s packages come with a Pass or Don’t Pay guarantee, which means you may be eligible for a full refund if you don’t pass the real estate exam on your first try.

Use our code “TheClose40” to get 40% off!

Best for Career Advice: Kaplan

Pros

• Variety of class formats
• Exam prep included in all packages
• Interactive study groups
• Career Mentor Connect via Zoom
• One-stop shop for all your California real estate classes

Cons

• Dated interface, not a great mobile experience
• No pass guarantee
• No in-person classes

The Close Score

4.4

Value:

5.0

Learning Format & Accessibility:

2.5

Course Features:

3.3

Help & Support:

4.0

Reputation:

4.7

Expert Score:

4.7

out
of

5

My Expert Opinion on Kaplan

Kaplan meets the demands of auditory and visual learners through its flexible learning options. I recommend its Career Launcher, which gives you access to mentorship sessions and live online coaching. 

This sets Kaplan apart because, while most schools focus solely on helping you pass the exam, Kaplan goes a step further by teaching real-world skills you’ll actually use in your career. Read our in-depth review of Kaplan for more information.

Room for improvement: Kaplan should start offering a pass guarantee. This guarantee will increase the number of its students and add more value to its prelicensing and exam prep packages. If the other schools on our list have a pass guarantee, Kaplan should level up, too.

Kaplan Cost

All packages include weekly live mentorship sessions online and access to an interactive study group. The more expensive options include printed textbooks, live online coaching, and separate courses that cover test prep and sales techniques.

Use our code “KAPRE5” to save 5%

Best for Mobile: AceableAgent

Pros

• Great learning platform for mobile
• Live webinars and private tutoring are included in the premium package
• Pass guarantee

Cons

• No CE course offerings
• No live instruction option
• No career assistance or networking opportunities

The Close Score

4.2

Value:

2.3

Learning Format & Accessibility:

3.8

Course Features:

3.3

Help & Support:

5.0

Reputation:

4.5

Expert Score:

4.5

out
of

5

My expert opinion on AceableAgent

AceableAgent has the best real estate classes in California for mobile learning. As the only school on this list with a mobile app, AceableAgent will give you the bang for your buck. Its basic package includes all the essentials, plus user-friendly learning tools. So, if you’re a go-getter who likes accomplishing tasks simultaneously, you’ll like AceableAgent’s mobile app. Read lessons, answer questions, and even listen to the narration on your app on the go!

Room for improvement: It would be great if AceableAgent could expand its services to more states and offer continuing education and post-licensing courses. Read more about AceableAgent in our review.

Aceable Agent Cost

AceableAgent’s prelicensing course packages include a pass guarantee and many practice questions to help you ace the real estate exam.

Best for Students on a Budget: OnlineEd

Pros

• Very affordable
• Offers self-paced courses
• Practice tests included in two of three packages

Cons

• Text-heavy courses
• No access to live instructors
• No live instructor support

The Close Score

3.9

Value:

4.3

Learning Format & Accessibility:

1.5

Course Features:

2.9

Help & Support:

4.0

Reputation:

4.4

Expert Score:

4.5

out
of

5

My Expert Opinion on OnlineEd

If you’re looking for good online real estate schools that won’t break the bank, OnlineEd is definitely one of them. Since it’s the most affordable option on my list, OnlineEd doesn’t include many bonus materials in its packages. You’ll get text-heavy courses, which are beneficial if you learn best by reading. In addition, you’ll have 24/7 access to all materials, allowing you to study on your mobile or desktop anytime.

Room for improvement: While I know that all of OnlineEd’s courses are designed for the budget-conscious, it wouldn’t hurt to include extra features such as prerecorded real estate videos for visual learners.

OnlineEd Cost

All of OnlineEd’s offerings come with a printable certificate, which you’ll get after finishing the course.

Best for Customer Support: Allied Schools

Pros

• Student support via live chat, email, or phone
• CompuCram exam prep
• Offers CA Allied CE membership
• Top tier package includes CA Insider exam guide

Cons

• Pricey
• The most basic prelicensing package doesn’t include test prep materials

The Close Score

3.6

Value:

2.0

Learning Format & Accessibility:

3.0

Course Features:

3.1

Help & Support:

4.5

Reputation:

4.0

Expert Score:

3.8

out
of

5

My Expert Opinion on Allied Schools

Allied Schools, now partnered with Colibri Real Estate, offers the best online real estate courses in California, backed by exceptional customer support. 

Since Allied shares resources with Colibri, students get access to many of the same high-quality materials, like interactive lessons and practice exams. Allied’s team can always answer questions by phone, email, or live chat during business hours. Allied is a top choice if you seek dependable customer service.

Room for Improvement: Allied Schools’ prelicensing package starts at $199, making it the most expensive basic package on our list — but it doesn’t even include exam prep materials. At that price, Allied Schools should at least include tools like flashcards or a study schedule to help students prepare for the licensing exam.

Allied Schools Cost

Allied Schools offers top-notch student support regardless of the type of real estate classes you’re enrolling in.

Save 30% when you use our code “TheClose30”

How we selected the best online real estate schools in California

Regarding our methodology at The Close, our team of licensed real estate professionals, writers, and editors created a weighted rubric that evaluates the best online real estate courses California. 

Our experts have done hours of research to analyze dozens of real estate schools to determine the best for our readers. The features we explored are essential for students to become successful agents and brokers in the real estate industry. 

Our detailed criteria included the following:

• Course features (25%)
  • This comprises items that assist agents and brokers in completing their education, like pass and refund guarantees, career and instructor support, coaching, training, interactive study groups, and course extensions.
• Value (20%)
  • Pricing and availability of coursework are essential factors to assess. This accounts for real estate school offerings in prelicensing, post-licensing, continuing education, broker prelicensing, and exam prep.
• Learning format & accessibility (20%)
  • Real estate professionals must consider the best format for their learning, which includes self-paced, on-demand video, live streaming, and in-person classes. Also, accessibility via multiple devices, like computers, tablets, and mobile devices, determines user convenience. 
• Expert score (15%)
  • The Close closely reviews each course for standout features, details, ease of use, and the value for money spent from a real estate expert’s perspective. 
• Help & support (10%)
  • If students need additional support, they must be aware of the customer service options available through phone, email, live chat, and the ticket system. 
• Reputation (10%)
  • This examines the reputation of each real estate school through the lens of current and past students, reviewing each provider’s customer reviews and popularity.

Helpful California Licensing Info

Quick Facts

account_balance

California real estate governing body:

California Department of Real Estate

schedule

Prelicensing requirements:

135 hours

inventory

Post-licensing requirements:

45 hours within four years of becoming licensed

school

Continuing education requirements:

45 hours every four years from the date of initial licensure

• Prelicensing: How to Become a Real Estate Agent in California in 7 Easy Steps
• Upgrading your license: How to Get a California Real Estate Broker License
• Exam prep: How to Study for the Real Estate Exam: Tips & Strategies and Free Real Estate Practice Exam + 7 Hacks to Help You Ace It

FAQs

How much do real estate agents make in California?

How long does it take to get a real estate license in California online?

What’s the average home price in California?

Your take

I hope I’ve helped you choose from this list of top-rated online real estate schools in California. At The Close, we’re committed to helping you thrive and succeed in our industry. Still have unanswered questions? Leave us a comment below!

Sources

1 ZipRecruiter

2 Zillow

The post 7 Best Online Real Estate Schools in California (CA) for 2025 appeared first on The Close.

Real estate through the ages

1. Sears used to sell mail-order houses.

Think Amazon revolutionized purchase-and-ship shopping? Think again! In the early 20^th century, Sears, Roebuck & Co. let Americans order entire kit homes through Sears catalog homes — delivered straight to their doorsteps. Sears sold over 70,000 home kits before ending production in 1940. Today, these historic Sears homes are rare finds, often selling quickly, thanks to their unique charm and craftsmanship. Keep an eye out — you might spot one on the market!

2. Russia sold Alaska to the US for 2 cents per acre.

In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the US for just $7.2 million — a mere two cents per acre, per the US Office of the Historian! At the time, many saw the land as a frozen wasteland, but it later proved to be a gold mine of natural resources like gold, oil, and timber. Talk about a bargain deal in real estate history!

Fun facts about famous homes and places

3. The iconic Hollywood sign was originally a real estate stunt.

The Hollywood Sign wasn’t always a symbol of fame and fortune — it started as a real estate ad! Originally reading “Hollywoodland,” the sign was built in 1923 to promote a new housing development. Over time, the last four letters were removed, and it evolved into the legendary icon of the entertainment industry we know today.

4. The largest residential home is in Mumbai, India.

Antilia, the largest residential home in the world, is located in Mumbai, India, per the Guinness World Records. Owned by Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, this 27-story building spans 400,000 square feet and is worth an astounding $2 billion. The house features luxury amenities such as three helipads, nine high-speed elevators, a 50-seat theater, a snow room, and a 168-car garage. It definitely fits the criteria for weird real estate listings!

5. A Canadian company owns the Mall of America.

The Mall of America is the largest mall in the US — it even has its own ZIP code! Owned by the Ghermezian family through their Canadian company, Triple Five Group, this megamall is part of their impressive real estate portfolio, including the West Edmonton Mall in Canada and the American Dream Mall in New Jersey. Originally from Iran, the Ghermezians have built some of the world’s most famous shopping destinations, proving their influence stretches far beyond North America!

Quirky real estate trends and superstitions

6. Corner properties are considered less desirable in some countries.

In some countries, corner properties aren’t always the most desirable. While they offer more visibility and extra sidewalk space, they also come with increased traffic noise, fewer neighbors, and even a higher risk of burglaries. Plus, some buyers find them too exposed to pedestrians, making privacy a concern. Would you consider buying a corner lot, or would you rather stay tucked away?

7. It’s bad luck to give a knife as a housewarming gift.

Gifting a knife for housewarming is considered bad luck in some cultures. According to superstitions, a knife symbolizes severing a relationship or cutting ties between the giver and the homeowner! But if you want to give a knife as a housewarming gift, include a penny with the knife. This way, the homeowner can return the penny to you as “payment” for the knife. So, technically, it’s not a gift! Crisis averted!

8. Architectural eagles symbolize freedom from mortgages.

There are many ways homeowners celebrate the full payment of their mortgage. One of the more popular (and deeply American) ways was to put a cast iron eagle on the outside of a home. The eagle represents strength and freedom, which align with financial independence.

Related: Emerging Real Estate Industry Trends

Eye-opening real estate prices and sales

9. The most expensive ZIP code in the US is 94027.

If you still don’t know this, the most expensive ZIP code is located in Atherton, California. According to data from Redfin, in February 2025, the median home price in Atherton was $12 million. Home to tech billionaires, celebrities, and Silicon Valley executives, Atherton’s exclusivity is maintained by large lots and strict zoning laws that limit housing density. This keeps property values sky-high and competition fierce!

10. A house sold on eBay.

In 2008, British adventurer Ian Usher took “starting fresh” to a whole new level — he put his entire life up for sale on eBay! This included his house, car, job, and even introductions to his friends in Perth, Australia. After a tough divorce, Usher decided to auction off everything he owned, with the winning bid coming in at $384,000 AUD ($305,000 USD at the time). Talk about a bold reset!

Related: Real Estate Agent Statistics, Insights & Trends

Real estate around the world

11. There is a toilet house in South Korea.

In South Korea, there’s a one-of-a-kind toilet-shaped house known as Haewoojae, or “Mr. Toilet House” . Originally the home of Sim Jae-Deok, a passionate advocate for better public restrooms, this quirky structure now serves as a museum dedicated to the history and evolution of toilets. Would you ever list a toilet-shaped property on the market?

12. A building in Vietnam is full of coffee shops.

Coffee lovers, take note! In Ho Chi Minh City, there’s a one-of-a-kind building called “The Cafe Apartment.” This nine-story structure is packed with unique coffee shops, each offering its own ambiance and specialty drinks. Over the years, the building has become a popular destination for locals and tourists, providing a variety of cafes where you can enjoy a drink while overlooking the bustling city. Perhaps the only factor influencing your choice of a coffee shop for the day is its interior design.

Related article: Interior Design Trends Ready to Take Over

13. Scottish homeowners paint their doors red to show they’re mortgage-free.

In Scotland, it’s said some homeowners celebrate paying off their mortgage in style — by painting their front door! This long-standing tradition is a proud symbol of financial freedom and a way to announce their big achievement to the world. After all, what’s more exciting than owning your home debt-free?

14. Japan demolishes houses after 30 years.

In Japan, homes are often demolished and rebuilt after about 30 years — a stark contrast to many countries where historic properties are prized. This practice is driven by many factors, including the necessity to meet evolving green building trends, earthquake safety standards, and a cultural preference for modernity. Would you tear down a home after just three decades?

Related article: Emerging Real Estate Industry Trends

15. Burj Khalifa’s elevator travels through 140 floors.

The Burj Khalifa isn’t just the tallest building in the world — it also has an elevator system that reaches incredible heights! One of its elevators travels through 140 floors, making it the third-fastest elevator globally. But that’s not all — the Burj Khalifa also holds records for having the most floors and the highest occupied floor of any building. Now, that’s what you call taking things to the next level!

16. Castles are for sale in the UK.

While homebuyers in the US are often drawn to the latest smart homes, those in the UK may find a different type of luxury appealing. If your client has millions to invest, tell them it’s possible to buy historic castles in Scotland and Ireland! These castles, often set in sprawling estates, offer luxurious living and a chance to own a piece of history. Forget smart locks — how about a moat?

FAQs

What are some interesting facts about being a real estate agent?

What are some fun facts about houses?

Why is it called real estate?

The final walkthrough

If you love some of these real estate fun facts, share them online (you can use our best real estate social media templates). They’ll be a sure hit for your audience. Do you have more interesting facts about real estate up your sleeve? We’d love to hear them. Let us know in the comments!

The post Real Estate Trivia: 16 Fun Facts You Must Know in 2025 appeared first on The Close.

Our step-by-step approach will guide you through when and how to hire a property manager, the qualities of a great property manager, and alternatives.

Step 1: Define Your Needs

Before hiring, you must determine the specific services you require from a property manager, such as tenant screening, maintenance, rent collection, and financial reporting. Additionally, consider the level of involvement you want in property management. Assess whether you need legal and regulatory compliance assistance, and define your expectations.

Here are some questions to ask yourself so you can determine your needs:

• Are you looking for a hands-on role in decision-making, or do you prefer a more hands-off approach, delegating most responsibilities to the manager?
• How often do you want to be notified about how your property is performing: weekly, monthly, quarterly?
• What type of communication do you prefer? Email, video conference, in-person, or phone call?
• How will you pay for the service? Will rents cover it, or will you pay a portion out of pocket?
• Do you want interaction with tenants or to remain somewhat anonymous?
• What is your real estate exit strategy, and does it align with the property management contract terms?
• When and how do you want to receive your net proceeds? Direct deposit? A check? Monthly?
• How much of an advance maintenance deposit do you want to provide? If repairs exceed this deposit, what amount can the property manager go over before contacting you?

Choosing Between a Property Manager & Property Management Company

As you master how to hire a property manager, you should also determine whether you’re interested in hiring an individual property manager or a property management company. The decision often depends on the size and complexity of your real estate portfolio, specific needs, and financial resources.

• Those with a single property and wanting a more personal touch may find an individual property manager more suitable. Property managers can build a closer, one-on-one relationship with property owners and tenants, fostering better communication and trust. Additionally, property managers often charge lower fees, making them a cost-effective choice for owners with a single property. Their direct involvement and familiarity with the property can lead to quicker issue resolution.
• Property owners with multiple properties or those needing comprehensive services typically opt for property management companies. Property management companies excel in managing more extensive portfolios, providing a more comprehensive array of services and maintaining established relationships with contractors and suppliers. These offer convenience and scalability for property owners with multiple units.

Step 2: Evaluate Your Budget

You want to ensure you’re charging enough rent to cover all the property’s expenses, including property management fees. Evaluate your budget and be realistic about the costs of hiring a property manager or management company, considering their fees and any additional expenses that may arise. Property management fees can range from 4% to 12% of the gross monthly rent, depending on location and property type. There may also be additional fees for things like leasing and maintenance.

If you know in advance the most you can afford to pay, you’ll be better prepared when you discuss fees with the property manager. It’s essential to strike a balance between your budget constraints and the quality of services you expect, as choosing a property manager solely based on cost may not always result in the best outcome for your property.

Step 3: Research & Interview

Research local companies or individuals—and don’t hesitate to ask fellow property owners for recommendations and interview several candidates. During these interviews, ask about their experience, credentials, and references to find the right fit for your property.

To find prospective property managers, start by contacting other investors, real estate agents, and landlords with firsthand experience. If you need further research, perform an online search with the keyword “property managers near me” (or your property). Read online reviews, check their social profiles, and evaluate their website.

You’ll also want to speak with them in a formal interview. Prepare questions for your interview based on your needs. These can include things like pricing and fees, communication, tenant screening, and their references. Here are a few questions to help you brainstorm:

• How long have you been in business?
• How many properties are you currently managing?
• Do you have a team or work alone?
• What is your fee structure? Can you provide a list of all fees?
• How often will you keep me updated?
• Can I tour a few of your properties and speak to some landlords and tenants you manage?
• What technology will you use?
• Which vendors and subcontractors will you use to handle maintenance? What is the turnaround time for repairs?

Step 4: Check Qualifications

Before finalizing your choice, ensure the property manager meets all local licensing requirements and holds the necessary insurance coverage. It’s also crucial to do background research to confirm their track record and reputation in the industry. These steps will help you find a trustworthy, qualified professional to manage your property effectively.

Licensing and qualifications vary by state, but here are a few items to verify with the manager:

• Most states require a property manager to have a real estate license and be at least 18 years of age (this requires specified education and passing an exam).
• Proper documentation of insurance coverage.
• Though not required, find someone with experience to reduce potential risks to your investment.
• Certifications are not generally required, but there are many national property management organizations that provide education, training, and certifications, making it a bonus.

Step 5: Discuss Duties & Fees

When evaluating a property manager, talk to them about their duties and responsibilities at your properties, and how much they will be compensated for said duties and general job position. As discussed in step one, depending on your needs, talk about their processes for tenant selection, maintenance and repairs, emergencies, expenses and budgeting, and inspection procedures, as these are all crucial to your success.

Before finalizing your agreement with a property manager, and in accordance with their duties, it’s crucial to grasp the fee structure. This includes management fees, leasing fees, and any markups on maintenance. See to it that you inquire about any hidden costs or unexpected charges to avoid surprises. Property management fees typically fall within 8% to 12% of the property’s gross revenue, but confirming the specifics will help you budget accurately for your property management needs.

Pro tip: Besides their duties and fees, ensure your communication styles mesh to guarantee a good working relationship. Establish clear communication from the outset to set the right expectations and maintain a smooth working relationship with your property manager. Discuss the methods and frequency of updates on property performance and financial reports. This upfront clarity ensures you stay well-informed about your property’s status and financial matters throughout your partnership with the property manager.

Step 6: Visit Their Properties

Whenever feasible, consider visiting properties currently under the management of your candidate property manager. This allows you to assess firsthand their approach to maintenance and tenant relations.

Additionally, don’t forget to obtain and thoroughly check references. Reach out to the references provided by the property manager to gather valuable feedback from fellow property owners who have had direct experience working with them.

Step 7: Review Contracts

Take the time to thoroughly review the property management contract, focusing on fees, responsibilities, and terms to ensure they match your expectations and legal standards. It’s wise to consult an attorney before signing the contract to safeguard your interests. Additionally, inquire about their exit strategy, understanding how they plan to handle the management relationship should it need to end for any reason.

Step 8: Monitor Performance

Maintaining ongoing monitoring of your property manager’s performance is important to ensure they consistently meet your expectations and adhere to the terms outlined in the contract. Regular evaluation helps see to it that your property is well-managed and that issues or concerns can be promptly addressed to maintain the property’s value and tenant satisfaction.

While you don’t want to micromanage your property manager, you do want to ensure that they’re collecting rent, paying the bills, keeping units rented, and maintaining the building in good repair. Ultimately, your weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly reports will indicate if the property manager continues to perform well or has dropped the ball.

Qualities of a Great Property Manager & Red Flags to Avoid

While considering when you should hire a property manager, it’s crucial to begin by identifying the key qualities you seek, recognizing that an effective one should possess a diverse set of essential skills.

A great property manager needs strong communication and organizational abilities, which enable effective interaction with property owners and tenants while efficiently managing property operations. Additionally, they should demonstrate problem-solving skills and deeply understand housing and landlord-tenant laws and regulations, ensuring a smooth property management experience when you decide to hire a property manager.

Avoid those who lack transparency and effective communication, as these can lead to trust issues and misunderstandings. Steer clear of property managers who display negligence in maintenance or financial irregularities, as these issues may harm property conditions and financial stability. Financial irregularities include late or incomplete rent payments to property owners, mishandling of security deposits, or unexplained fees.

When to Hire a Property Manager (& When Not To)

Maintaining even one property, let alone multiple rental properties, demands substantial effort. Engaging a property manager is smart for owners seeking assistance with property upkeep or those wishing to avoid daily maintenance responsibilities. When deciding when to hire a property manager—or not to—evaluate the benefits of hiring, including freeing up time toward additional property investments, quality family time, or personal pursuits.

Alternatives to Hiring a Property Manager

In cases where you decide against hiring a property manager, various circumstances may be at play. Perhaps the fees affect profitability, you reside in one of the units, or you prefer self-management. In such scenarios, other options can save significant time and money. These alternatives eliminate the need to chase tenants for rent collection, handle online landlord banking, respond to maintenance requests, and stay organized.

Online Property Management Software

Online property management software helps you manage your maintenance, tenant screening, leasing documents, and listing vacancies online. Online property management software offers comprehensive and a la carte property management. Also, it allows landlords to handle everything in one convenient place conveniently.

Best for	Free property management software for up to 75 units	Independent landlords seeking comprehensive property management services	Property management firms handling up to 5,000 units	Most affordable paid subscription plan for property owners
Key features	Free plan and 14-day free trial TC messenger, built-in communication tool for landlords and tenants 512MB to 100GB storage space	Syndicates listings to sites, such as Zillow, Trulia, and Apartments.com User-friendly platform Online marketing, digital lease signing, online rent payment, and maintenance tracking	Built-in accounting software and calculators Free professional website Property management CRM tools Buildium Academy training and support	Easy Craigslist posting Free online rental application form and rent estimate report Property listing and third-party integration
Pricing	Free; paid plans start at $12 monthly	Free; paid plan costs $7 per unit	$58 per month	Free; paid plans start at $10.75 monthly
Learn more	Visit TenantCloud	Visit Avail	Visit Buildium	Visit TurboTenant

Use AI to your advantage with TurboTenant’s FREE Lease Agreement Audit tool. It’s an AI tool made specifically to review your lease documents and detect risks so your leases stay compliant with constantly changing legal regulations. Just upload your lease and let TurboTenant do the rest. Plus, it’s 100% free and takes only 15 seconds to complete the audit. Check it out today!

Turnkey Rental Properties

When contemplating why to hire a property management company, turnkey properties are a good option if you want to buy a property that doesn’t require upfront maintenance, is sometimes fully rented, and has property management services. When considering a turnkey property, ensure the property management company is experienced. Review their property management agreement and interview them to guarantee they’re a good fit.

If you want to invest in turnkey real estate, Roofstock, one of our leading turnkey real estate companies, offers passive real estate investors several options. It includes the opportunity to invest in a property or a portfolio and also provides a 30-day money-back guarantee and a lease-up guarantee. It operates in 26 states and sells new and completely renovated single-family homes occupied by renters and maintained by a property management company.

Self-manage Rental Properties

If you only have a few units or are planning to buy a duplex, triplex, or fourplex and live in one unit, you might want to self-manage your rental properties. Hiring a property management company for a few units typically isn’t cost-effective. If you self-manage, you’ll need a separate bank account for handling rental income and expenses.

Crowdfunded Real Estate

If you want to own an investment property without any management responsibilities, you might consider investing in crowdfunded real estate. Real estate crowdfunding is financing investment property by pooling funds from numerous investors through online platforms. This collective investment allows individuals to participate in real estate projects with relatively small amounts of capital, often for fractional ownership or debt investments, aiming for shared profits or interest payments.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Should I hire a property management company?

Should you hire a property manager to rent your house?

What's a common reason owners of single-family rental homes employ a property manager?

Bottom Line

Hiring a property manager involves several key steps. Begin by defining your property management needs and budget constraints. Then, research and identify potential candidates or management companies and conduct thorough interviews. Verify their qualifications, reputation, and legal compliance next. You’ll also want to review contracts meticulously, consulting with an attorney if necessary, and understand the fee structure and fee ranges. Finally, establish clear communication channels and monitoring procedures to ensure a successful property management partnership.

The post How to Hire a Property Manager in 8 Steps appeared first on The Close.

Our DoorLoop review evaluates this top-rated software, considering its general and advanced features, ease of use, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer service, and our unbiased expert assessment. Read along to see if DoorLoop is the right choice for your real estate business needs.

DoorLoop overview

Pros

• Rental listing management
• Leases and applications
• Maintenance requests

Cons

• No “free-forever” plan
• Fee-based Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions
• No free trial

The Close Score

4.1

Reviews

4.6

Expert score

3.8

Pricing

2.5

General features

5.0

Advanced features

4.0

Ease of use

5.0

Customer service

5.0

out
of

5

Recommended for

• Landlords and property managers who want electronic leases and rental applications
• Easy-to-use tenant portal
• Built-in maintenance requests

Not recommended for

• Real estate investors who want next-day rent payments
• Those looking for a free platform
• Free ACH payments

Quick look at DoorLoop pricing

• Starter: Starting at $49 per month
• Pro: Starting at $99 per month
• Premium: Starting at $149 per month

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DoorLoop reviews: What users think

Score: 4.63 / 5

Positive reviews reported that the DoorLoop software covers what you need to manage your investment properties; thus, it received a high rating of 4.63 out of 5 based on our evaluation. One positive DoorLoop review appreciated that it has a mobile app to manage your rentals from anywhere. Another user said it helped hold all their real estate documents in one place and allowed tenants to pay their rent through the software.

• GetApp: 4.8 out of 5 rating based on 286 reviews
• Software Advice: 4.84 out of 5 rating based on 243 reviews
• G2: 4.8 out of 5 rating based on 44 reviews

Negative reviews stated that the software is not simple to use. One negative DoorLoop review said that training is non-existent and many hidden fees exist. Another reported that you have to start over if you set it up wrong, and they charge to import the tenant’s information. If you’re looking for a simplified dashboard without additional fees, look to Baselane.

DoorLoop alternatives

If you’re looking for alternative property management tools and resources, here are some of our recommended DoorLoop alternatives:

Best for	Automatic reminders	Free online rent collection, accounting, and Baselane banking	Rent collection and tenant screening tools	Streamlining property financials
Key features	Free and paid plans Rental application screening tool Digital lease signing	Free account Free bank account Built-in bookkeeping	Vendor ACH payments Comprehensive tenant screening reports Online rental applications	Lease management QuickBooks integration Maintenance request tracking
Pricing	$0 to $7 per unit	$0	Starting at $45 per month	Starting at $15 per month
Learn more	Visit Avail	Visit Baselane	Visit Rentec Direct	Visit TenantCloud

DoorLoop plans and pricing

Score: 2.5 / 5

Every DoorLoop plan includes a tenant portal, e-signatures, tenant screening, property maintenance requests, client relationship management (CRM), accounting and financials, online rent collection, and email and chat support.

While it’s packed with features that landlords need, DoorLoop pricing for the basic package starts at $24.50 per month, which is higher than its competitors. Its mid-grade packages begin at $49.50 per month, and its Premium package is $74.50 for the first two months. It also lacks a free version or trial, thus receiving a very low score for pricing and plans.

With DoorLoop, you have the option of paying monthly or annually. Annual pricing is paid in full when you subscribe and provides a discount on the monthly pricing. The first two months of every plan are at a reduced price, with the 10 remaining months at the original price. It offers three packages with tiered pricing, with each upgrade adding features with corresponding price increases. DoorLoop pricing also increases by the number of units you own.

Check out the features for each below in the table below:

General DoorLoop features

Score: 5 / 5

DoorLoop’s general features garnered a perfect score, as they provide the tools to acquire and manage your tenants and properties. Manage from your computer or on the go with its convenient mobile app. Your tenants have a convenient app to communicate with you, pay rent and fees, connect their bank accounts, and submit maintenance requests. DoorLoop also integrates with thousands of apps through Zapier, including QuickBooks, FreshBooks, and Expensify.

There’s no limit on the numbers or types of properties you wish to manage. The software works with them all—residential, commercial, community association, affordable and workforce housing, self-storage, mobile homes, and student housing. Property management companies working for owners can also conveniently manage their investor clients.

Advanced DoorLoop features

Score: 4 / 5

DoorLoop is an all-in-one software with accounting, leasing, and tenant and property management features. You can sync bank accounts and automate your advertising, rent collection, and maintenance, freeing time for building your portfolio or nurturing your hobbies.

Owning multiple rental properties, keeping track of tenants, or collecting rent on time can become challenging. Its tenant portal allows them to automate rent payments so they don’t fall behind. If they do, it automatically assesses late fees so they can pay from the app.

Click on each of the sections below to learn more about the advanced features of DoorLoop:

Property management accounting

• Direct deposits
• Prepare taxes
• Sync bank accounts and credit cards
• Integrate with QuickBooks

DoorLoop’s property management accounting features give you the ability to manage all your costs and revenue related to your properties. You can accurately maintain your ledgers by keeping track of everything from rent payments to maintenance fees, repair charges, deposits, late fees, and owner payouts, saving time by not having to record everything in different spreadsheets manually.

You can save more time if you automate payments and do not have to track down tenants for the rent or manually calculate late fees. The software sends automatic rent bills and late charge notices and provides tenants with payment receipts. Tenants can connect their bank accounts for direct deposit and pay the rent with a credit card. They can also send electronic checks from their bank to yours.

Unlimited custom reports

• QuickBooks and other app integrations
• Avoids double-entries
• Create your own or choose from 60 customizable templates

DoorLoop also saves time and adds convenience to tax preparation by exporting all accounting data with a single click. It integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks online, prevents double data entries, and provides unlimited custom reports based on chosen criteria. Some reports you can include are rent rolls, deposits, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and 60 customizable property management reports. Choose your criteria, and a full report is generated in seconds.

Leasing management

• Automate rent and fees collection
• Send applications and lease agreements
• Collect electronic signatures
• See who has paid and who is past due

DoorLoop’s leasing process allows you to send new or returning tenants lease agreements, save them as templates, and obtain electronic signatures. Payments can be collected automatically for a nominal fee with RapidRent via credit card or ACH deposits. DoorLoop has partnered with Stripe, so there are no more insufficient funds, and Stripe verifies every bank account to ensure there is money in it.

Sample rent collection (Source: DoorLoop)

Sample rent history (Source: DoorLoop)

Tenant background screening

• Run background, credit, and eviction history
• Powered by TransUnion
• Manage tenant communication

A thorough background screening will help you find your ideal tenants and lessen the risk of property damage or missed rent payments. Prospective tenants can fill out online rental applications and pay for a background check, including criminal, credit, bankruptcy, and eviction histories.

Powered by TransUnion, the tenant background screening costs $39.99, which the applicant can pay with a credit card. Most states allow landlords to upcharge for a background screening, so landlords and property managers can increase the cost, but you must check with their state to ensure it’s legal.

Rental listing syndication

• List vacancies on dozens of popular sites
• Create beautiful, fully branded websites
• Prospective tenants can apply right from the websites

With just a few clicks, DoorLoop’s rental listing management syndicates vacancies across popular sites like Zillow, HotPads, Trulia, and Apartments.com to get empty units in front of as many renters as possible. It can also create customized websites to advertise properties and provides beautifully designed templates to showcase rentals. Tenants can apply online and create a tenant portal login right from the custom website.

Prospective tenants can view images of the unit for rent, pricing, the property address, and the full description on the customized website, where they can submit an online rental application. The site can be branded with the company’s colors and logo.

Tenant portal

• Communicate with tenants
• Tenant information uploads automatically to your portal
• Receive and send notifications
• Tenant-friendly platform

The tenant portal is easy to use and has a simplified dashboard. The portal makes automating rent collection, paying fees, signing documents, communicating, and submitting maintenance requests easy. Everything they enter into the tenant portal populates the necessary fields in your platform and sends you notifications, so you can access everything at your fingertips and respond promptly.

Tenants can toggle on and off the features they want to use. (Source: DoorLoop)

Landlords can see tenants’ recent payments and outstanding balances. (Source: DoorLoop)

You can also program it to send tenants rent reminders and other notices. Tenants can set up their bank accounts and track their rent payment history. As mentioned, they can pay rent with a debit, credit card, or e-check. You can also automate and collect and manage security deposits, pet, and late fees.

Property management software

• CRM system
• File storage
• Manage maintenance

The DoorLoop CRM saves all the leads you’ve generated, allows you to view your application funnel, and tracks tenants, owners, and vendors in seconds from one convenient place. You can also request e-signatures and market your vacant units to prospective tenants. Its unlimited file storage allows you to go paperless, upload, and share your files with whomever you need to by simply dragging and dropping them into the database.

DoorLoop allows you to manage tasks and maintenance to stay on schedule, coordinate vendors, and make repairs before they get worse. Tenants can submit their maintenance requests, and you can set up work orders and send them directly to your repair team.

Tenant maintenance requests are in your dashboard. (Source: DoorLoop)

Set up and send work orders to vendors. (Source: DoorLoop)

Ease of use

Score: 5 / 5

DoorLoop received a perfect score as its dashboard is arranged in such a way that you have everything you need at your fingertips. The software is in-depth, but your information is easy to access from multiple locations within the software, and the search feature can take you directly to what you’re looking for. It’s so intuitive that when you input data in one section, it automatically populates the information in every other section where you want to access it.

It also has an excellent drag-and-drop feature to arrange information in the order that best suits your needs. It’s customizable, so you can add your logo and change the colors. The menu tabs in the sidebar make finding what you’re looking for even more effortless. And if you get stuck, customer service is just a chat, call, or email away.

Customer service

Score: 5 / 5

DoorLoop provides excellent live customer training and support at no extra cost; thus, we gave it a perfect score. Software users can contact them by phone, email, chat, or request a video call. Each customer is assigned an account manager and can get as much onboarding and training as they need.

This is because DoorLoop staff understands that not everyone is tech-savvy, and they want you to succeed and take advantage of all of the software’s bells and whistles to manage your property easily. It also has a FAQs section to answer quick questions when you don’t need to access customer service.

How we evaluated DoorLoop

The best property management software provides landlords, property managers, and real estate investors with the convenience of tools that can manage, track, and analyze their tenants and properties while allowing them to screen applicants and perform business banking, all from one easy-to-use platform.

We compared DoorLoop pricing, general and advanced features, customer service, subscriber reviews, and its ease of use side-by-side with the best property management companies. DoorLoop is a newer company that substantially impacts the online property management software market.

We researched the DoorLoop property management software based on the following criteria:

• Advanced features 30%

Based on various rental payment features that help landlords and property managers simplify rent collection, improve cash flow, and secure rent transactions.

• Pricing 25%

Pricing is based on the cost structure, a la carte options, and availability of online rent payment services for landlords and tenants.

• General features 10%

It consists of various property management features like online payment collection and tenant screening for each tier to meet the specific needs of the property owners and tenants.

• Ease of use 10%

Based on how easy it is to navigate the provider interface and if it provides hassle-free transactions and communication between property owners and tenants.

• Customer rating 10%

Based on customer feedback for each platform, the functionalities that are most useful for property managers, and areas that need further improvement.

• Expert score 10%

Our team’s expertise in the field and firsthand experience with the providers allow us to evaluate the standout features, value for the money, and ease of use for rent payment service software.

• Help and support 5%

We looked into the convenience and attainability of customer service for technical and customer support.

Bottom line

Our DoorLoop review shows that it is an excellent property management software for landlords, investors, and property managers who want the convenience of properties, tenants, maintenance, and owners from one convenient platform. 

You can collect rent, screen tenants, manage leases and applications, and use its powerful CRM to manage owners and prospective tenants. Its seamless integration with QuickBooks Online and other apps allows you to create financial reports, making tax time easier.

The post DoorLoop Review: Is It Right for Managing Your Rental Property? appeared first on The Close.

Our expert Baselane review and evaluation found it to be an excellent option for investors, landlords, and property managers who want a free online rent collection service with bonus features, like property metrics.

Baselane overview

Pros

• Tenant portal
• Affordable pricing
• Mobile-friendly

Cons

• No partial payment option
• No landlord-generated leases
• No rental applications

The Close Score

4.5

Pricing

5.0

General features

2.8

Advanced features

4.1

Ease of use and customer service

4.5

Customer reviews

3.9

Expert score

4.5

out
of

5

Recommended for

• Landlords and property managers who want free rent collection, accounting, and Baselane banking
• Tenant-paid renter’s insurance
• Access to optional financial services

Not recommended for

• Landlords and property managers who want to manage applications and leases online
• Landlords who are not tech-savvy
• Sending and managing maintenance requests

Quick look at Baselane pricing

• Free Baselane rent collection, bookkeeping, and business banking
• FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)-insured up to $250,000
• Baselane fees of 2.99% for rent processing
• Fees for affiliate services
• Baselane earns interest on business banking merchant fees

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Baselane reviews: What users think

Score: 3.93 / 5

Although there are limited customer Baselane reviews online, the excellent reporting features and rent payment services have received high marks. Landlords and property managers value the platform’s simple financial management capabilities and user-friendly interface. A feature that stands out for many customers is the simplicity of producing comprehensive financial reports.

• Trustpilot: 3.9 out of 5 rating based on 14 reviews
• Facebook: 3.4 out of 5 rating based on 6 reviews
• G2: 4.8 out of 5 rating based on 5 reviews

Negative Baselane reviews showed that the platform has a bit of a learning curve and can be confusing. Other reviewers said they had difficulty reaching customer support when they needed help. One reviewer stated that the dashboard isn’t intuitive and struggled with adding and removing properties. If you want highly rated property management software for its ease of use, check out Avail.

Baselane alternatives

Best for	Automatic reminders	Streamlining property financials	Rent collection and tenant screening tools	A variety of rent payment options
Key features	Free and paid plans Rental application screening tool Digital lease signing	Lease management QuickBooks integration Maintenance request tracking	Vendor ACH payments Comprehensive tenant screening reports Online rental applications	Tenant portal Mobile app Client relationship management (CRM) system
Pricing	$0 to $7 per unit	Starting at $15 per month	Starting at $45 per month	Starting at $59 per month
Learn more	Visit Avail	Visit TenantCloud	Visit Rentec Direct	Visit Doorloop

Baselane plans and pricing

Score: 5 / 5

Baselane has no monthly fees. As mentioned, it makes money from rent collection, affiliate relationships, and online banking. Landlords pay 2.99% per rent collection transaction when payments are processed within their Baselane bank account. There are no plans. You can immediately sign up and use its banking, rent collection, and bookkeeping tools.

Add-ons

• Hassle-free loans: Instant quote and receive funds within 10 days, no income verification, loans from $55,000 to $2 million, and 75% loan-to-value for purchases.
• Limited Liability Company (LLC) formation service: Available in some states, $29 fee to set up your LLC, plus state filing fees.
• Rental property insurance: Instant rental property insurance powered by Baselane’s affiliate partner, Obie. You can save up to 25% in two to three minutes.

General Baselane features

Score: 2.75 / 5

Baselane received a lower score for its general features because it is missing a few elements that some of its top competitors have, such as online applications and leases. However, this is because the software is primarily intended for banking, rent collections, and managing finances, for which it is top-of-the-line software.

Baselane’s features support landlords and property managers with its financial and analytics tools. Users can see their bank balances and collected rent from its main dashboard to track which tenants have paid and who is past due. It provides a bank account balance snapshot with credits, debits, and total balance over a monthly period.

Baselane is one of the best rent collection and property management software for its affordability and simplified dashboard. Once you create your free account, add your properties, and link your bank accounts, you can start collecting rent with a low transaction fee, track your property’s transactions, and use the Baselane Visa debit card with its low 4.25% APY.

Advanced Baselane features

Score: 4.13 / 5

Baselane provides various features, from cash flow analytics to property metrics with return on investment (ROI), capitalization rate (cap rate), and cash-on-cash return. Plus, it provides tax reporting tools for your convenience. It also includes tenant screening and a dedicated page for tenants.

Click on each of the arrows below to learn more about the advanced features of Baselane:

Analytics and reporting

• Real-time cash flow analytics and statement
• Revenue, operating expenses, and capital expenditures breakdown
• Charts and graphs snapshots

With Baselane analytics and reporting features, you can see your rental property’s real-time performance, including cash flow, profit and loss (P&L), capital expenditures, operating expenses, and transfers. Easily consolidate your rental property’s financials from your business banking and external accounts in one convenient place.

The analytics and reporting features remove the hassle of keeping multiple spreadsheets and updating them frequently. Landlords and property managers can save over 20 hours per month by automating their finances, which they can evaluate in convenient real-time reports within the Baselane dashboard.

TransUnion tenant screening

• Full credit reports with rental history and background checks
• Also includes:
  • ResidentScore
  • Credit report
  • Criminal report
  • Income insights
  • Eviction reports
  • Tenant verification

You can start screening tenants from the Baselane dashboard, which redirects you to the TransUnion site (where you can sign up for free). Comprehensive reports provide everything landlords need to know about prospective tenants. TransUnion created ResidentScore to give landlords insights into lease outcomes based on credit, demographic, and eviction data to predict the high risk of tenant default.

This is an excellent feature for landlords and property managers. Proper tenant screening can lessen the risk of payment default, property damage, interference with other tenants’ quiet enjoyment, scams, and difficulties, leading to loss of time and money through expenses, repairs, and tenant evictions.

Property metrics

• Includes data on the purchase price, appreciation, and current market value
• Soon-to-be-added features include:
  • Net operating income (NOI)
  • Return on equity (ROE)
  • Cap rate
  • Cash-on-cash return

Review your property’s key performance indicators (KPIs) from the property metrics page. See how much your property has increased in value with its appreciation and current market value data. Evaluate performance with NOI, ROE, cap rate, and cash-on-cash return to ensure the property remains a solid investment (these latter features are in the works and will be added soon).

Investors benefit from having quick and easy access to how their investment properties are performing so they can know if it’s time to increase rents and add other sources of revenue to their properties, like coin-operated laundry, vending machines, paid parking, and capital improvements.

Dedicated tenant page

• Tenant portal to track and pay rent and fees
• Landlord access to current and past tenants on the tenant page
• Auto-reminders and late fees
• Fast payments to bank account

Baselane provides a dedicated tenant page for landlords to access former and current tenant records. Tenants have their portal to view current and paid rent, with notices when due. Payments are deposited in your bank account within two to three days. It’s easy to set up, and landlords and tenants receive auto-reminders when rent is due.

With the online rent payment system and its convenient tenant page, landlords no longer have to chase tenants for the rent and fees or process payments from platforms like CashApp and Venmo. Viewing former tenants is useful when a previous renter reapplies for another unit. Landlords can review their payment history and other information to decide whether to rent to them again.

Ease of use and customer service

Score: 4.5 / 5

Baselane is an easy-to-use platform. The dashboard is uncluttered, and entering data is simple. The online rent payment services allow tenants to sign up for their accounts and set up auto-pay for their rent within five minutes. Landlords simply set up the payment information from their lease, invite their tenants to enroll, and the rent is deposited automatically into their Baselane bank accounts in as little as two to three days.

Customer support

Score: 5 / 5

The dashboard offers several options to contact Baselane, including 24/7 live chat and call scheduling through its in-app messenger. The Baselane offices are open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, or you can email them. There’s also an option to book a live video demo with the company’s onboarding specialists by clicking the “Request a Demo” link at the top of the website page.

How we evaluated Baselane

The best property management software provides landlords, property managers, and real estate investors with the convenience of tools that can manage, track, and analyze their properties while allowing them to screen their tenants and perform business banking, all from one easy-to-use platform. We also considered Baselane landlord reviews of its products and features.

We researched property management software based on the following criteria:

• Advanced features 30%

Based on various rental payment features that help landlords and property managers simplify rent collection, improve cash flow, and secure rent transactions.

• Pricing 25%

Pricing is based on the cost structure, a la carte options, and availability of online rent payment services for landlords and tenants.

• General features 10%

It consists of various property management features like online payment collection and tenant screening for each tier to meet the specific needs of the property owners and tenants.

• Ease of use 10%

Based on how easy it is to navigate the provider interface and if it provides hassle-free transactions and communication between property owners and tenants.

• Customer rating 10%

Based on customer feedback for each platform, the functionalities that are most useful for property managers, and areas that need further improvement.

• Expert score 10%

Our team’s expertise in the field and firsthand experience with the providers allow us to evaluate the standout features, value for the money, and ease of use for rent payment service software.

• Help and support 5%

We looked into the convenience and attainability of customer service for technical and customer support.

Bottom line

Baselane is an excellent option for landlords, investors, and property managers who want the convenience of online rent payment with free accounting and banking services. It’s a top-rated property management software for its affordability, convenience, and additional features. The add-on options for discounted property insurance, loans with favorable rates, and tenant access to rental insurance save money for property owners and tenants alike.

The post Baselane Review: Is It Right for Managing Your Rental Property? appeared first on The Close.

This guide will break down the elements of an effective marketing plan and demonstrate how it can help you optimize your budget while planning your business strategies for maximum impact in your community. Plus, you’ll get access to a downloadable plan to start using as soon as today.

Download Your Real Estate Marketing Plan Template

How to Create Your Real Estate Marketing Plan

Your marketing plan should include details about your activities for the year, including budget, lead gen efforts, and social media outreach. Although, you’ll likely need to make adjustments throughout the year. Creating a strong initial plan will give you a solid foundation to start from, allowing you to modify as you see fit for your business. 

Step 1: Conduct a Market Analysis 

To effectively complete your real estate marketing plan template, it’s crucial to understand your market. Knowing how quickly homes sell in your area and identifying who is buying them will guide your marketing efforts and help determine your target market. 

To gather this information, conduct a thorough market analysis. During this phase, your goal is to: 

• Understand your demographics: Learn who lives in your area to figure out how to talk to your prospects, appeal to their interests, and make valuable connections to prospects considering purchasing in your market.
• Know your competitors: Audit agents sending flyers, using social media in your city, investing in signs, bus benches, billboards, and anything else you see in your community. Study who they are and how they’re marketing themselves. 
• Narrow down your geographic farm area: This will tell you where you should focus your business, the clientele you’ll be marketing to, and what methods you should utilize to reach your target audience.
• Learn the market stats: Understand the average days on market (DOM), absorption rates, median home prices, and home sizes, including local amenities. This will tell you what homes are selling, how fast, and for how much. Knowing this lets you effectively discuss your market with prospects.

Pro tip: Research your local community starting with your local MLS. You have access to your community’s data, so dive in and start researching your target market. Utilize other sources, like Realtors Property Resource (RPR), realtor.com, Homes.com, and even Zillow, to learn as much as possible about your area.

Step 2: Create Your Mission, Vision & Values Statement

Your mission, vision, and values (MVV) statement outlines where you want your real estate business to be in the future, how you’ll get there, and the values that drive you. It will help you clearly articulate your business philosophy, differentiate yourself in a competitive market, and build a strong and trustworthy brand that resonates with your ideal clients.

Here’s an overview of what each statement means, as well as an example of what it looks like. For more details, check our guide to crafting your own real estate MVV statement.

Pro tip: Now that you have all the elements to create your mission, vision, and values, print them and post them in your office so you can visualize them daily. These statements will drive every decision you make in your business.

Step 3: Discover Your Ideal Client 

Developing your client personas for buyers and sellers helps you build a brand that attracts your ideal clients. You need to understand who they are, their pain points, their goals, and the obstacles they face. Start by gathering as much data as possible about your geographic real estate farm area’s potential buyers and sellers. 

Here are some data points to consider: 

• Age
• Income
• Family size
• Own or rent? How long?
• Personal buying/selling history 
• Tech savviness
• Education level
• Values
• Hobbies
• Interests

Pro tip: If you’ve sold any homes, your ideal client most likely lives in your current sphere of influence (SOI). You can use polls and questions on your social media pages to stay engaged with your network and learn more about how your SOI sees you. Learn more tips on how to build your SOI.

Step 4: Learn Different Real Estate Marketing Strategies

Your marketing plan for real estate gives you many options to show off your expertise, adaptability, and knowledge of the real estate market. That said, a smart marketing strategy utilizes various marketing methods to create more than one lead gen system. Choose the channels that make the most sense for you and your target market.

Digital Marketing

• Online presence: Create your online profiles that allow you to be found online. Set up a system to ask clients to give you reviews.
• Social media: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn allow you to interact with your clients, sphere of influence, and future clients with engaging content.
• Email marketing: One of the most efficient ways to connect with your database. Time spent building and nurturing your email list is time well spent.
• Website: One of the first things your potential clients will do is look for you online. Make sure they can find your beautifully designed website that gives them more information about who you are and who you serve.

Don’t feel the need to DIY your own site. Trust one of the expert real estate website builders we recommend, like Agent Fire, to design it for you. They will ensure you’re SEO-ready with an elegant, professional site that shows off all that you offer to the clients that work with you.

Traditional Marketing

• Direct mail: Direct email marketing campaigns are an excellent and cost-effective way to reach your specific neighborhoods with your marketing message.
• Print advertising: Real estate print advertising includes magazines, flyers, and brochures for your listings and brokerage. 
• Community engagement: Networking events and experiential marketing, combined with open houses are amazing ways to stay connected in person with your community.

Emerging Trends

• Virtual reality tours: Augmented reality technologies and virtual reality tours can expand your reach and put you at the forefront of certain demographics.
• Collaboration: Working with influencers is awesome for cross-pollinating databases and expanding your connections. Use influencers to grow your email list fast.

Step 5: Get Clear on Your Unique Selling Proposition

Your unique selling proposition (USP) is what makes you different from everyone else. To identify your USP, conduct a SWOT analysis on yourself, considering your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. After you’ve completed your SWOT analysis, you will identify what makes you unique and be able to market yourself in the most effective way.

Here are some examples: 

• Example 1: Leveraging over 20 years of unmatched local expertise to navigate the luxury market, ensuring every client achieves their real estate dreams with unparalleled personal service and insider knowledge.
• Example 2: Bringing fresh energy and cutting-edge digital marketing strategies to the real estate market, I empower first-time homebuyers to navigate the buying process with confidence and ease.

Pro tip: It can be hard to conduct an audit on ourselves and our own business. Seek feedback from friends, family, colleagues, and past clients if you’re struggling to get started.

Step 6: Formulate a Budget for Your Marketing Plan

Several factors influence how much money you’ll spend on marketing and which channels you’ll use. However, a general guideline is to allocate around 10% of your monthly income for marketing expenses. Ultimately, it often depends on your target audience and where they are showing up. 

To get started, it’s important to establish some initial figures. Then, once you’ve put your plan into action, return to it after a few months and analyze your results. 

Step 7: Utilize Free Resources 

If you’re newer to the biz and don’t have much for a marketing budget at the moment, utilize some or all of these cost-saving strategies. This will help you keep more money in your pocket while getting the maximum exposure for your real estate business.

Step 8: Set Your Goals & Timeline

A crucial part of creating a marketing plan is establishing goals and timelines to help you achieve what you want in your business. This not only helps hold you accountable but also keeps you motivated. So, let’s get started building your dream business by writing down those goals and giving them deadlines. 

• Short-term Goal: Consider your annual, monthly, quarterly, and weekly goals. This should encompass the gross commission income (GCI) and the number of transactions you’d like to achieve by the end of the year. Then, break down your annual goal into smaller quarterly goals. 
• Long-term Goals: Consider where would you like your real estate business to be within the first five years. Then, look further out and consider what you want to accomplish in your real estate business within 10 years.

Pro tip: Reverse-engineer the results you want to achieve and draft action steps to help you get there. Plan out your perfect day by breaking up your day into blocks dedicated to completing certain tasks. Plan out how many phone calls you will make daily, how many emails you will send, etc. Your success lies in the details you set and implement to create your roadmap to get there.

Step 9: Create a Marketing Calendar 

Being hyper-aware of how you spend your time is one of the keys to success in real estate. That’s why creating a calendar is crucial to staying on top of your marketing efforts. Start by creating a month’s worth of content, then decide from there if you want to look ahead six months. 

This calendar can include: 

• Newsletters
• Social media content
• Direct mail campaigns
• Pop-bys 
• Holiday marketing

Pro tip: When you get a listing, you’ll need to tackle that marketing as it comes up. Plan open houses and any marketing to promote it at the time of your signed listing contract. To maximize its impact, send postcards such as, Just Listed and Just Sold.

Step 10: Implement Your Marketing Plan

Now that you’ve created your marketing strategy, it’s time to launch it and start bringing in more business. Each piece of content you deliver will boost your reputation in your area. Soon, you’ll see engagement on your posts, people in your DMs, and texts and phone calls from people in your community asking to meet for a cup of coffee to talk about listing their homes. 

• Here are some goals to keep in mind:
• Set aside some time to build out your social media content. 
• Set up any print advertising you have on your real estate agent marketing plan and get everything ready to deploy. 
• Make sure you have your landing pages set up to capture leads as they come in. 
• Don’t forget to automate responses to leads once they are entered into your CRM. 
• Make sure everything is running smoothly and make any corrections necessary.

Step 11: Track Your Progress

Congratulations! Your real estate agent marketing plan is up and running. Now you just need to monitor your progress and make adjustments when needed. Don’t panic if you don’t see a lot of leads come in initially. It takes time to develop that know, like, and trust factor. The more people who see you, your posts, and your marketing materials, the more they will feel like they know you. 

Tracking your metrics will give you a good idea of where your traffic is coming from and how well you or your team are converting. The more you know about your leads and your success at converting those leads, the more success you will achieve. 

Here is a short list of some of the most important metrics to track once you’ve implemented your real estate marketing plan:

• Website traffic
• Lead capture rate
• Conversion rate
• Response rate
• Cost per lead
• Cost per client
• Lifetime customer value
• Referral rates
• Engagement rates
• Click-through rate

Pro tip: Once you’ve got your marketing plan up and running, use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Ads Manager, and your CRM analytics tools to monitor how effective your marketing is. Conversion rates will give you a lot of information about your return on investment. But also look at the length of time for conversions to get a better view of your overall marketing effectiveness. Remember to adjust your marketing efforts based on what your metrics tell you.

Why Is a Marketing Strategy Important? 

Working in real estate sales is just as much about marketing as it is about the properties we sell and the relationships we build. To keep your pipeline full, you need to have a plan in place, which is where your real estate agent marketing plan comes in. 

Here are some key reasons why it’s important to focus on your marketing strategy:

• Client nurturing: It’s important to stay in touch with clients throughout the year. Building and maintaining relationships is a key element of being a real estate agent. 
• Community involvement: Showing your business is a part of the community, not just working in it, will help strengthen your brand image.
• Pipeline preparation: Getting in front of existing and prospective clients could help position you as a go-to resource in your community. 
• Brand awareness: The more familiar people are with you and your business, the more likely they’ll think of you when it’s time to buy or sell.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the difference between a business plan and a marketing plan?

What type of marketing is best for real estate?

Should I charge for marketing a listing?

Your Take

Now that you’ve learned different real estate marketing techniques and how to implement them, you’re ready to hit the ground running. Use this guide to build a marketing plan that’s as dynamic as your business, revisiting and refining it every quarter to stay ahead. Don’t forget to download our real estate marketing plan template to streamline your path to growth. 

Have you used a marketing plan for your real estate business? Let me know in the comments.

The post The Ultimate Real Estate Marketing Plan: Template & How to Create appeared first on The Close.

• Kaplan: Best for career advice
• The CE Shop: Best for continuing education
• Colibri Real Estate: Best for exam prep
• AceableAgent: Best for mobile
• Fortune Academy: Best for student support

The Close’s Top Picks of Online Real Estate Schools in Tennessee

Best for Career Advice: Kaplan

Pros

• Exam prep included in both prelicensing packages
• Access to Live Online Learning Hub
• Career Mentor Connect via Zoom
• Kaplan’s Commitment to Pass

Cons

• Pricey
• Dated user interface
• No in-person classes

The Close Score

4.6

Value:

4.3

Learning Format & Accessibility:

3.5

Course Features:

4.1

Help & Support:

4.5

Reputation:

4.7

Expert Score:

4.3

out
of

5

My Expert Opinion on Kaplan

Kaplan is our top real estate school in Tennesee for career advice, thanks to its live online learning hub, Real Estate Accelerator program, and Career Mentor Connect sessions on Zoom. These features give you direct access to industry experts who can answer your questions and offer guidance. If you’re only starting in this business, Kaplan ensures you’re not doing it alone.

Room for improvement: Kaplan offers excellent career support for potential agents, but adding a pass guarantee to its course packages would give students extra confidence.

Kaplan Cost

Kaplan offers only two TN real estate license course package options for aspiring agents. Both packages include access to the live online learning hub and additional study tools.

Use Promo Code: KAPRE5 – Save 5%

Best for Continuing Education: The CE Shop

Pros

• 5-day free trial
• Expertly designed curriculum
• Easy-to-use online platform
• Pass or Don’t Pay guarantee
• Prelicensing packages include lots of bonus resources

Cons

• No live instruction
• No in-person classes
• No access to local real estate brokerages

The Close Score

4.6

Value:

4.0

Learning Format & Accessibility:

3.5

Course Features:

3.8

Help & Support:

5.0

Reputation:

4.9

Expert Score:

5.0

out
of

5

My Expert Opinion on The CE Shop

The CE Shop is a Tennessee real estate school specializing in continuing education courses. Let’s be real—if you want a long-lasting career in real estate, keeping your license active with high-quality CE courses is a must. The CE Shop makes that easy with engaging options like Roadmap to Success, Working With Real Estate Investors, and other niche courses that help agents sharpen their skills.

Room for improvement: In addition to interactive study groups, The CE Shop lacks the opportunity for students to meet industry experts. These extras would help students build real connections and grow their professional networks.

The CE Shop Cost

All of The CE Shop’s courses may be taken at your own pace. Each package comes with lots of downloadable resources, digital flashcards, business ebooks, and a study schedule to keep you on track.

Use Promo Code: TheClose35—Save 35%

Best for Exam Prep: Colibri Real Estate

Pros

• Expertly designed curriculum
• Easy-to-use online platform
• Pass or Don’t Pay guarantee
• Exam prep packages include lots of features

Cons

• No broker prelicensing offerings
• No live instruction
• No in-person classes

The Close Score

4.4

Value:

3.1

Learning Format & Accessibility:

5.0

Course Features:

3.5

Help & Support:

4.0

Reputation:

3.7

Expert Score:

5.0

out
of

5

My Expert Opinion on Colibri Real Estate

Colibri Real Estate is our best real estate school in Tennessee for exam preparation. Its standout features are live Q&A sessions with instructors and the Exam Crammer webinar series. These interactive tools make a huge difference, giving students real-time answers and extra confidence before licensing exam day.

Room for improvement: Colibri offers excellent prelicensing, continuing education, and exam prep courses for affiliate brokers. However, it could step up its game by adding broker prelicensing. Offering broker courses would make it an even better choice for agents looking to advance their careers.

Colibri Real Estate Cost

Colibri Real Estate’s course packages include test prep essentials like audio review guides, simulated exams, and flashcards to help students prepare for the licensing exam.

Use Promo Code: TheClose40—Save 40%

Best for Mobile: AceableAgent

Pros

• Great learning platform for mobile
• Affordable basic package
• Live webinars and private tutoring are included in the premium package
• ass guarantee
• Access to PrepAgent included in Deluxe and Premium

Cons

• No live instruction
• No post-licensing or continuing education offerings
• No broker prelicensing courses for those wanting to upgrade their license
• No career assistance or networking opportunities

The Close Score

4.1

Value:

2.3

Learning Format & Accessibility:

4.0

Course Features:

4.1

Help & Support:

3.0

Reputation:

4.5

Expert Score:

4.5

out
of

5

My Expert Opinion on AceableAgent

AceableAgent has the best real estate courses in Tennessee for mobile. For starters, it has a mobile application accessible to Android and iOS users. With audio lessons and videos, students can study anytime, anywhere. If you’re always on the go, AceableAgent’s courses will easily fit into your daily schedule.

Room for improvement: AceableAgent could level up by expanding its services to more states and offering post-licensing courses. This way, agents can keep their licenses active by taking CE courses from AceableAgent.

AceableAgent Cost

All of AceableAgent’s prelicensing course packages include a pass guarantee, mastery tracking system, and instructor support.

Click our link to save 25%

Best for Student Support: Fortune Academy

Pros

• Excellent student support
• Money-back guarantee
• Online self-paced courses
• Courses offered through The CE Shop

Cons

• No standalone exam prep packages
• No live instruction
• No access to local brokerages

The Close Score

3.9

Value:

2.0

Learning Format & Accessibility:

3.0

Course Features:

3.5

Help & Support:

5.0

Reputation:

3.8

Expert Score:

4.0

out
of

5

My Expert Opinion on Fortune Academy

Fortune Academy has long been one of the top real estate schools in North and South Carolina, but it has expanded its services in Tennessee through its partnership with The CE Shop. The school stands out for its customer support and hands-on guidance, helping students navigate their licensing courses with ease. Whenever students need answers, a real estate professional is always available to answer their questions through text, call, or email.

Room for improvement: Fortune Academy could enhance its offerings by developing its real estate courses in a livestream format, which would make learning more interactive. 

Fortune Academy Cost

Fortune Academy’s course packages lack many features, but they all include top-notch student support.

How We Selected the Best Online Real Estate Schools in Tennessee

In terms of our methodology at The Close, our team of licensed real estate professionals, writers, and editors created a weighted rubric that involves evaluating each school. Our experts have done hours of research to analyze dozens of real estate schools in Tennessee to determine the best for our readers. The features we explored are essential for students to become successful agents and brokers in the real estate industry. 

Our detailed criteria included: 

• Course Features 25%
  • This comprises items that assist agents and brokers in completing their education, like pass and refund guarantees, career and instructor support, coaching, training, interactive study groups, and course extensions.
• Value 20%
  • Pricing and availability of coursework are important factors to assess. This accounts for real estate school offerings in prelicensing, post-licensing, continuing education, broker prelicensing, and exam prep. 
• Learning Format & Accessibility 20%
  • Real estate professionals must consider the best format for their learning, which includes self-paced, on-demand video, live stream, and in-person classes. Also, accessibility via multiple devices, like computers, tablets, and mobile devices, determines the convenience for users. 
• Expert Score 15%
  • The Close closely reviews each course for stand-out features, details, ease of use, and the value for money spent from a real estate expert’s perspective. 
• Help & Support 10%
  • If students need additional support, they must be aware of the customer service options available through phone, email, live chat, and the ticket system. 
• Reputation 10%
  • This examines the reputation of each real estate school through the lens of current and past students, reviewing the customer reviews and popularity of each provider.

Helpful Tennessee Licensing Info

Quick Facts

account_balance

Tennessee Real Estate Governing Body:

Tennessee Real Estate Commission

schedule

Prelicensing Requirements:

90 hours

inventory

Post-licensing requirements:

16 hours within the first two years

school

Continuing Education Requirements:

16 hours every two years

• Prelicensing: How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Tennessee in 8 Steps
• Exam prep: How to Study for the Real Estate Exam: Tips & Strategies and Free Real Estate Practice Exam + 7 Hacks to Help You Ace It

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How much do real estate agents make in Tennessee?

How long does it take to get a Tennessee real estate license?

What if I have a real estate license from another state?

What’s the average home price in Tennessee?

Bringing It All Together

I hope I’ve helped you decide and choose from these approved real estate schools in Tennessee. At The Close, we’re here to guide you through every step of your real estate journey. Still have questions? Let us know in the comments!

The post 5 Best Online Real Estate Schools in Tennessee (TN) in 2025 appeared first on The Close.

The Close Score: Avail

Pros

• Offers a free subscription plan and budget-friendly pricing per unit
• Comprehensive and customizable tenant screening reports
• Digital leases provided
• Applicant communication and message center

Cons

• No free trial for the paid subscription plan
• No fixed pricing for tenant screening
• No mobile app
• Website chat support is handled by a chatbot instead of a real person

The Close Score

5

Pricing:

3.0

General Features:

5.0

Advanced Features:

3.0

Ease of Use:

4.5

Help & Support:

4.5

Customer Rating:

4.4

Expert Score:

5.0

out
of

5

My Verdict on Avail & Why You Should Trust It

Since being a staff writer here at The Close, I’ve tested dozens of real estate tools and software for agents and investors. My unbiased reviews align with the company’s commitment to well-researched insights. You can trust that my Avail reviews are backed by detailed analysis.

Avail is an easy-to-use, all-in-one system for landlords that can be used for all aspects of property management. My favorite element of the Avail software is its online rent payment service. It eliminates the stress and hassle of collecting rent by providing automatic reminders, written receipts, and depositing money directly into the landlord’s accounts.

However, Avail may not be robust or in-depth enough for landlords wanting to invest in real estate at a higher volume. Although it makes finding, screening, and managing tenants easy, it may not include all the necessary features for managing an apartment building or multifamily home with more units.

Avail Alternatives

Of course, Avail isn’t the only rental management software on the market. While Avail offers many essential features for landlords, it may not be the best fit for those who prefer live customer support over a chatbot. Some users might find the platform’s automation convenient, but others may want more hands-on assistance. Here are some alternative tools landlords may consider:

Platform	Why It’s a Great Alternative	Learn More
	Has a mobile app Maintenance bidding feature Access to millions of potential tenants Has a business plan for larger portfolios	Visit TenantCloud
	All-in-one property management software Shareable tenant screening reports up to 10 participating landlords Resident management Rent comps report feature	Visit Apartments.com
	It is an excellent tool if you have an extensive portfolio 1099 e-filing for property managers All subscription plans have a free trial More affordable tenant screening fees than competitors	Visit Buildium
	Showing scheduling feature In-app messaging Expense tracker Past landlord references for tenants	Visit TurboTenant

Key Features of Avail

In this section of my Avail.co reviews, I’ll identify the essential features that make it an all-in-one platform for landlords.

Rental Listing & Syndication

Avail’s rental listing creator helps you find quality tenants. Simply write a creative property description, upload photos, and highlight amenities. Avail will syndicate your listing to top platforms like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Trulia. Potential tenants can contact you through your landlord account. This simplifies coordinating in-person and virtual showings and asking prescreening questions. Additional listing and syndication features include:

• Property listings are syndicated to Zillow, Trulia, Hotpads, Zumper, Padmapper, Walkscore, Realtor.com, Doorsteps.com, Apartments.com, and ApartmentList
• Social sharing tools and suggested actions
• Custom marketing and portfolio site with a tenant portal
• Tools for lead management and a messaging center
• Showings can be scheduled automatically from any platform or listing partner

Rental Application & Tenant Screening

Avail’s tenant screening features help attract potential tenants and do thorough background checks. Customized rental applications enable you to gather in-depth information about potential tenants, and background checks generate essential details like their job and rental history, income verification, credit score, and nationwide criminal and eviction reports.

Online Rent Collection

Avail’s rent collection service makes managing payments effortless for landlords and tenants. Tenants can set up Autopay for automatic monthly deductions, while landlords on the Unlimited Plus plan benefit from FastPay for next-day deposits. Online rent payments can be made in cash with the ease and security of online transactions. Additional rent collection features include:

• Specialized deposit and fee collection
• Auto-generated payment receipts and confirmation
• Rent reminders and notifications
• Automatic recurring payment setup
• Auto-assessed late fees (one-time or recurring)
• Tenant messaging
• Property-specific bank accounts
• Rental payments are reported to credit bureaus with CreditBoost

Leasing Agreements & Online Signature

Avail simplifies leasing with state-specific rental lease templates that comply with landlord-tenant laws. Based on the location of your property, leases will include all the necessary state-specific provisions, attachments, and disclosures. The system will then convert your responses and preferences into a binding contract. You can customize terms, collect tenant signatures online, and track each tenant’s progress. The platform also has features like locally generated clauses, rules, disclosures powered by LocalAssist, unlimited document attachments, and print and PDF lease generation.

Maintenance Tracking

Avail’s maintenance tracking feature provides in-app instant messaging to connect with tenants easily. Tenants can submit requests with images, while landlords and contractors get email alerts, keeping everyone updated without needing to visit the property. The platform also updates tenants on ticket statuses, showing whether it has been resolved. Landlords can also include an expense amount to the ticket to track and keep your finances organized.

Property Accounting & Rent Price Analysis

Another key feature for any property manager is accounting. Avail offers multiple tools to help with bookkeeping, tracking finances, analyzing rental prices, and calculating a rental property’s potential return on investment (ROI). The platform syncs your income and expenses into a customizable spreadsheet so you can track your finances on the go. The rent analysis tools help you determine whether a potential rental property is a good purchase and calculate how much to charge for rent.

Avail Pricing

Avail pricing is simple, with just two subscription options. While Avail has a free plan, essential management features like rent collection, websites, applications, and leases are only included in the paid plan. This may cause costs to add up for landlords with a larger portfolio. Here’s the breakdown and pricing of each plan:

Methodology

Our licensed real estate professionals, writers, researchers, and editors created a weighted rubric for this Avail reviews. The Close’s experts have done hours of research to analyze essential features like pricing, customer service, ease of use, and more. Our detailed criteria included:

• Pricing (20%)
  • We evaluated the cost of each platform, the price of each subscription package, the value of the features provided, and whether it offers a free trial.
• General Features (20%)
  • This covers general tenant screening features that help landlords and property managers list and market properties, screen tenants, generate leases and reports, and track financials.
• Advanced Features (25%)
  • This includes advanced tenant screening features such as credit reports and scores, eviction and address history, judgment and liens reports, criminal background, identity validation, income verification, and more.
• Ease of Use (10%)
  • This is based on how easy it is to navigate the provider interface and if it provides hassle-free transactions and communication between property owners and tenants.
• Help & Support (5%)
  • We looked into the convenience and attainability of customer service for technical support, onboarding, and training.
• Customer Rating (10%)
  • We’ve reviewed customer feedback for each platform, with particular attention given to product reviews and provider popularity, to certify that the software meets user satisfaction.
• Expert Score (10%)
  • Expertise in the field and firsthand experience with the providers allow us to evaluate the standout features, value for the money, and ease of use of tenant screening services.

Read more about our methodology here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Avail Unlimited Plus worth it?

What is the 50% rule in real estate investing?

What is contingent vs pending property?

What's the best software for landlords?

The Bottom Line: Is Avail Worth Your Money?

Our detailed Avail review shows that Avail is an easy-to-use platform that offers robust property management, tenant screening, and online rent payment services. Its free subscription plan suits small landlords needing reliable property management tools. However, we recommend subscribing to Avail’s paid subscription plan if your business needs advanced and extensive property management tools, such as next-day rent payments, waived ACH fees, and custom applications and leases.

Is it worth your money? Yes, if you only have a few rental properties to manage. If you have a more extensive portfolio, I recommend Buildium.

The post Avail Review: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons (2025) appeared first on The Close.

The Close Score: McKissock Learning

Pros

• Offers continuing education courses in all states
• Experienced instructors
• Focuses on professional development
• CE Plus Membership packages
• Affiliated with Colibri Real Estate

Cons

• No live instruction option
• More expensive than other schools
• No exam prep offerings

The Close Score

3.8

Value:

2.0

Learning Format & Accessibility:

3.5

Course Features:

3.1

Help & Support:

3.0

Reputation:

3.1

Expert Score:

4.5

out
of

5

My Verdict on McKissock Learning & Why You Should Trust It

As a real estate staff writer and researcher for The Close, I have extensive experience reviewing countless online real estate schools, software, and tools to help agents thrive. That said, I have developed a deep understanding of what makes an education provider truly stand out. I’ve tested learning platforms, evaluated course materials, compared pricing, and carefully considered student feedback.

McKissock Learning stands out as one of the best continuing education providers in the industry because it views CE as more than a box to check—it’s an opportunity to elevate your skills and grow as a professional.

However, McKissock Learning isn’t for everyone, as it tends to be more expensive than other CE providers. Still, you’re paying for fantastic features: extra webinars, access to top-notch instructors, engaging videos, and a resource library with job aides like scripts and worksheets. It’s more than just CE—it’s an investment in your career.

McKissock Learning Course Availability

McKissock focuses exclusively on continuing education courses for real estate agents. If you’ve seen its prelicensing, post-licensing, and broker courses on the website, those are all handled by its partner school, Colibri Real Estate. It’s also worth noting that McKissock doesn’t offer any exam prep courses for aspiring agents.

Prelicensing

McKissock doesn’t offer real estate prelicensing. Instead, all prelicensing education is provided through Colibri Real Estate. As of this writing, these 35 states are listed under McKissock’s prelicensing tab, and you’ll be directed to Colibri’s website to purchase the course.

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New York
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Post-licensing

McKissock’s post-licensing offerings are all from Colibri Real Estate, like its prelicensing programs. Currently, there are 19 states listed under McKissock’s post-licensing tab:

• Alabama
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Mississippi
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington

Continuing Education

Since McKissock Learning specializes in continuing education courses, it is available in all 50 states. Students can choose to take individual CE courses or purchase an annual CE membership, which provides access to various classes and bonus resources. This flexibility in McKissock continuing education allows agents to tailor their education to meet state requirements and professional goals.

Broker Prelicensing

Again, like the salesperson and post-licensing programs, McKissock’s broker prelicensing courses are provided through Colibri Real Estate. There are six states under McKissock’s broker prelicensing tab:

• California
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Missouri
• New York

McKissock Learning Pricing

Since the cost of becoming a real estate agent/broker can add up quickly, McKissock Learning aims to offer pricing that balances value and affordability. While its individual CE courses and memberships include valuable features, costs may vary based on your state’s requirements. Here’s what you can expect to find in McKissock real estate continuing education offerings:

McKissock Learning Alternatives

While my McKissock education review reveals that it’s excellent and reliable for students wanting to take CE courses, it might not be the best option for others with a limited budget. If McKissock real estate education doesn’t sound like the right fit for your goals and needs, consider our other top picks:

School	Why It’s a Great Alternative	Reviews	Learn More
	Modern, expertly designed courses Excellent online learning platform Continuing education or post-licensing courses already included in Premium packages Business building courses for new agents	The CE Shop review	Visit The CE Shop
	Pass or Don’t Pay guarantee Buffini & Company coaching videos Professional growth tools for real estate agents	Colibri Real Estate review	Visit Colibri Real Estate
	All prelicensing packages have exam prep materials Interactive study groups Career Mentor Connect via Zoom Real Estate Accelerator online video course and live online coaching Interest-free payment plans	Kaplan Real Estate School review	Visit Kaplan
	Affordable courses Live chat, phone, and email support Individual and packaged self-paced courses User-friendly, modern interface Offers a variety of interesting continuing education electives	360training Agent Campus review	Visit 360training Agent Campus

Key Features of McKissock Learning

In this section of my McKissock real estate review, I’ll enumerate its standout features and what makes the school a top choice for students.

CE Plus Membership

McKissock’s CE Plus membership gives students access to all CE courses for a flat fee. Instead of picking and choosing the electives in the a la carte option, students can access every single CE course and the bulk discount. In addition, you’ll get access to webinars and a toolkit for educating homebuyers. Finally, you’ll get extra training in sales, negotiation, marketing, technology, and discounts from McKissock’s product partners.

You can also purchase a multi-state package, which includes all the CE courses required for every state where you hold a license—an excellent value for multi-state agents. If the packages don’t fit your needs, you can always take your CE courses a la carte.

McKissock Blog

McKissock’s blog offers valuable insights for real estate professionals. Topics include market trends, real estate industry news, current events, and career tips. These real estate blogs will help prospective and seasoned professionals navigate the complex market.

Real Estate Appraisal Courses

Besides continuing education courses real estate, McKissock offers appraisal courses for prospective trainees, exam prep, appraisal continuing education, and appraiser certification courses. Packages include all required courses, textbooks, test prep webinar sessions, proctored exams, and a single-state certification.

Methodology

In terms of our methodology at The Close, our licensed real estate professionals, writers, researchers, and editors created a weighted rubric for this McKissock real estate continuing education review. Our experts have done hours of research to analyze key features, pricing, course offerings, McKissock Learning real estate education reviews, and more. All the features we explored are essential for students to become successful agents and brokers in the real estate industry.

• Course Features 25%
  • This comprises items that assist agents and brokers in completing their education, like pass and refund guarantees, career and instructor support, coaching, training, interactive study groups, and course extensions.
• Value 20%
  • Pricing and availability of coursework is an essential factor to assess. This accounts for real estate school offerings in prelicensing, post-licensing, continuing education, broker prelicensing, and exam prep. 
• Learning Format & Accessibility 20%
  • Real estate professionals must consider the best format for their learning, which includes self-paced, on-demand video, live stream, and in-person classes. Also, accessibility via multiple devices, like computers, tablets, and mobile devices, determines the convenience for users. 
• Expert Score 15%
  • The Close closely reviews each course for stand-out features, details, ease of use, and the value for money spent from a real estate expert’s perspective. 
• Help & Support 10%
  • If students need additional support, knowing the customer service options through phone, email, live chat, and ticket system is necessary. 
• Reputation 10%
  • This examines the reputation of each real estate school through the lens of current and past students, reviewing each provider’s customer reviews and popularity.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How many CE hours are required for real estate?

How long do real estate course certificates last?

How much does it cost to take the real estate exam?

Can you sell real estate without a license?

The Bottom Line: Is McKissock Learning Worth Your Money? 

Yes. If you’re an agent who loves diving deep into real estate content, soaking up webinars, sharpening your skills with worksheets and scripts, and learning from top industry experts, you’ll get the most out of McKissock Learning. 

But even if that isn’t your style, McKissock’s a la carte CE courses are affordable and have excellent instructors and a flexible online schedule. Plus, being part of the Colibri group means your real estate education stays in one place, simplifying reporting to your state licensing board. In fact, if your state allows automatic submission of test scores and class attendance, Colibri and McKissock will handle it all for you.

The post McKissock Learning Review: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons (2025) appeared first on The Close.