Over 25 state real estate commissions think so. Distance learning has been allowed in states such as Texas, New York and Alabama, but that leaves 25 states whose real estate commissioners still believe that computer courses should be taught in classrooms. Are they helping or hurting their licensees?

Real estate education companies are introducing new online distance learning products that will save licensees time, money, and effort. Yet, many Realtors are not taking advantage of them to keep up their CE requirements.

Last minute students

Most Realtors are going to wait until the last minute to complete their continuing education coursework. But there is a price to be paid for procrastination. If you live in a state that doesn't allow distance learning through the Internet, you will have a limited amount of time to select a course, and you will only be able to take courses which are currently being offered. This could put you at risk of sitting through a course that isn't as relevant to your everyday business as a course selection which may have been offered earlier in the year.

Bob Collins, president of Computaught, a computer-based education company, says, "We have found that the optimum time to take a continuing education course is six months prior to renewal."

The advantages of getting it done earlier, explains Collins, is that you stay currant with what's happening in the industry, you avoid the rush, and there is a greater course selection available to you. "You have control over your options," he says.

All of those advantages would be available through the Internet. So what is keeping Realtors from turning to distance learning in greater numbers?

Are Realtors resistant? "No, it is the people who approve the courses," says Collins. "Many are choosing distance education. In Georgia, about 35% of people who take CE courses choose distance learning options. It's even higher in pre-license. That indicates great receptivity."

Distrust of distance learning steeped in tradition, not fact

What's preventing the greenlighting distance learning?

"It's the weight of tradition, a mistrust of the new approach to things," suggests Collins. "It is a cultural bias that all education has to take place in a classroom. Some of it is a historical."

He says that many commissioners view distance learning as a glorified correspondence course, where there were no controls over the work and quality of the process. But distance learning is an evolution, which has shed the faculties that didn't work before.

"Distance learning is better in educational quality and in the integrity of the process - assuring that work is actually done," maintains Collins. "On the computer, it is highly interactive and adaptive learning process. There is rigorous educational activity and accountability in which the actions and the time spent by the student is documented. The computer monitors what you do to a specified criterion."

Education is a low priority for agents

Despite advances in some states where distance learning is allowed, some real estate schools are still experiencing lack of interest from agents.

Dmitriy Meleshko, a representative of the New York Real Estate Institute, says, "Our school (www.nyrei.com) is actively using distance learning courses to help real estate agents in New York to complete their continuing education requirements."

"Despite quite active advertisement on our part, not many real estate agents were actually interested in using computers to complete continuing education courses," says Meleshko.

"Most real estate agents are not interested in education. 99% of our continuing education students are taking our regular courses because they have to, not because they want to. It's a common practice to see a student taking course after his/her license has expired, and only after we send a notification with the words "Your license will expire on ..."

Meleshko believes that the problem also lies in the unreadiness of the real estate community to embrace new technology.

"We have asked a number of our students about their use of computers. Our conclusions so far:

1) Agents who work/live in Manhattan are more used to computers at their homes/companies, as opposed to Brooklyn (the school has two locations).

2) Most agents who are already involved in real estate field are not using computers actively.

3) 50-70% in Manhattan of our new "Salesperson Licensing" students have heard about our school through the Internet and are actively using computers.

From that, Meleshko concludes that distance learning courses will work mostly for the future generation of real estate agents.

"In the meantime, the existing generation of real estate agents need to learn how to use computers in their work. An obvious solution would be a number on introductory computer courses."

Yet the NYREI has found little interest in the five entry/intermediate level computer courses they offer, despite the fact that the courses are approved for CE requirements.

"Nothing helps," says Meleshko. "Almost nobody is interested in these courses. On top of that, we hear rumors that "entry" level computer courses may be disallowed for CE credits. The commission's reasoning? They say an agent should already know how to use computers; that it's wasteful to allow him/her to learn computers in place of some important real estate continuing ed course."

Ironic, isnt' it?

Published: October 1, 1999

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.