Academy for Continuing Education

What Academy for Continuing Education does

Academy for Continuing Education is a New York-based private for-profit education provider founded in 1995 by Esther Muller, specializing in real estate licensing and continuing education courses. The company delivers the 77-hour New York Real Estate Salesperson qualification course, a broker licensing course, and continuing education that satisfies the 22.5 credit hour re-licensing requirement set by the New York Department of State. Its core technology is a self-paced online learning platform with course material access and practice exams, complemented by live seminars and in-person workshops delivered from its Manhattan headquarters at 120 Central Park South, Suite 14B.

The Academy monetizes primarily through one-time course purchases via a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront (realestateacademy.com/shop), with individual course and branded content products priced between $48 and $160. The customer base is a long-tail of individual real estate professionals — salespersons, brokers, agents, developers, and property managers — seeking license qualification, exam preparation, and regulatory compliance. The Academy also runs the Continuing Education Empowerment Conference as a community/networking event and has cultivated guest speaker affiliations with senior real estate executives (Dottie Herman of Douglas Elliman, Barbara Corcoran of The Corcoran Group, Robert L. Reffkin of Compass, and Richard Dickson of Gap Inc.) whose content is sold as discrete paid products. The headcount is 1-10 employees, the geographic footprint is regional (Northeast USA / New York), and the company is founder-owned with no disclosed institutional investment.

Name

Academy for Continuing Education

Legal name

Academy for Continuing Education

Website

https://realestateacademy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Academy for Continuing Education is a New York-based, founder-owned private education provider founded in 1995 that delivers state-approved real estate licensing, broker, and continuing education courses to individual real estate professionals in New York via online, live seminar, and in-person formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Education and Licensing

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAALAI

Real Estate, Appraisal & Mortgage (Agent/Broker CE, Appraiser CE)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

SECONDARYEDAAAEAD

Professional & Applied Skills Noncredit Certificates (Non-licensure)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Continuing Education (Noncredit) & Lifelong Learning Programs

Keywords

• Real estate licensing
• Continuing education
• Professional development
• Real estate training
• Exam preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Course Sales: One-time purchase of individual courses and educational products. Customers purchase specific courses like Real Estate Salesperson qualification, Broker licensing, and Continuing Education courses.
2. Product Store: Sale of educational products and resources through the online shop, including guest speaker content and learning materials priced between $48-$160 per item.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Academy for Continuing Education delivers state-approved real estate licensing and continuing education courses for real estate professionals in New York. Its core offerings include the 77-hour Real Estate Salesperson qualification course, the Real Estate Broker licensing course, and 22.5 credit-hour continuing education programs that satisfy the New York Department of State re-licensing requirement, delivered via flexible online, live seminar, and in-person workshop formats.

Product overview

Academy for Continuing Education is a New York-based real estate education institution founded in 1995, offering a portfolio of courses and services for real estate professionals. The core offerings include the Real Estate Salesperson Course (77-hour licensing program), Real Estate Broker Course, and Continuing Education programs (22.5 credit hours for re-licensing). Additional products include four named courses taught by industry leaders (Dottie Herman, Richard Dickson, Barbara Corcoran, and Robert L. Reffkin) available through the online shop at various price points. The institution provides three main service pillars: Expert-Led Industry-Approved Courses (approved by New York Department of State), Flexible & Comprehensive Learning (live seminars, workshops, and online formats), and a Community of Top Real Estate Professionals (networking events and mentorship). The company also organizes an annual Continuing Education Empowerment Conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Estate Salesperson Course A 77-hour New York Real Estate License Course designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to qualify for and pass the New York real estate licensing exam, including comprehensive State Exam prep materials.
• Real Estate Broker Course An advanced course for real estate professionals to earn their broker's license and gain the ability to run their own real estate business.
• Continuing Education Program State-approved compliance courses that satisfy the 22.5 credit hour re-licensing requirement, helping real estate professionals maintain their licenses and stay current with industry regulations.
• Math Essentials (Dottie Herman) Individual course taught by Dottie Herman, Vice Chair of Douglas Elliman, covering math essentials for real estate professionals. Priced $152-$160.
• Harmony in Learning (Richard Dickson) Individual course taught by Richard Dickson, CEO of Gap Inc., covering business and leadership concepts for real estate professionals. Originally $75, current price $48.
• Beyond the Lecture (Barbara Corcoran) Individual course taught by Barbara Corcoran, Founder of The Corcoran Group, offering entrepreneurial insights. Available in English, German, and French. Priced $55-$60.
• Bread for Thought (Robert L. Reffkin) Individual course taught by Robert L. Reffkin, CEO of Compass, Inc., covering real estate industry leadership insights. Priced $49-$70.
• Continuing Education Empowerment Conference Annual in-person conference connecting real estate professionals with industry leaders to explore market trends, gain professional development strategies, and network.
• Online Self-Paced Courses Flexible online coursework allowing students to complete real estate education at their own pace through a user-friendly platform for studying and taking practice exams.
• Live Seminars and In-Person Workshops In-person training sessions at the Manhattan location (120 Central Park South, Suite 14B) with interactive classroom discussions covering licensing, CE topics, market analysis, negotiation, ethics, and legal compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22.5 credit hours of continuing education per re-licensing cycle
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Richard Dickson (CEO of Gap Inc.)minorOthers · 1 January 2023Guest speaker contributor with educational product 'Harmony in Learning' sold through Academy shop. CEO of Gap Inc. provides business and leadership content to Academy students.
• Barbara Corcoran (Founder of The Corcoran Group)minorOthers · 1 January 2023Guest speaker contributor with educational product 'Beyond the Lecture' sold through Academy shop in multiple languages (English, German, French). Barbara Corcoran founded The Corcoran Group and provides entrepreneurial insights.
• Dottie Herman (Vice Chair, Douglas Elliman)minorOthers · 1 January 2020Guest speaker at Academy events. Dottie Herman is Vice Chair of Douglas Elliman, one of New York's largest real estate brokerage firms. She has appeared as a guest speaker providing industry insights to Academy students and professionals.
• Robert L. Reffkin (CEO of Compass, Inc.)minorOthers · 1 January 2020Guest speaker contributor with educational product 'Bread for Thought' sold through Academy shop. CEO of Compass provides real estate industry leadership content.
• New York Department of StatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory approval partner. The Academy works closely with the New York Department of State to develop and approve courses that satisfy the 22.5 credit hour re-licensing requirement. All courses require state approval to count toward licensing requirements.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Colibri Real Estate: One of the largest US online real estate licensing and CE providers; directly comparable as the Academy's primary affiliate/partner delivering its core pre-licensure and CE courses, and competing for the same NY real estate students at scale.
• The CE Shop: National online CE provider approved across multiple states including New York, offering the same 22.5-hour CE courses and pre-licensure curricula the Academy competes against; direct head-to-head in price and convenience.
• Mbition Learn Real Estate: Formerly OnCourse Learning, a major online real estate licensing and CE school approved in numerous states; competes directly with the Academy for new licensees and re-licensure students seeking flexible online delivery.
• Hondros Learning: Multi-state real estate licensing and CE provider offering online and live courses; directly comparable offering and target customer (aspiring and active real estate professionals), with broader geographic reach than the Academy.
• Allied Real Estate Schools: Online real estate licensing school serving multiple states with comparable pre-licensure and CE course offerings; competes with the Academy for digitally-served students in overlapping state markets.

Broad incumbents

• Kaplan Real Estate Education: Division of Kaplan offering real estate licensing and CE across many states; competes with the Academy for NY students and has materially greater brand recognition, curriculum resources, and online delivery infrastructure.
• 360training (real estate division): Large-scale regulatory-approved education provider offering real estate licensing and CE in multiple states; comparable business model but operates as a broad compliance-training incumbent rather than a NY-focused specialist.

Regional players

• New York State Association of REALTORS (NYSAR): New York-specific industry association providing member CE and education programming; not a commercial licensing school but competes for the same NY licensee audience and is a natural local alternative source of CE credits.
• Real Estate Institute (REI): Long-running New York-focused real estate school offering licensing and CE courses; closely comparable in geographic focus, course catalog, and target customer to the Academy and a direct competitor in the NY market.

Emerging players

• Compass Academy: Internal training and continuing education arm of Compass, the brokerage whose CEO Robert Reffkin is a featured Academy guest speaker; comparable in serving agent development needs and a potential future partner or competitor for in-house agent education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/esthermuller.realestate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academy-for-continuing-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/esthermuller10/?hl=en
• Xx.com/AcademyForRE

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Academy for Continuing Education