Real Estate School

What Real Estate School does

The Real Estate School of South Carolina is a family-owned real estate education provider headquartered at 1083 Harbor Drive in West Columbia, SC, founded in 1977 by Col. Charlie Browne as the Southern Institute of Real Estate and now led by third-generation owner Melissa Sprouse Browne. The company delivers state-mandated and career-advancement coursework for South Carolina real estate professionals, including the 90-hour pre-licensing bundle (Unit I + Unit II), broker licensing, property management, PMIC designation, refresher, and continuing education courses, plus one-on-one tutoring and a textbook. Course catalog prices range from $25 (SC Advanced Real Estate Principles) to $599 (90-hour licensing bundle), with payment plans and a current 25% promotional discount; revenue is generated entirely through one-time course fees with no subscription layer.

Delivery is multi-format: in-person at the West Columbia classroom (Monday–Friday 8:30am–5:00pm), live virtual streaming, and self-paced online through a leaponline.com integration. The technology stack is a Lightspeed e-commerce storefront for course purchase, a self-paced course platform integration for CE, and a reseller partnership with The CE Shop to extend into mortgage, appraisal, home inspection, and professional development content. The customer base is entirely individual license-seekers and active licensees within South Carolina — there is no enterprise or institutional channel, no app, and no disclosed AI/ML capability. Eight named instructors (with backgrounds including USC-law-trained attorneys, 40-year industry veterans, and a US Army veteran with 31 years of experience) form the operational core; total headcount is reported as 1–10.

Name

Real Estate School

Legal name

Real Estate School of South Carolina

Website

https://realestateschoolofsc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Education / Vocational Training

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Technical and Trade Schools (61151), Educational Services (61)

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)

SECONDARYEDABALAW

Real Estate & Property Services

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Industry-Specific Professional Training (e.g., Healthcare, Manufacturing, Construction)

Keywords

• Real estate pre-licensing courses
• Real estate continuing education
• Broker licensing education
• Property management certification
• Real estate exam prep

Headquarters

HQ city

West Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Course Sales: One-time course fee sales for real estate licensing, post-licensing, property management, broker courses, appraisal, and continuing education. Also includes textbook sales and tutoring services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Real Estate School of South Carolina sells state-required real estate education courses and supporting materials directly to individuals in South Carolina. Core offerings include the 90-hour Real Estate License Course Package (combining the 60-hour Unit I and 30-hour Unit II associate pre-licensing courses), Broker Licensing Courses (Broker A & B Bundle), Property Management License and Property Manager in Charge (PMIC) courses, Continuing Education for license renewal, a Real Estate Refresher Course, the Career Achiever Package for young adults, Private One-on-One Tutoring, and the Principles of Real Estate Practice textbook. Courses are delivered in-person at the West Columbia, SC classroom, via live virtual streaming, and as self-paced online courses through leaponline.com.

Product overview

The Real Estate School of South Carolina offers a comprehensive portfolio of real estate education products and services, primarily focused on pre-licensing courses, post-licensing, continuing education, and professional development. The core offering includes the 90-Hour Real Estate License Course Package (bundling Unit I and Unit II), individual unit courses, Broker Licensing Courses (A & B Bundle), Property Management courses including the PMIC designation, and Real Estate Refresher courses. These are available through three delivery formats: in-person, live virtual/streaming, and self-paced online. The school also partners with The CE Shop to provide complementary offerings including Mortgage, Appraisal, Home Inspection, and additional Professional Development courses. Supplementary products include textbooks, specialized programs like the Career Achiever Package for young adults, and Private One-on-One Tutoring services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Principles of Real Estate Practice in South Carolina (Textbook) Required textbook covering fundamental real estate principles for students pursuing their South Carolina real estate license; sold for $50.00.
• SC Advanced Real Estate Principles Advanced-level course covering complex real estate principles for experienced licensees seeking deeper knowledge; priced at $25.00.
• Real Estate License Course Unit I (60-Hour) 60-hour Unit I Associate Pre-Licensing Course covering the first portion of the 90 hours required to obtain the South Carolina Real Estate License; available in-person or virtual; priced at $375.00.
• Real Estate License Course Unit II (30-Hour) 30-hour Unit II course completing the remaining required hours for the SC Real Estate License, bringing the total to 90 hours; available in-person or virtual; priced at $299.00.
• 90-Hour Real Estate License Course Package Complete bundle combining Unit I and Unit II for the full 90-hour real estate license requirement, available in-person or virtual at a discounted price; $599.00 (was $660.00), save $61.
• Broker Licensing Courses - Broker A & B Bundle Bundled package of Broker A and Broker B courses for agents seeking to advance to broker license status; available in-person, virtual, or streaming; priced at $395.00.
• Property Management License Course License course for individuals seeking to enter property management, covering essential property management principles and practices; priced at $275.00 (was $299.00).
• Property Manager in Charge (PMIC) Course Specialized course for property managers seeking the PMIC designation, available in-person or virtual streaming; priced at $115.00.
• Real Estate Refresher Course Refresher course for licensees, available in-person or virtual, designed to update knowledge and skills; priced at $175.00.
• Career Achiever Package (For Young Adults 17-23) Specialized package designed for young adults aged 17-23 years old to help launch their real estate careers; priced at $500.00.
• Private One-on-One Tutoring Personalized one-on-one tutoring sessions for students seeking individual attention and customized learning support; priced at $150.00.
• Self-Paced Online Courses (Continuing Education) Self-paced online education options for continuing education and license renewal, accessible through the school's leaponline.com platform.
• Mortgage Courses Courses for mortgage professionals offered through The CE Shop partnership covering mortgage-related education.
• Appraisal Courses Real estate appraisal courses offered through The CE Shop partnership for appraisers seeking continuing education.
• Home Inspection Courses Home inspection professional development courses available through The CE Shop partnership.
• Professional Development Courses Additional professional development courses for real estate professionals available via The CE Shop platform.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The CE Shop: National online real estate, mortgage, appraisal, and home inspection education provider. Already integrated as a white-label partner for the school's mortgage, appraisal, home inspection, and professional development offerings, making it both a direct supplier and the most direct national competitor in online CE/pre-licensing.
• Real Estate Express: National online real estate school owned by Kaplan, offering pre-licensing courses and CE in dozens of states. Direct online competitor for SC pre-licensing students who shop nationally on price and convenience.
• McKissock Learning: National provider focused heavily on real estate, appraisal, and home inspection CE and professional development. Competes directly for the same licensed-agent CE wallet, especially in self-paced online delivery.
• Colibri Real Estate: National online real estate school (formerly OnCourse Learning / Career WebSchool) offering pre-licensing, exam prep, and CE across most U.S. states. Directly competes in the SC online pre-licensing and CE segments with polished digital UX and aggressive pricing.
• Kaplan Real Estate Education: One of the largest national real estate licensing and CE providers, offering online and live courses across multiple states including South Carolina. Competes head-to-head on the 90-hour pre-licensing bundle and CE self-paced market with greater scale and brand recognition.

Direct peers

• Allied Real Estate Schools: Online-focused real estate pre-licensing school serving multiple states with bundled pricing and tutor support. Directly comparable on bundle structure, pay-over-time financing, and tutor add-ons (the school offers a $150 private tutoring session).
• Hondros College of Business / Hondros Family of Companies: Family-owned regional real estate and insurance education provider primarily serving Ohio but with online reach across multiple states. Closely comparable as a family-owned, multi-format (in-person + online) real estate school targeting pre-licensing and CE students.

Emerging players

• 360training (real estate / career education): Online career education platform offering real estate pre-licensing and CE in many states at low price points. Competes on price and convenience in the SC online pre-licensing and CE segments but lacks the school's local instructor reputation.

Regional players

• Gold Coast Schools: Long-established Florida-based real estate and insurance school with both classroom and online delivery. Comparable as a multi-decade regional real estate school offering pre-licensing, broker, and CE; does not directly compete in SC but matches the business model and lifecycle catalog.

Others

• CompuCram / Real Estate Exam Cram:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@msprousebrowne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 Real Estate School