Approved Real Estate Academy

What Approved Real Estate Academy does

Approved Real Estate Academy is a California Department of Real Estate-approved pre-licensing education provider headquartered in Irvine, California, that prepares individuals to sit for the California real estate salesperson license exam. Founded and led by James (Jim) Forde, who brings more than 30 years of real estate industry and teaching experience, the company operates under the ownership of parent company First Team Real Estate Inc., which provides downstream broker connections and tuition reimbursement pathways for graduates. The academy delivers the three required 45-hour courses (Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, and Real Estate Finance) totaling 135 hours, packaged into a Premier Package at $396, a Career Package at $296, and an Exam Prep Package at $60.

Name

Approved Real Estate Academy

Legal name

Approved Real Estate Academy

Website

https://approvedrealestateacademy.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Licensing Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Licensure Exam Prep (Salesperson/Broker, Appraiser) (EDANAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate, Appraisal & Mortgage (Agent/Broker CE, Appraiser CE) (EDAAALAI), Real Estate & Property Services (EDABALAW)

Keywords

• Real estate licensing education
• Pre-licensing courses
• Exam preparation
• Continuing education
• Real estate training

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pre-Licensing Course Packages: Three required 45-hour courses for California real estate salesperson license (Principles, Practice, Finance) sold as bundled packages. Revenue is one-time at enrollment with 2-year access period included. Primary revenue stream.
2. Exam Prep Package: One-day crash course combined with exam prep and live class. Sold as standalone product at $60. Includes over 1,600 practice questions with no time limit on access.
3. Continuing Education Courses: Post-licensing continuing education for maintaining active real estate licenses. Ongoing revenue from license renewal requirements.
4. Broker Courses: Advanced courses for agents pursuing broker license beyond salesperson level.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Approved Real Estate Academy provides California Department of Real Estate (DRE)-approved pre-licensing education and exam preparation to individuals pursuing a California real estate salesperson license. The core offering consists of three required 45-hour courses (Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, Real Estate Finance) delivered through online self-paced study, optional live webinar classes, and bundled packages (Premier Package $396, Career Package $296, Exam Prep Package $60) supplemented by a proprietary practice exam system.

Product overview

Approved Real Estate Academy is a California real estate licensing education provider offering a comprehensive suite of pre-licensing courses required to sit for the California Department of Real Estate exam. The core product portfolio consists of three 45-hour mandatory courses (Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, and Real Estate Finance) that students can purchase individually or as bundled packages. The Premier Package ($396) and Career Package ($296) bundle all three courses with Crash Course and Exam Prep materials. Exam Prep Master is a dedicated exam preparation system featuring practice exams, coach commentary, and state-specific question banks. The company also offers live webinar training programs and one-day crash courses as supplementary offerings. All courses are DRE-approved (Sponsor ID S0720/S0587) and delivered through online self-paced study with optional live class sessions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Premier Package Complete California real estate salesperson pre-licensing package for aspiring licensees, including Real Estate Practice, Real Estate Principles, and Real Estate Finance courses, Crash Course, Exam Prep, all eBooks or paper textbooks, 2-year access, and 9-week live or Zoom training program. Priced at $396.
• Career Package Online-only California real estate salesperson pre-licensing bundle for aspiring licensees, including the three required 45-hour courses plus Crash Course and Exam Prep with all three eBooks included and 2-year access. Priced at $296.
• Exam Prep Package Standalone exam preparation offering for candidates who need California real estate licensing exam readiness, combining a one-day Crash Course, Exam Prep with over 1,600 questions and answers, automatic grading with explained answers, and all three ebooks. Priced at $60.
• California Real Estate Principles Course 45-hour home study course required for the California real estate salesperson license, introducing the California real estate business, including ownership, transfer, financing, agency, contracts, and taxation.
• California Real Estate Practice Course 45-hour course required for the California real estate salesperson license, focused on practical application of meeting buyer, seller, lessor, and lessee needs; covers ethics, fair housing, trust accounts, prospecting, listing contracts, and closing procedures, updated per Senate Bill 1495 with implicit bias content.
• Real Estate Finance Course 45-hour course required for the California real estate salesperson license, covering financial instruments, loans, lenders, investments, real estate math, escrow accounts, secondary mortgage market, foreclosure topics, and California-specific finance regulations across 15 units.
• Exam Prep Master Proprietary online exam preparation system for the California real estate licensing exam, featuring over 900 original questions, practice exams that increase in difficulty, state-specific exams, Coach's Commentary explanations, and a Peak Performance system that ramps practice exam difficulty over time. 150-day access from registration.
• Crash Course One-day live Zoom webinar crash course designed to efficiently prepare students for the California real estate licensing exam, including over 1,000 practice questions with explained answers; students who do not pass the state exam can attend future crash courses again for free.
• Live Webinar Training Program 3-month structured live training program for pre-licensing students that meets Thursday evenings from 6:30–9 PM, 4 hours per week for the first 3 weeks of each month, with the 4th week used for review and online final exam; students interact with active real estate leaders.
• Continuing Education Courses Post-licensing continuing education courses for currently licensed California real estate professionals to meet DRE-mandated credit requirements and maintain active license status.
• Broker Courses Advanced pre-licensing courses for California real estate professionals pursuing a broker license beyond the salesperson level.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% first-time exam pass rate for students using their exam prep system
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• First Team Real Estate Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company ownership. Approved Real Estate Academy is the educational division of First Team Real Estate Inc. This affiliation provides students with connections to a network of brokers for employment opportunities, potential tuition reimbursement programs through trusted brokers, and industry credibility.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• PrepAgent: Real estate exam prep and licensing platform with a more tech-forward, app-based approach. Comparable exam prep focus but with a younger/emerging brand identity and lighter geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• McKissock Learning: Provider of continuing education and professional development for real estate professionals. Comparable target customer (licensed agents needing CE) and recurring revenue model.
• Kaplan Real Estate Education: Major national real estate licensing school offering pre-licensing, exam prep, and CE courses. Comparable in product mix (live + online) and target customer (aspiring licensees), with significantly broader geographic coverage.
• Allied Real Estate Schools: Online real estate school offering pre-licensing and exam prep in multiple states. Comparable product portfolio (Principles, Practice, Finance equivalents) and online-first delivery.
• 360training: Online regulatory-approved training provider, including real estate pre-licensing and CE. Comparable eLearning platform model with self-paced online delivery and state-approval infrastructure.
• The CE Shop: One of the largest national online real estate licensing and continuing education providers. Directly comparable as an online-first competitor serving aspiring agents with DRE-approved pre-licensing and CE courses across multiple states.
• Colibri Real Estate: National real estate education provider offering pre-licensing, exam prep, and continuing education across most U.S. states. Comparable approved pre-licensing and exam prep product set with multi-state reach.
• CompuCram: Online real estate exam prep provider with adaptive practice exam content. Comparable exam prep focus and adaptive difficulty systems, serving multiple state licensing exams.
• Real Estate Express: Online real estate school owned by Kaplan offering state-approved pre-licensing courses and exam prep. Comparable direct-to-consumer B2C model targeting aspiring agents.

Others

• First Team Real Estate: Parent company and major Southern California real estate brokerage. Comparable not as a competitor but as the strategic parent providing broker placement, tuition reimbursement, and brand credibility to the academy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/approved-real-estate-academy

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Approved Real Estate Academy