REL: Real Estate & Loan School

What REL: Real Estate & Loan School does

REL: Real Estate & Loan School is a US-based, founder-owned online education company founded in 2004 by Mary Shoane to address the lack of formal training she experienced when entering the real estate industry. The company delivers a single Comprehensive Crash Course covering four sessions — Principles, Finance, Appraisal, and Practice — designed to prepare aspiring real estate agents to pass the state licensing exam on the first attempt. The course is delivered via the third-party TrainerCentral learning management system and bundles instructor-led videos, audios, proprietary notes and outlines, weekly quizzes, BINGO reviews, and simulated state exam questions, all authored by Mary Shoane based on her 25 years of brokerage and mortgage loan experience.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer, self-serve go-to-market model through its website (maryshoane.com). Revenue is generated primarily through a one-time course purchase for lifetime access, supplemented by private tutoring services (quote-based, with group rates). Pricing is not publicly disclosed but is described as "affordable." Marketing channels are limited to organic website traffic, the Blogger Q&A discussion group (maryshoane.blogspot.com), email outreach, and word-of-mouth referrals. The company is bootstrapped, with no external funding, no parent company, and a 16-person team.

REL's primary customer segments are aspiring real estate agents pursuing state licensing (primary), licensed agents seeking reinforcement, and homeowners or future investors. The company has maintained pre-licensed course provider approval status and holds a regional credibility profile from a 2010 Mercury News feature. Strategically, REL is a stable, long-tenured lifestyle education business with proprietary content, a recognized founder brand, and a regulatory approval asset, but limited scale, no recurring revenue, and no observable expansion into adjacent products, geographies, or technology layers.

Name

REL: Real Estate & Loan School

Legal name

REL: Real Estate and Loan School

Website

https://maryshoane.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

REL: Real Estate & Loan School is a founder-owned US online education platform founded in 2004 by Mary Shoane, offering a self-serve comprehensive crash course to help aspiring real estate agents pass state licensing exams on the first attempt.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Licensing Exam Preparation

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Real estate licensing
• Exam preparation
• Pre-licensing education
• Real estate training
• Online course delivery

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Online Course Enrollment: Students pay to enroll in the Comprehensive Crash Course which includes access to videos, audios, notes/outlines, quizzes, BINGO reviews, and simulated state exam questions. This is a one-time purchase model for course access.
2. Private Tutoring: Private tutorial sessions offered at contact-us pricing. Group rates are available. This provides additional personalized instruction beyond the standard course package.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

REL: Real Estate & Loan School delivers an online Comprehensive Crash Course that prepares aspiring real estate agents to pass the state licensing exam on the first attempt. The course is packaged with proprietary notes and outlines, instructor-led videos and audios, weekly quizzes, BINGO reviews, and simulated state exam questions across four sessions (Principles, Finance, Appraisal, and Practice). Private tutoring with group rates and a Blogger Q&A discussion forum supplement the core course.

Product overview

REL: Real Estate and Loan School offers a single unified product centered on its Real Estate Crash Course, which includes a Comprehensive Crash Course as the primary offering. The course is structured across 4 sessions (Principles, Finance, Appraisal, and Practice) and packages instructor-led training materials including proprietary Notes and Outlines, Videos, Audios, Weekly Quizzes, BINGO Reviews, and Simulated State Exam Prep Questions. Additional services include Private Tutoring (with group rates) and a Blogger Q & A Discussion Group for student support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Estate Comprehensive Crash Course Accelerated online refresher course preparing aspiring real estate agents to pass the State licensing exam on the first attempt. Covers four sessions (Principles, Finance, Appraisal, and Practice) and includes proprietary notes and outlines, instructor-led videos and audios, weekly quizzes, BINGO reviews, and simulated state exam questions. Delivered via the TrainerCentral learning management system.
• Private Tutoring One-on-one personalized tutoring service offered in addition to the comprehensive crash course. Available individually or at group rates for multiple students. Contact-based pricing via email ([email protected]).

Quantifiable outcome

• Students pass the State real estate licensing exam on their first attempt
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The CE Shop: Online provider of real estate pre-licensing and continuing education courses across multiple states, serving the same aspiring agent exam-prep market with packaged, self-serve digital content.
• PrepAgent: Real estate exam prep specialist focused on helping students pass the licensing exam on the first try, with online practice exams and study tools — a close functional competitor to REL's crash course.
• RealEstateU: Online real estate school offering state-approved pre-licensing courses and exam prep with transparent online enrollment — directly comparable to REL in target customer and delivery format.
• Allied Real Estate Schools: Online provider of pre-licensing and exam prep courses for aspiring real estate agents, competing in the same state-by-state digital course market.
• Mbition (formerly Career WebSchool): Online real estate pre-licensing school approved in multiple states, offering self-paced coursework comparable to REL's online, self-serve delivery model.
• Real Estate Express: Online real estate licensing school offering state-approved pre-licensing courses with packaged digital study materials — comparable offering for the same first-time licensee audience.

Emerging players

• AceableAgent: Mobile-first real estate pre-licensing school delivering state-approved courses via app, targeting the same aspiring-agent cohort with a modern digital experience.
• CompuCram: Real estate licensing exam prep provider focused on practice exams and study tools; a more niche competitor in the exam-preparation segment rather than full pre-licensing coursework.

Broad incumbents

• Kaplan Real Estate Education: Large, established provider of real estate licensing exam prep and CE courses in the US, offering online and live formats across many states — directly competes for the same licensure cohort.
• 360training / Colibri Real Estate: Major online real estate pre-licensing and CE provider with state-specific courses, recognized as a scaled incumbent in the same exam-prep category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rel-real-estate-&-loan-school

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 REL: Real Estate & Loan School