Really great classes in person and online too. They were my initial real estate school when I started in the business long ago.

Horrible. The practice questions do not even come close to preparing you for the tricky ones you will see on the National section. Wish I had gone to a different school who would have helped me prepare better to anticipate what in real life some of the questions will look like for the National part. State portion was okay, but the key is to passing the National exam as they have more questions and personally, I found those questions trickier than the State. read more

I took this course during covid . Matthew taught the course. He was willing to offer additional assistance after class. He made himself available and was able to tutor At any time. I recommend this school To anyone who is interested in going into Real Estate as a full time career. read more

American Real Estate Academy - Specialty Schools Near Me - Weston, Massachusetts

This was by far the best class I have ever taken and the Instructor was by far the best teacher i have ever had. He was not just super knowledgeable but he also kept it interesting, entertaining and down right hilarious at times. Kept everyone's attention the whole time which made it easy to learn and REMEMBER. It was awesome to say the least! I highly reccomend it. Orlando M. read more

Irrelevant waste of my time! I signed up for an in-class based instruction in hopes of providing a stimulating and interactive classroom experience for myself. This was not the case. The instructor, who didn't even bother to introduce herself at the beginning of the class, was the most boring, least interesting teacher I have ever had. She spend the majority of the time sharing irrelevant stories such as her "very tall, Macgyver like, husband's mini-van car buying experience" for example. Please tell me how this is remotely related to real estate? I endured 3 days of classes before I gave up and decided to look elsewhere for instruction. TOTAL WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

After taking the MA real estate exam and passing (woot!), I can now give a fair review to AREA. I signed up to take the required 40 hours of pre licensure to become a real estate salesperson at AREA since I had a friend who'd been through their program. I looked into Lee, but the reviews on Yelp were somewhat abysmal and that scared me a bit. I emailed the office to see if I could customize my schedule a bit, which was no problem. Rather than take class for 10 hours each day, I opted to take each of the 8 modules on different days; so some days I had a 9 am to 2 pm session, and others I had a 2 pm to 7. But, there are ample breaks built in (2 15s and 30 for lunch), so the time commitment's really not that bad. So, you pay them $350 and they give you a binder of notes and talk at you for those 40 hours. I took most of the modules with Alicia, a business lawyer who told a lot of stories, which I'm sure helped fill the time (recently upped from 20 hours to 40). It also helped me stay awake in these lectures, and facilitated my remembering the facts better. We did have a sub one day, and he merely read from the binder. I had the most trouble understanding and applying concepts from that module when I was studying. Their book has 4 practice exams and also explains the answers and breaks down math problems. I was nervous I'd be under prepared for the exam, but AREA's course content and delivery style insured just the opposite. I would absolutely recommend them and go back for further education if needed. Now, on to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-78hfZOu_s read more

I don't know where to begin with this mess. I wish I had never come across them online. There are so many bad things about this place I apologize in advance if I repeat myself or seem scattered. Let me say first off that I did the online course. I have no idea what it's like in the classroom. They have 2 sections. One you can complete at your own pace and one you have to sign up for and watch the pre-recorded lectures. I have no idea why this is, I assume it's part of the licensing rules. These videos were taped several years ago and I can only imagine they never watched them to see how they are. They sound like they were taped in a tuberculosis ward. People sitting right next to the microphone constantly coughing. Not just one person or two but what seemed like the entire row. One would start and set off another and another. This occurs in almost every 40 minute section of each topic. It's not just annoying, it makes it hard to hear what she is saying. But yeah, it's also super annoying. There was an easy fix to this. They could have just put a microphone on the teacher. Instead it's on the camera in the back next to the students. Awful. Next up is the teacher herself. She has to fill 40 hours but there is only like 25 hours of material. So she banters and talks about her family. You will learn EVERYTHING you never wanted to know about her family. Her nationality, her children's learning disabilities, how she raised them to not have specific gender roles, her husband is tall, she pays the bills... It is so annoying, so distracting and so awful and you CAN'T STOP IT! You are forced to watch it. You will get on a roll and take notes then she will go on (no lie or exaggeration) for 15 minutes or more filibustering and THAT is what you will take away. Not the important stuff. You will remember the fact that her son grew his hair long and people starting calling him a girl and she asked if he was ok with that and his son was like, "yeah I don't care." Instead of actually drilling this stuff into your head with examples and situations that would help you remember what you are learning she TALKS ABOUT HER FAMILY AND HER PAST over and over and over again. It is infuriating. Want to take notes? Good luck. The little bit of information is so spread out between her family history lesson it makes it almost impossible. The one good thing is you can ask questions during the lectures and YOU WILL NEED TO! But unfortunately you will need to because she give you information that is sometimes contradictory. This also becomes a problem with the practice tests. There were many confusing things about the practice quizzes and tests. Here is an example: She teaches you that the initial money that starts the process off is held onto by the Seller's broker and put into their account. However when you get that question on the quiz, the answer is EITHER the seller or the buyer's broker can hold the money. I of course go the question wrong because I was going by what she taught us. I wrote in to ask about this and the person I talked to was nice enough but was very vague and would not actually say if she was right or wrong. His answer was something like, "well technically they can both hold it but usually it's the seller who holds it." Trust me on this. You need to know the SPECIFIC answer for the test and to this day I have no idea what the correct answer is. I think it's the seller but still not sure. The quizzes and tests are riddled with mistakes and also with spelling errors. It may not seem like a big deal but some of the questions are geared towards being tricky. So you have to ask yourself, is this a real thing they spelled wrong or some weird made up thing they are trying to trick you with. These questions are so specific you shouldn't have to deal with that as well. Lastly, when it comes to taking the 3 full practice tests, get ready to be upset. I took all 3 multiple times on chrome and IE and was only able to complete them 3 times (1 each). They constantly reset after 20, 40, 50, 60 questions. You end up having to start the whole thing over again. These tests are time consuming and to have to start them all over again is just awful. The 3 practice tests, if you can get through them are great though. And in a weird and unintentional way, having to start them over again and again, really drilled in some of the answers I was getting wrong and was able to adjust. I went online and took several other free site's salesperson tests. To help supplement theirs. I took lots of note cards and studied when I could. I did end up passing the test on the first try but, and I can't emphasize this enough, it is not because of AREA's lectures. It was because the lectures were so bad and I was so worried I didn't learn the information I went through the study sheet and took what notes I could, went to other free sites and took their tests and then drilled the practice tests over and over again. Stay away! read more

I attended American Real Estate Academy in Summer of 2018. I am a licensed Massachusetts educator with 10 years experience, so I have some insight into what goes into making a good school good for students and teachers alike. Matt, Alicia, and their crew did everything right not just from a curriculum standpoint but with regards to creating an inclusive, safe classroom setting. The classroom environment is well-lit with ample seating. Main Street in Waltham sidewalk is right out the window, but the noise is not bothersome to students or the instructor. There are plenty of plugs for laptop outlets in case you want to bring your Lenovo or Mac Book and take notes. There is water available for sale for $1 for a 16 oz bottle. You may also bring your own refillable container. The AREA team creates an educational environment that would pass muster in the strictest school in Massachusetts. In addition to the safe and comfortable learning environment, the teachers go above and beyond the call of duty. The instructors are brilliant, knowledgeable professionals who have proven track records of success over 20- and 30- year careers in law, finance, and real estate sales. Students receive the equivalent of graduate school-level education and instruction from these highly qualified pros. They throw a lot of material at you at once, but they point out what is most relevant for the exam. They keep the class goal-focused so that students don't get lost in too many little details. The objective is to pass the exam, get the license, and go into business to earn money - not to be able to recite the entire Massachusetts real estate law code. This is important to know because a sign of strong teachers is being able to get to the point and communicate the information most needed by students. The price tag is so low that you won't believe it. My courses cost me well under $400. $400 in exchange for the chance to earn commission on a $500,000 sale? Uhhh... yeah. Sounds like a good deal to me. What do you all think? :) Matt, the Manager, is a kind, friendly person with a smile that could light up Fenway Park. You can tell from the minute you shake his hand that his sole goal is to provide experience-tested guidance and expertise to students on their journey to becoming licensed professionals and financial successes in their own right. There is nothing punitive or punishment-oriented about AREA. Every single word the staff and instructors say is positive and about the student becoming as successful as possible. As an aside, please allow me to note that while we all have a right to share our opinions online, not all opinions are created equal. Some are based off of misinformation and misunderstanding. You will see some reviews on Yelp about instructors being "boring" or "telling too many stories". I encourage you, the consumer, to take that brand of review with a grain of salt. To any given student in any given high school, college, or professional training school like AREA, one class subject will be "boring" while another is "amazing" or vice-versa. A high school freshman could think her gym teacher is an incredible coach and athlete where as a senior could think the same coach is lazy and lame. Each have their reasons for thinking what they think. I urge you to decide for yourself by going in and meeting Matt and his crew face to face. They will help you figure out if AREA is a fit for you. In closing, as a veteran professional educator who has been on teacher and administrator hiring committees; led hardworking high school kids to victory on the lacrosse and football fields, and received generally positive evaluations over my ten years teaching Spanish from 2001-2011: Matt, Alicia, and American Real Estate Academy are the real deal. Grade: A+++++ with a huge smiley face! Sign up for AREA now. You will learn a ton; meet nice people who are also interested in becoming agents, share networking and sales tips, and begin to build your foundation for a successful career selling real estate in one of the highest volume and highest value markets in the country. Thanks again, Matt and Alicia! Wishing you all a fantastic rest of the summer and much success for time to come. Truly yours, Justin Pickering read more

I recently went to Matt's class and it's a game changer. The Real Estate exam is HARD! Thanks to Matt and his class I was able to retain all the information I needed to pass the exam! I can't recommend this class enough! Sign up! It's worth it! read more

Don't take these courses! If you misspell or misplace with a capital letter in the word you get marked wrong. They also charge you $25 for a refund when my course was $45.00. Use Rockwell or CE where the content is engaging and the testing if fair. I have been in Real Estate for 18 years!!! read more

I signed up about 2 years ago (maybe more) for their on demand real estate class... I'm embarrassed to say it's taken me a very long time, with life events, and misc things popping up... They've extended my course about 3 or 4 times without ever questioning me. The classes are great and I can't speak highly enough of their customer service! Thank you American Real Estate Academy for being so understanding, and helpful every time I've contacted them! read more

So, I thought that maybe it was me thinking this was the most boring class I've ever taken. But then I talked to a friend who had taken the same course through another company and he said it was amazing. The teacher at this other company was funny, interesting, and he brought in five real estate professionals to tell the class what the real estate business was all about. I've taken one weekend of classes so far and the teacher couldn't be more standoffish and abrasive. In addition to that, her personal anecdotes are boring and have nothing to do with what she is teaching. By the way, my friend who took the class with the other company purchased it on Groupon and only paid $90 versus the $350 they charge here. read more

AREA is a superb educational resource for prospective real-estate agents. Since 40 hours of classroom training is required, my instructor spent half the time walking us through the in's and out's of Mass real-estate vocabulary, theories, and laws. She spent the other half of the time telling us stories and utilizing relevant examples to cement her points further in our minds. If she took the entire time reading out of the binder, which reads like a text book, then I would have probably fallen asleep every single day. The material we were provided was more than adequate for us to take the test. In fact, I would say the binder along with all the practice exams were overkill. After having taken the exam, I felt that I over-studied and had passed without a single worry. This is not to say you should slack on your studies! Some people test differently than others so study until you're comfortable. Why AREA really deserves 5 stars is because they actually care about their students. I'll give you an example of something I've personally never seen out of any business or organization. AREA has a parking lot in the rear of it's building which you can utilize for free. However, it can fill up quite fast. As a result, some students park at meters in front of the building. One of the staff members would periodically go outside and feed the meters with his own quarters. He doesn't even know if the cars are AREA students but he would feed them anyway. Once, I saw him feed a meter and a few moments later random teenagers got in the car and drove away. That's the definition of "above and beyond" in my book. read more

I have to say by far this is the best real estate course that offers online courses. American Real Estate Academy is not like other real estate schools. Once you finish the courses they stay in contact with you giving you helpful guides and tips! if you have a question on a question you get stuck on, you can email them and they will work with you to solve it! Its very obvious to me that AREA wants to me to succeed. I 100 percent recommend everyone pick this real estate school! read more

I've been to a few different professional license courses like this, I am sure Alicia Is the most knowledgeable of any instructor I have had in these type settings!! She is overqualified for sure, but that is a good thing! As a lawyer, she gave us insight into real estate law that we never would have got in a basic course. It was like taking a college level course on real estate sales and real estate law! I'm sure we got some really interesting and useful info that may not be on the actual test, but it is invaluable in the real world of real estate! Hey, sitting for 40 hrs is a drag, but at least we got a good education! Thankyou Alicia and R.E.A.L. For an informative course!! read more

I signed up to get my broker's license and did the on line course. I found out way too much about the woman giving the course as she talked way too much about her family to fill up the hours. Thankfully you can watch tv while you watch the videos. They then direct you to PSI for the tests and give you material. I just took the test and discovered- after studying and reading their material- the test doesn't include half of what you are given. I have been in the biz for 30 years, decently smart and did a test that literally was 50% brand new material. Passed the state exam, barely flunked the national portion. Thanks AREA and PSI for wasting a ton of my time and money. Now I am going to a different place so I can pass the national portion! read more

Terribly boring. Bring something else to do while you suffer through this. Course is 40 hours (mandated in MA) but, 80% of the class is devoid of any real content (I.e boring stories about antique roadshow, the instructors husband, etc). read more

I cannot express my disappointment enough. I drove over an hour to go to AREA because I was told by a relative it's thee best. The instructor was not only rude but as another review stated she was standoffish and argumentative. I tried, I really did but after attending almost all the hours required I could not even stand another hour. I refuse to pay for someone to treat me in such a condescending manor. I will be paying to take the course elsewhere. This woman should not be an instructor. Go back to being a lawyer Felicia!!! PS Everyone else there was great! Unfortunately they are not your instructor. read more

This year I thought I'd give AREA real estate school another try for my online Continuing Education Courses,. I used to do my classes in person here, but some of the instructors were abrasive, so I went somewhere else. A few years ago, the state allowed CEUs to be done online, and I found a place where I liked the instructor, but I thought it would be good to hear from another teacher to get new input; even though AREA charges more than the provider I have been using. I went on AREA's website to see what subjects they offered online, but the site wouldn't let me see their online courses unless I registered. I called them to see if they could tell me what they offered. There was a recording, but nowhere to leave a message. I emailed to find out, but the email would not go through. A total lack of customer service/support. I didn't realize I had it so good at my other school/instructor. Live and learn. read more

I cannot say enough about this course and how much I enjoyed not only the teacher Alicia but the students as well. It was informative and engaging and the hours flew by. I obtained my RE lic on my first try!! Great class!!! read more

I went here to get my salespersons pre licensure education requirements. The instructor was a sales broker. He would go by the book and would not deviate a bit from it. I always felt stupid ask him questions because I felt like he would not know the answer. He would say you do not need it for your exam so do not worry about it. Who qualified this guy to teach? Whatever is in that book I can read myself. Anyways, the lecture was so boring and crowded that I was constantly pumping caffeine in me to stay awake. I would not recommend this school, because I did not like the instructor's style of teaching. What is the point of asking "any questions?" when he can not even answer them. I really did not like how he would determine on his own what I need to know and what not. Sorry, :-( There are other schools out there where you can get what you pay for and beyond. read more

When I didn't complete my online course work by their subscribed date they suspended my account that I had already paid for and wanted more money to reactivate it. Just another money grab. Not to mention these were the most boring classes I've ever taken. read more

Take your classes here if you enjoy listening to the teacher talk about herself. This includes, but not limited to, how tall her children are, disabilities in the family, and their many adventures to the cape. You'll hear about one nugget of information, related to real estate, probably every 4 hours. Beware of asking any questions, as you will be belittled for asking them. read more

As a former teacher, I can assure you that this class does not adequately prepare its students for the Real Estate exam. It does not provide its students with enough concrete material to pass the exam. Lots of personal stories from the instructor and not enough practical information was certainly par for the course. Purchasing the "Guide to Passing the PSI Real Estate Exam" certainly helps, (especially with the practice tests) but it doesn't give you the information needed to pass the MA RE law part of the test. The latest edition of "Barron's Real Estate Licensing Exams" was the most helpful and I highly recommended purchasing this book. It helped me understand the material that really wasn't explained in class by giving examples. The AREA course material definitely needs to be re-vamped, so that it includes more of the material that is actually on the test, so that their students can be more successful. read more

I finished my course at AREA in Waltham, MA. and can honestly say it was a big waste of my time and money. The instructor Alicia talked more about her family, politics and famous people more than real estate and what we need to know for the exam. Not to mention she let us out early everyday so we were robbed of at least 12 hours of classroom time. I've taken the exam twice now and have not passed due to the lack of instruction I got from AREA and Alicia. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT GO THROUGH THIS SCHOOL!!!! read more

If you are interested in obtaining your real estate license, I am convinced that there is no better school you can attend. Staff is well organized, throughly knowledgeable about licensing procedures, very responsive to questions. Their classes helped me pass the sales person's licensing exam and I intend to pass the broker exam within the month. read more

First, I want to say that I put off starting this program because I thought I had to go over consecutive days or consecutive weekends and I always had something on the calendar that would get in the way. However, when I checked in, Matt, the really nice guy at the desk, gave me a calendar for the next 2 months. Each day had one of the 8 topics/classes listed, and Matt explained that I just needed to take all 8 classes and get the stamp at the end of the class . . . it didn't matter what order I did them in, it didn't matter if I went on consecutive days. If I had known that, I would have taken the class 4 months ago . . . I kept waiting for 2 clear weeks on my calendar . . . duh. I don't know why they don't make this information available on their website, it would have helped very much. This class is taught by a lawyer who, in my opinion, comes across as cranky, intolerant and inflexible. I think you would be better off taking the class from an experienced real estate agent. The state requires 40 real estate classroom hours before you can sit for the exam. So Alicia, the teacher, certainly fills those hours up to the legal limit. Weekday classes run from 9-2. But she will let you out at 1:31 or thereabouts. I can only imagine that going to 1:31 meets the legal requirement of going til 2. She gives a 15 minute break at 10:30 and a half hour break at 12. DO NOT ask to leave even 1 minute early for a doctor's appointment, you will have to repeat the class. You have to stay until you are dismissed or you won't get your book stamped for the day's class. The last 30 - 45 minutes is dedicated to taking the 2 tests at the end of the day's chapter. The test ANSWERS are printed on the subsequent page. After leaving the room for about 15 minutes for each test, Alicia comes back in and reads the answers -- that you can already see -- out loud to you, with zero elaboration. Then she leaves again so you can repeat this scenario for the second test. Please, just shoot me. I would much rather 'waste' the last several hours of the class listening to a real estate salesperson tell stories about their career and offer advice on how to be successful. There are people from a wide variety of ages, as well as intellectual and educational levels in each class. Consequently, there will be questions that anyone who has purchased a home previously would already understand. You have to be patient while Alicia answers them. The thing that surprised me was that foolish questions like "If I pay cash for a house, will they check my credit record?" Or those of a personal nature, off-topic and interrupting the class, like "Am I going to need a co-signer if I want a mortgage?" Alicia answered calmly and with an effort to maintain the dignity of the questioner. Conversely, students who asked relevant questions that built on the information provided, like, "Is there a difference in an agent's fiduciary duties if they are selling a property versus renting one, and if so, what are they?" are met with derision and scorn. Pretty much, after a few scathing remarks, most people just stopped asking questions. It wasn't worth it. Classes got really quiet after a while. The girl next to me, a nice, well-heeled individual from Wellesley, was completely aghast after hearing a few snarky rejoinders from Alicia. Aside from the cumulative 1 hour of truly useful information in each class, I learned: Alicia has 3 children, a boy and 2 girls. The boy is taking 6 months off before going to college for video game design. She had a schnauzer who chewed a perfectly round hole in the bathroom wall, she has a papillon. Her husband is an engineer who is a stay at home dad and takes a hike every day. He can't be trusted to pay the bills because he and his engineer roommates had their utilities shut off for non-payment back in the day. He learned to cook spaghetti and measures everything specifically because he is an engineer. Alicia went to Smith. She is from Maine. She lived most of her life in Massachusetts. The last name Wyman is Welsh and comes from soldiers who fought on the front lines in war. Blah blah blah blah blah. I started studying for the exam while she went off on these personal tangents. Again, just shoot me. I was irritable for 2 weeks. We had a substitute teacher one day, a semi-retired broker from the Worcester classroom. And holy cow, we all had a great time. I learned so much, felt completely engaged and left in a great mood. If you can go to the school in Worcester, that might be a much better choice. In conclusion, I would go to AREA in Waltham to 'check the boxes' for taking the test. Show up, shut up, mostly SHUT UP, and get out of there. In a nutshell, do your time. It wasn't what I wanted, perhaps a richer, more interesting experience would have been nice. Guess it got the job done. Alicia has boiled this process down to a science and you just go watch it for 40 hours and move on. read more

I originally signed up for my 40 hour real estate class through Caldwell Banker. It was fine but I felt details in the explanations were missing and I wasn't fully prepared for the exam. I discovered the details when I took some of my hours through AREA. The instructor provides good "real life" examples in her explanations. It has been two years and I was looking for my Continuing Ed classes. I made the mistake of signing up with a competitor for online courses after receiving a postcard in the mail and it seemed like a good price. The competitor's course was actually just reading material. I was furious. I went to AREA's website and sure enough, they offer online prerecorded courses. The courses are fabulous and easy to use. Yes, the material is a bit boring - but it will be boring with any instructor. AREA does a good job making every concept very clear. The courses are structured in an organized way...and sometimes the instructor's dry humor is refreshing. I will stick with AREA and I won't look anywhere else again. read more

Great class, very professional, very happy with the instructor. Alicia is fantastic, she is intelligent and straight forward. If you are looking for a class and instructor that will give you the information you require to pass your real estate exam, this is the school for you. AREA breaks down the required information into a consumable format that will allow you to study what you need to know to pass your exam. If you are looking to understand every nuance of real estate and hope to spend class time figuring out every "what if" situation, this is not the class for you. Alicia keeps the class moving forward to complete the material required in the time allotted. This class will l not waste your time and the instructor will not allow others to waste your time. Go into it understanding that you will get what you need to pass your exam and you will get the balance from working experience and you will not be disappointed. read more