If you’ve been wanting to start your real estate investment journey, taking a real estate investing course can be a great place to start. Read on to learn more about the 5 best real estate investing courses we recommend and why.
Whether you are interested in single residential homes, vacation rentals, commercial real estate, or whatever it may be, having a foundational understanding of real estate investing will be beneficial to all.
Quicklook: Best Real Estate Investing Courses
- Roofstock Academy Mastery Program or Coaching – Best for 1 on 1 Coaching
- Udemy: The Real Estate Financial Modeling Bootcamp – Best for Beginners
- Coursera: Finance for Non-Financial Managers – Best for Diversifying Your Knowledge
- Biggerpockets.com: Intro to Real Estate: Rentals – Best for Those Interested in Rental Investments
- Udemy: Fundamentals of Analyzing Real Estate Investments – Best for an in Depth Overview
Table of Contents:
- Best Real Estate Investing Courses
- What Is Real Estate Investing?
- How to Learn About Real Estate Investing
- What Makes a Good Real Estate Investing Course?
- Jumpstart Your Investment Journey Today!
5 Best Real Estate Investing Courses
There are many great real estate investment courses that you can find. Here are our 5 best real estate investing (REI) course recommendations!
Roofstock Academy Mastery Program or Coaching
The Roofstock Academy is an online educational resource that focuses on teaching people how to build passive income through investing in real estate. This course is taught by experienced and knowledgeable investors who will pass on their strategies for analyzing, acquiring, and managing rental investment properties.
Standout Features:
- This option is very hands on and the 1 on 1 coaching you receive is a unique feature
- They offer two different courses, the mastery (lectures and coaching) and coaching (coaching only) programs
Benefits:
- With the mastery program comes a $500 credit that can go towards your first 5 Roofstock fees if you decide to invest through them
- On demand and interactive lectures
- Create a personalized investment strategy
Disadvantages:
- This course is fairly pricey but is surely worth it if you are ready to take the next steps towards real estate investing
- Unlocking this course comes with a lot of resources that may feel overwhelming at times
- While there is an interactive component to this option, the course lacks a bit of structure as it is completed at your own pace
Pricing:
- For the mastery program you will make 12 monthly payments of $119 or pay in full upfront for a $179 discount
- The coaching program can be unlocked with 4 monthly payments of $199 or pay in full upfront for a $46 discount
Udemy: The Real Estate Financial Modeling Bootcamp
This course, offered by Udemy, is your guide to utilizing excel to make better real estate investment decisions. The instructor Justin Kivel is a real estate investment professional who saw an opening in the education market to teach investors the skills he’s acquired through experience and that are tailored to real estate investing.
As one of the highest-rated real estate investing courses on Udemy, this course will surely help any beginner delve deeper into this investment world.
Standout Features:
- Taught by a professional who has over 8 years of experience and has fulfilled roles in private equity, finance, and within brokerages
- Learn the core fundamentals of financial modeling on Excel for private equity commercial real estate
Benefits:
- Clear explanations and step by step instructions
- Learn to analyze and model CRE investments
- Gain lifetime access to course materials
- Earn certification upon completion
Disadvantages:
- If you are interested in real estate investments other than within the commercial real estate sector, look elsewhere
- You will need access to Excel for this course
- A basic understanding of how to use Excel is recommended
Pricing: $119
Coursera: Finance for Non-Financial Managers
Best for Diversifying Your Knowledge
This course is a great tool to add to your kit as you delve into investing in real estate. Learn about key financial principles and how you can apply them in the real world. Through 9 modules, the instructor will cover everything from basic principles to financial analysis and ratios to help you make better investment decisions.
Standout Features: Learn about investments, ratios, returns, CAPM, and more from a college-level professor of finance.
Benefits:
- Intermediate level class for those not in the finance industry, looking to learn how to make better financial decisions.
- This course is free which is great! However a certification upon completion (with purchase) to gain access to all course materials and graded assignments is also available.
Disadvantages:
- Some students have complained about poor video quality
- Certain topics may not be covered as in depth as others so review the course syllabus before enrolling
- Reviews state the last three weeks of the course are more intense and advanced so be prepared
Pricing:
- Enroll in the audit version of this class for free!
- Or pay for the certification enrollment to gain access to all course materials, graded assignments, and certification at the end! The certification course is for $49.00.
BiggerPockets.com: Intro to Real Estate: Rentals
Best for Those Interested in Rental Investments
This course, offered by BiggerPockets, is a great free option for those interested in rental-based real estate investments. It is taught by real estate investor, Scott Trench, through a 9 step process. To access this course you will need to make a free BiggerPockets account. With this account, you will gain access to their forums, networking tools, and many more educational tools.
Standout Features:
- This option is a great free resource for anyone getting into real estate investing
- Offers access to an expansive range of investor tools
Benefits:
- Membership includes access to chat on forums with other real estate investors and other people trying to learn
- The membership comes with more than just the one course, you will be provided a plethora of other resources like their calculators
- Provides networking between you and local trusted, investor-friendly agents to learn from someone in person
Disadvantages:
- Other courses for more in depth coverage on specific topics may be needed for more complete knowledge
- You will need a higher level and paid membership to access some of the resources
Pricing:
- Starter Membership: $0/month and access to forums, connecting with agents, run property analysis, access to downloadable lease agreement packages
- Pro Monthly Membership: $39/month and access to everything the starter membership offers plus access to exclusive videos, articles, and recorded webinars
- Pro Annual Membership: $32.50/month (paid annually) and access to everything the pro monthly and starter membership offered, plus access to virtual real estate rookie bootcamps
Udemy: Fundamentals of Analyzing Real Estate Investments
Udemy is a widely recommended online educational tool for virtually any topic. The course we are recommending is taught by Symon He; an accredited best-selling author, investor, and founder of LearnBNB (the leading online resource for Airbnb renting and hosting).
His work has been cited by Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and many other publications. As a licensed broker and Stanford MBA graduate, there will surely be something you will gain from taking this course.
Standout Features:
- Certification upon completion
- Learn from a professional with an extremely credible amount of experience
Benefits:
- 69 downloadable resources, 18.5 hours of on-demand video, 19 articles, lifetime access to the course
- Students say the course is extremely comprehensive, informative, and well organized
- Covers house-flips, rentals, apartments, commercial properties, and real estate investment analysis concepts
Disadvantages:
- The instructor will not be able to offer one-on-one attention to students due to the large number of people taking this course. However, He does offer private consultations for $350/hour with a minimum order of 20 hours/request.
- You will need to take another course to learn the in depths of financial modeling
- For more advanced investors, another one of his classes may be a better option
Pricing: $109.00
What Is Real Estate Investing?
Investing in real estate can come in many different forms. Essentially, it is the management, ownership, purchase, or rental/sale of property for a profit. Some examples of real estate investments include commercial real estate, residential real estate, REITs, and crowdfunding.
How to Learn About Real Estate Investing?
Generally, it is recommended that if you want to pursue real estate investing, to get a degree in either finance, business administration, statistics, mathematics, or economics. However, having a college degree is not the only way to delve into real estate investing.
You can take online courses, read books, and listen to other professionals speaking on different topics. With the way the world is advancing, going to school is no longer the only method of education available.
Learn More: Benefits of Real Estate Investing
Learn More: Best Books on Real Estate Investing
Learn More: Best Real Estate Crowdfunding Platforms
What Makes a Good Real Estate Investing Course?
Before taking an online real estate investment course, consider these variables to ensure you are enrolling in the right course.
Taught by Real Estate Investors
Surely you will want to confirm that the course you are enrolling in is being led by a professional with lots of experience within this industry. Learning from someone who has worked within the field and has professional experience will be able to provide you with insightful knowledge that you may not find in traditional textbooks.
Fits Your Learning Goals
Make sure the course you are enrolling in is cohesive with your real estate investing goals. If you are already knowledgeable on certain investment topics, you won’t want to be wasting your time in a class reteaching you what you already know.
Think about your learning objectives and what it is you want to gain from taking a course. Then, you will be able to find the course best suited for you.
Fits Your Budget
Some courses can get pretty expensive, but not to worry. There are lots of great free options as well! Make sure the course you are taking will be of good value to you and fits into your budget.
Jumpstart Your Investment Journey Today!
Kickstart your real estate investment journey and put your education in your own hands. Consider enrolling in one of the recommended courses above to start learning about this investment world.
Learning from those who have already gained real-world experiences will help give you insights into the investment world and ensure that you are set up for success. The sooner you start learning the sooner you can start investing. Enroll in a class today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Generally, economics, finance, business administration, and mathematic college degrees will help prepare you to become a real estate investor. However, earning a college degree isn’t the only way to delve into this industry.
It isn’t necessary to go to college in order to become a real estate investor. However, the most successful investors are those who are well educated. Consider taking an investment course online to see if this is something you’ll be interested in.
Yes, real estate is generally a good investment that is fairly risk-free. Remember that no matter what, land and property will always exist.
