Do you want to become a real estate investor this year?
This article is for you.
I’ll share the best real estate investing courses you can take to learn how real estate works and how you can start building your own portfolio.
Want to learn more? Read on.
Best online real estate investing courses
If you want to become a real estate investor, you don’t need any formal qualifications.
But if you want a head start, taking a course or hiring a mentor can really get you to your first profitable rental much faster.
With over 10 million Americans joining the pool of investors, you can shorten your learning curve by following the path of experienced real estate investors.
And that’s what a course can offer you.
Depending on the course you choose, you can learn how to…
…Get your first rental
…Find the right profitable strategy for you
…Fund your investments
…Flip real estate
And so much more.
But before we get into the top picks for real estate courses, how do you choose the right one for you?
Let’s talk about it.
What to look for in a real estate investing course
When reviewing a real estate course, consider:
- Content: Some courses focus on the theory of how real estate investing works, and others focus on the practical steps you need to take to become a real estate investor. So choose a course that covers both content and the action steps to take.
- Course leader’s experience: Not all courses on real estate are led by active real estate investors. And that may be fine for theory courses about the real estate market. But if you want a practical blueprint for success, look out for a course leader with hands-on experience who is actively investing every year.
- Teaching method: Do you want to study online or in person? Do you want to follow the course live or study in your own time? Are you a visual or auditory learner? There are courses out there to suit every preference.
- Reviews: Honest testimonials and reviews tell you so much about how good the course (or course leader) really is.
With those things in mind, let’s look at the best real estate investing courses you can take to become an investor this year.
Note: I haven’t taken most of these courses myself. I am recommending them based off of their online reputation, presence, and reviews.
1. Your First Rental
Newbie Real Estate Investing
My self-study course, Your First Rental, will help you make your first real estate investment. I teach you the practical steps by steps that I took to build a highly profitable real estate portfolio and achieve financial freedom by the time I hit 31 years old. I personally invest in student housing properties and that’s what I teach in my coaching programs. I’ve taken my entire methodology, systems, and best practices and packaged it into this comprehensive course.
Who’s it for: People who are completely new to real estate investing and are ready to buy their first property.
Pricing: $997
Here’s more on how I’ve used real estate investing to achieve financial freedom (and quit my day job):
2. Commercial Real Estate Analysis and Investment Short Course
MIT
If you want to get into commercial real estate, MIT’s self-study course could be a good choice for you. Broken down into six weeks of content, the course covers how to use various financial tools to analyze investment opportunities. It has an academic approach but there are some practical tips for building your own portfolio too.
Who’s it for: Real estate and investment professionals who want to dive deep into real estate finance and portfolio theory.
Pricing: $1,820
3. Real Estate Investments: Assets, Markets, and Trends
Harvard University
This two-day intensive course by Harvard University is great for understanding how to analyze real estate market trends and make smart investment decisions. It’s an on-campus course that gives you the chance to network with other real estate investment pros and newbies. You’ll also learn about innovations in the market around AI, PropTech (property tech), and single-family home investing. The downside is this course isn’t ideal if you want a step-by-step guide on how to get started as a new investor – it’s more focused on the theory.
Who’s it for: For new or established real estate investors who want to learn the theory behind real estate investing and market trends.
Pricing: $2,990
4. The Complete REIT Investing Course
Udemy
REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) are companies that finance or own real estate. This model is a way to earn passive income from real estate but not have to manage the properties yourself – that’s the benefit of REITs. This self-study course has 10 hours of video content to help you choose and invest in profitable REITs.
It has a 4.5 rating from over 800 students, which goes to show how popular and high-quality the course is.
Who’s it for: People who want to invest in REITs instead of managing their own property portfolios.
Pricing: $79.99
5. Syndication and Crowdfunding Workshop
CCIM
The Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) is one of the best-known institutes for education on real estate. So you know you’re learning from the best. The Syndication and Crowdfunding online workshop is an advanced course for those who want to learn how to finance their real estate ventures from private investors. It covers the legal structures you need for syndication as well as how to pay cash distribution to your investors.
Who’s it for: Advanced real estate investors who want to learn more about syndication.
Pricing: $229
6. Real Estate Investing: Learn How to Fix & Flip Houses
Udemy
Want to flip houses? The Fix & Flip course led by Amazon bestseller Khiari Parker is one of the most accessible and popular courses on the topic. It’s self-study, with actionable video tutorials and over 80 downloadable resources. With over 1,500 reviews, the course is known for being in-depth and easy to follow for complete beginners to real estate flipping.
Who’s it for: New real estate investors who want to flip their first house with no experience.
Pricing: $39.99
7. Real Estate Investment and Finance
UCLA
If you want to dive deep into real estate finance, this six-month UCLA program will teach you all you need to know. The course covers several areas of real estate investing from portfolio-building strategies to rental property. But the focus is on giving you in-depth knowledge of finance so that you can make better investment decisions. You can take this course live online or on campus.
Who’s it for: New or established real estate investors who want to learn more about real estate finance and appraisal.
Pricing: $3,500
8. Real Estate Investing (REI)
NAR
This one is for you if you’re a realtor. The Real Estate Investing certification program gives realtors an in-depth masterclass on how to work with real estate investors. To qualify, you need to attend a one-day live workshop online or in person. Then there’s a six-hour online self-study course to complete. Becoming an REI-certified realtor will help you stand out from the crowd and make valuable deals with investors.
Who’s it for: Professional realtors who want to work with real estate investors.
Pricing: $187
9. Complete Real Estate Wholesaling Course
Udemy
A real estate wholesaler is someone who buys properties at low cost and sells them for a profit to real estate investors. If you’ve never heard of wholesaling before, don’t worry – The Complete Real Estate Wholesaling Course will teach you everything you need to know. The course lays out a step-by-step plan on how to get started. It’s divided into 19 self-study lectures and has over 400 reviews with an average rating of 4.4 stars.
Who’s it for: People who are completely new to real estate wholesaling and want a practical guide to get started.
Pricing: $29.99
10. Real Estate Investing and Finance
Cornell University
Cornell University’s Real Estate Investing and Finance is a live online, three-month course that teaches you the theory behind real estate finance so you can make good investment decisions. But this course isn’t for beginners. It’s best for established real estate investors or financial professionals who want to understand the theory behind market analysis and current trends.
Who’s it for: Real estate or financial professionals who want to learn more about finance.
Pricing: $2,625
How do you educate yourself to invest in real estate?
So those are the best real estate investing courses out there. But that’s just one of the ways you can learn to be a successful investor.
Because without any research or education at all, you can make some expensive mistakes.
I should know – I lost $30,000 on my first investment property! To avoid that, here are the ways you can educate yourself to invest in real estate:
- Courses: Self-study courses allow you to learn from someone’s experience and learn at your own pace. They tend to be affordable so even if you’re a complete beginner you can learn the fundamentals of real estate investing from scratch.
- Certificates: If you want a corporate job in real estate investing or to become a top realtor, certificates can help you stand out. Certificate programs are usually more expensive than non-accredited courses, but they are great for your resume. If you’re just a new investor looking to invest on the side, you don’t need a certificate to get started.
- Coaching: If you want someone to give you guidance through your first deals to avoid making newbie mistakes, coaching is worth it. A knowledgeable real estate coach can layout all the steps they took and speak from experience as well as give you pearls of wisdom you can keep with you for your entire investing lifes. But look out for coaches that have real experience and testimonials. For example, I’ve been featured as a real estate coach in Business Insider and BiggerPockets sharing my success story with student housing and both publications have fact checked my stated income.
If you want to take a course, there’s no one-size-fits-all, and it depends on what you are looking for. In the next section, we’ll look at the different varieties of real estate investment courses.
Different real estate investment courses
Ask yourself this:
What do I want to learn from a real estate investment course?
Because there are so many different areas of real estate you can learn about.
For example:
- Rental property: Buying properties to rent out (as short-term or long-term rentals).
- House flipping: Purchasing, fixing, and reselling rundown properties for a profit.
- Investing in REITs: Investing in real estate investing trusts that manage their own portfolios. You would own stock in the company and earn passive income from their investments.
- Wholesaling houses: Buying homes from sellers at a low cost and reselling to real estate investors for a profit.
- Investing in commercial real estate: Buying property and renting for commercial use (for example, offices, retail, and industrial units.)
- Foreclosure investing: Buying houses in foreclosure at a low cost and selling at a profit.
- Investing in new development: Investing, buying, or building new developments for rent or resale.
Now some courses will give you an overview of everything. But if you want to get the most from your course, it’s best to figure out which area you want to focus on.
For example, I decided to build my business by investing in student rental housing. And that strategy helped me achieve financial freedom and quit my “day job.”
Not sure if rental property investing is for you? Start with this video:
What’s next?
And those are the best real estate investing courses!
While you can figure it out on your own, starting out in the real estate industry can be overwhelming.
That’s why I created my course. It’s my mission to help others build a six-figure student housing investment portfolio while only needing to own a few properties like I did, so they can have freedom and flexibility in their lives.
If you want to start your real estate journey this year with a mentor who has been in your shoes before and buys real estate every single year, learn more about how we can work together here.
Read more:
How to Calculate the ROI on a Rental Property
