The obvious answer to that question is that it depends on which course you choose to complete. Some entry-level real estate courses are only five units, while some are 18 or longer. It depends on what your end goal is and which state or territory you’re in.
However, at Entry Education, we pride ourselves on informing you of everything you need to know before beginning your real estate course. For every course we provide, you’ll know exactly how many units you’ll need to take and be able to estimate how long it will take you to complete.
In this article, we’ll answer all your questions about real estate agent course length. First off, let’s dive right into the first — and most common — question we get at Entry Education: how long is a real estate agent course?
Factors affecting real estate agent course length
Some real estate courses can take many months, while some take just a few days. But why are some longer than others — and why might it take some people longer than others to complete the same course?
The reason for these great disparities in real estate agent course length lies in several key factors:
- Skills and experience: If you are already an experienced real estate agent or have already completed prior training, you may receive RPL (recognition of prior learning), eliminating the need for you to complete some course units. Meanwhile, if you are studying with no prior experience, you may have to complete additional prerequisite units before your desired course.
- Availability: Online real estate courses are flexible, and everyone completes units at different intervals, depending on the amount of available time they have and if they have additional commitments or obligations.
- Delivery: Some courses are delivered face-to-face, and some are delivered online. And while both types of courses require formal supervision and marking, some can be completed in your own time, at your own individual pace. These variations mean that some people may complete a course in a year while someone else may complete that same course in half the time.
- Prerequisites: Some courses and units require you to complete other courses, workshops, or units beforehand and gain the associated skills and knowledge, so this may add to the time it takes you to complete your real estate agent course. For example, in NSW, you must complete the Assistant Agent course prior to enrolling in the Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice (CPP41419) course. Likewise, in Victoria, you must complete the Certificate IV course before the Diploma of Property Agency Management (CPP51122).
- Course type: It goes without saying that no course is the same. Different courses have different amounts of units — and, therefore, different durations. For example, a Diploma of Property course, qualifying you for senior real estate roles such as agency manager, will take longer than an Assistant Agent course, which authorises you to work under a licensed real estate agent.
- Career path: Your real estate agent course length will depend on what the ultimate goal of your studies is. If you’re looking to become a director of your own real estate agency, you’ll have to study longer and complete more lengthy courses (such as the Diploma of Property) than someone wanting to become a real estate agent who works under supervision (an assistant agent). Likewise, if you want to manage your own agency, you will most likely find your real estate agent course length increasing — along with your workload.
- Location: The last of the factors affecting real estate agent course length is location. Depending on which Australian state or territory you are in, the course length and requirements will vary, which will, of course, affect how long it takes you to complete your real estate course. Different states and territories have different prerequisites, processing times, and course delivery.
Real estate course vs. workshop
Another important distinction to make when discussing how long it takes to complete a real estate course lies in the difference between a self-paced online course and a virtual workshop.
By definition, courses are longer-term commitments, while workshops are designed to be intensive sessions taking place over a single day or a handful of days — plus the delivery of an assessment on your own time. At Entry Education, our workshops are designed to be delivered in a virtual face-to-face format, while many of our courses are delivered online at your own pace.
How long does it take to complete real estate courses?
Real estate agent courses may have different numbers of units required to complete them depending on which state or territory you are in. For example, one of our most popular real estate courses, Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice (CPP41419), has 18 units in all states except Queensland, where it has 19 units.
Depending on your location, how you choose to receive your course, your level of experience, your career goals, and your available time to study, a real estate course could vary wildly from as little as 1-3 months to as much as a year.
Therefore, it’s exceedingly difficult to give just one uncomplicated answer to the question: how long is a real estate agent course?
One day? Three months? One year?
The answer is all of the above — and then some. But what we can confidently tell you is that if you know the answers to the following questions, you’ll be able to calculate your real estate agent course length yourself:
- Where are you located?
- Do you have existing experience in real estate?
- How much time do you have available to study?
- What type of real estate agent do you want to be?
Thorough and dynamic real estate course lengths with Entry Education
At Entry Education, you can undertake your real estate courses and become a licensed real estate agent at your own pace, with no deadlines, pressure, or fuss — only flexibility and support. In addition, all of our real estate training courses are compliant with real estate law, national regulatory requirements, and current best real estate practices.
With streamlined but thorough online courses, Entry Education is your route to completing high-quality real estate courses and getting your certification as soon as possible — with no compromise on detail or quality. Most of our courses can be completed online within 12 months or much faster.
For more inquiries about real estate course length — and to find the real estate course that suits you best and enrol in it — don’t hesitate to reach out to Entry Education, Australia’s foremost real estate course provider.
