CA Real Estate Principles Orientation
California Real Estate Principles Orientation
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You are required to review this entire Orientation. At the end of the Orientation you must indicate that you have completed the Orientation before you will be allowed to continue to the course material.
Background
Welcome to the 45-hour Real Estate Principles Course, a highly interactive pre-license salesperson course focused on California Real Estate Law, and the everyday practice of Real Estate approved by the Department of Real Estate(DRE). This course covers all the subjects mandated by California Real Estate License Law, for those interested in gaining their salesperson’s license, in a dynamic format that makes it fun and easy to learn. Completion of this course will qualify you to sit for the state licensing exam.
Who Should Take This Course
This course is expressly designed for, and geared to, all those potential licensees as defined by the California Department of Real Estate, for the purpose of sitting for the real estate salesperson’s exam. This course can be used to qualify for the DRE Real Estate Sales or Broker Exam. Anyone who assists or desires to assist others in the sale, leasing, management, or exchange of real estate must hold at least a real estate salesperson’s license.135-hours of courses are required to sit for the state license exam; 45-hour Principles, 45-hour Practice and one other 45-hour course such as Finance. Conditional licenses will no longer be issued.This Principles course is one of the three, 45-hour courses required to sit for the state license exam and apply for your four year license.
State Requirements
You must be at least 18 years of age, and be able to show Proof of Legal Presence(when applying for a real estate license). A prior criminal record may result in the denial of a license. Full disclosure is required when applying for a real estate license. Click here for requirements and information on Proof of Legal Presence.”Before beginning the course, read and print the California “Instructions to Licensee Applicants”. Course Completion:The California Department of Real Estate has these restrictions on students who register for more than one real estate course:Student Enrollment (RE-303)
A student may enroll in any number of courses with the following guidelines:
1. Schools may not offer a single correspondence course that is to be completed* in less than 2½ weeks. This rule applies regardless of the number of schools the student is taking courses from. (See example below.)
2. No more than two courses may be completed* in a five-week period.
3. The school is allowed to issue a completion certificate(s) or transcript(s) upon successful completion of a course(s) within the time frames listed below. Number of Courses Min. Completion Time*
1. 2½ weeks (one course)
2. 5 weeks (two courses)
3. 7 ½ weeks (three courses)If you purchased a package with three courses, the minimum completion time is 54 days. The system is set to activate your second course after you finish the first course. You then are eligible to take the second exam 18 days from the day you start the second course. Upon completion of the second course, and begin the third course, you have 18 days from the day you begin the third course before you can take the final for the third course.
Fees
Apart from the tuition listed for this course, and the exam and licensing fees required by the California Department of Real Estate, there are no other fees required to take this course. Please see the License Exam Information section of this orientation for licensing exam details.
Scope
This course will take you through all the subjects mandated by the California Department of Real Estate, and includes instruction in real estate law, types of interest and ownership in real estate, home ownership, legal descriptions, titles, liens, taxes, encumbrances, listing advertising, appraisal, finance, closings, and professional code of ethics.
System Requirements
Operating System: Windows (2000, Me, XP or higher) and MacIntosh.
Microprocessor: P300 or higher
Memory: 512K RAM (greater memory will improve performance)
Internet Connection Required as class exams are on ONLINE.
Internet Browser: Our course is best viewed in Internet Explorer (Version 8 and above turn on Compatibility View). If you are using Firefox or another browser, it may work until you get to an exam. You may have to switch to take the exam.
Printer: For printing online supplemental materials
Adobe Reader: Our online textbook and supplemental materials are PDF files. Many computers already have the Acrobat Reader software installed, but for those that don’t, please use this link to download the free software.
Computer Knowledge
No special computer knowledge or program training is necessary to take this course. In fact, if you can move a mouse, point and click, and type a few words on your keyboard, you are more than qualified.
Terms and Conditions
Affidavit
In order to confirm student uniqueness you will be asked to affirm by way of online affidavit your identity and agreement to exclusive use.
Course Length
This course has been designated as a 45-hour home study course by the Department of Real Estate (DRE).
Important Access Information
Be sure to completely log out of your account each time you access it. If you close your browser without properly logging out (small black box in the top right corner near “Go To My Home Page”) you will not be able to re-enter your account until the system resets (approximately 15 minutes). The system will also not be able to properly track your total course time (tracked for state records). Do not bookmark inside your course in your Browser Favorites. Bookmark our home page. You must log in and out of your course each time for the course to function properly.
How To Complete This Course
To receive a Completion Certificate, you must successfully complete the following requirements: Read all units and pass unit quizzes, and pass the open book, 100 multiple-choice question Final Exam with a grade of 60% or higher. You have three hours to complete the exam. Completion of this 45 hour course completes the first of three 45 hour courses required for a four-year salesperson license. This course can also be used to qualify for the real estate broker exam.
The course final is a comprehensive exam that is more exhaustive than the quizzes. Our quizzes are one of many review tools we provide for you. Taken alone, the quizzes in fact may not cover all of the material in the course. That is why we also provide additional review resources such as the math guide, textbook, practice exams, and key point summaries.
Our final test is a comprehensive exam requiring both the application of the concepts in addition to memorization of terms and laws. Finally, both the questions and exam must conform to the state requirements. The finals, because of the type of questions they are, require a more analytical and interpretive reading. The purpose here is to pass those students who do can demonstrate a thorough knowledge of all the material both presented and assigned. In turn, if you have not applied yourself diligently in this manner, you may very likely fail. So study hard!
Course Materials
The entirety of your course is provided to you by Approved Real Estate Academy, and is shown on the Real Estate Principles homepage by Units, under the heading “Course Content“. There are a total of 30 units in the course, each having a short practice quiz following, with 2 Practice Exams at the end. There is a Final Exam that follows the completion of the entire 30 course Units. (See below) Additionally, there is also provided at no additional charge access to other supplemental materials for your reference and information. These are found at the top of your course page. While these materials and resources can and do benefit the student, they are considered “extra” and are not used to formulate questions in exams. All the supplemental materials can be accessed online. That is, you will not be tested on any of the information found in the supplemental materials. These supplemental materials include:
- Course Syllabus
- Applicant Instructions from the DRE
- Course Textbook
- Links to Post-Course Materials
- Glossaries
- Link to CA Real Estate Law
Homework
There are no required homework assignments. All of your studies are found within the course content.
Course Exam Information
You are not eligible to take the course final until 18 days after registration. After 18 days, the course final will be available after completing all course units. Once you enter the first page of the California Final Exam, YOU MUST FINISH THE ENTIRE FINAL. You will be tested only on the actual course information in the Course Content, not on any information found in the Supplemental Materials. You must pass one of the two final exams available. If you do not pass the first exam, California law requires that you wait 18 days before taking the second course final. The system allows you to review the material, and take the second exam after 18 days, if necessary.
This is an open book exam. While your online final examination at the end of the course is delivered like the real licensing exam, and is designed to replicate that experience so you won’t have any surprises come exam day, the DRE does allow you to use your notes and other resources while you take our online final. You are not permitted to go back and look up answers from the online course, but you ARE allowed to have any personal notes or supplemental materials alongside if you wish when you take your course final online. With that in mind, we recommend that you make it a habit while taking the course, to jot down any items that you feel you may have trouble with on the exam.
Please plan accordingly when completing the coursework. You will not be able to access your second exam if the 18-day wait period between exams ends after your course expiration date. You will be required to re-register for the course
If you back out or leave for any reason, including loss of internet connection or computer crash, you will receive a score of 0% on the test, so be prepared to complete the California Final exam once you enter it. The course final exams cannot be repeated for any reason. Unit quizzes and practice exams can be taken over and over until you pass.
This course is one of 45-hour courses required for a four year real estate license. Effective 01/01/2015, you must complete all three 45-hour courses to be eligible to sit for the state licensing exam. Conditional licenses will not be issued.
Getting Course Credit & Certificate
In order to receive credit for this course, you must complete the course as stated above and pass the course final exam. Your Completion Certificate will be available on your home page after you pass your course final exam. You will need your Completion Certificate to apply for your license. Please feel free to print off as many copies as you need.
Time Limit, Schedule and Expiration
You have unlimited 24 hour access to this course, to work at your own pace and convenience whenever you choose. Our site is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. There is an 18 day waiting period between course finals.Courses can be accessed for six months from your registration date, with courses expiring at midnight of the last day. If you do not finish the course before it expires, you must re-register and start the course over from the beginning. You can re-register immediately. You cannot take the 100-question, multiple choice final exam until 18 days after your course registration. If you fail the first course final, you must wait 18 days to access the second course final. To complete the course, you must pass one of the course finals BEFORE the course expires. If you fail both finals, you can re-register within 30 days from the original expiration date, we will do so at the reduced rate of $49.00. After 30 days, the course must be purchased at the regular price $89.If you do not finish the course within the six month time frame, you can re-register within 30 days from the original registration date we will do so at the reduced rate of $49.00. After 30 days, the course must be purchased at the regular price $89.
About Your Instructor
Your Instructors for this course are some of the most experienced and qualified in the nation in teaching practical courses such as this one through the efficiency of the internet. They have personally designed and written this course expressly for the purpose of bringing the richness of the Real Estate Principles training to future licensees throughout the state, and will be integral to your success.
Faculty and Contact Information
Director of Education – Jim Forde
Interaction With Your Instructor
Although your California Real Estate Principles course content is delivered to you online, with all the supplemental materials included and at your fingertips just by pointing and clicking your mouse, you will not be without the help, guidance and interaction of your instructor. From the moment you first register, throughout your course and up until your last day online, your instructor will be there for you, personally and one on one, through a variety of means:
- Welcome Email – Upon completion of your registration, you should have received a personal welcome e-mail from your instructor, detailing more about how you’ll stay connected and communicating, as well as a few other course insights. If you did not receive this email, you can contact customer care.
- Live Help – Even before you register, you can have real-time dialogues with a staff member right there on the site, through the Live Help window.
- Ask The Expert – Throughout your California Real Estate Principles course, you can instantaneously send questions to your instructor for fast, direct response.
- Your Student Forum – Another avenue of dialogue where your Instructor answers your questions, but makes all answers visible to you and your classmates.
- Private Email – As a student, you’ll have access to your Instructor’s private e-mail address, for any individual correspondence you want to send.
- Telephone – As a student, you can reach your instructor during business hours at 714-875-0979. By identifying yourself as a student, we can expedite your call to your instructor. Alternatively, it is our policy that all instructors respond to student emails within one business day. Most students find email communications to be exigent and fast.
Technical Support
ApprovedRealEstateAcademy.com provides reliable, secure course delivery to students all over California. We have made hundreds of upgrades to the system and continuously increase server capacity and speeds. We have helped people use our system effectively on a variety of platforms, so that today, we have few surprises. But, if you are having difficulty of any kind, we are committed to help you, and provide a fast and easy way to dialogue with us for quick response through an online Technical Support contact system. Phone support is provided by calling 714-875-0979 weekdays, (10:00am – 5:00pm). Evenings and weekends, support is provided via email at Jim@ApprovedRealEstateAcademy.com.
Student Support
There are several ways for students to receive support:
- If you are logged into your account homepage, click on “Go To Student Help” on the right hand side of your screen.
- Type in some key words for the question to which you require an answer. The Student Help section provides answers to the most common questions our students encounter.
- If you are not logged into your account, you can click “Contact” on the left hand side of your screen on our school homepage.
- You can contact us by email at Jim@ApprovedRealEstateAcademy.com
- Email is the preferred method of contact and is available 7 days a week. All emails will be responded to within 24 hours of receipt. Please note some email providers block our responses as spam and you may need to add this email address to your approved list. If you have not received a response within the 24 hour time frame, first check your spam folder, and then call our office at 714-875-0979.
- Telephone support is available Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 714-875-0979.
If you have questions regarding course content or require clarification on course information, contact your instructor directly at the email address provided during registration and in your course syllabus.
Procedures For Missed Sessions
There is really no way to have “missed sessions”, nor a need for rescheduling missed classes, because with ApprovedRealEstateAcademy.com, whenever you gotta go, you go! By using the handy one-click Bookmark tool, you can always leave a course anytime in just seconds, and be able to come back to the same place you left off effortlessly, later that day, or even later that year!
Withdrawal and Cancellation Information
Approved Real Estate Academy students have the right to cancel for more than a full week, (until midnight of the eighth calendar day after registration) and receive a 100% refund (less $50 administration fee) without penalty. (No refunds are offered for unused portions of package purchases). In simple terms, a student is entitled to a tuition cancellation refund if both of the following conditions have been met:
- If Approved Real Estate Academy has received an email cancelling a student’s registration, with explanation, and requesting a refund within eight (8) calendar days of the student registration date: AND
- The student has not logged onto and/or begun the online course.
The refund will not be paid until the written refund request has been received. The refund will be paid within 30 days of receipt of the written refund request. The $50 administration fee will be withheld from the refund amount. Your cancellation must be received by midnight of the eighth calendar day from your registration date.
No refund request will be considered:
- If you have logged onto the online course, or
- If the request is made later than eight (8) days after your registration date, or
- If you purchased courses as part of a package and any one of the courses has been entered into. (There are no partial refunds for unused portions of package purchases)
To request your cancellation, you must contact:
Jim Forde
Director
Approved Real Estate Academy
PO Box 4163
Tustin, CA 92781
Non-Discrimination and ADA Policy
Approved Real Estate Academy will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, handicap or familial status in the establishment of fees, entrance qualifications or standards for successful completion of this or any course.
Frequently Asked Questions
See some of the most frequently asked questions and responses by students and customers by clicking here: Frequently Asked Questions
Mission Statement
Read our Mission Statement here.
Privacy Policy
We have one of the most stringent and comprehensive in the industry and it is completely updated. Read it in its entirety here: Privacy Policy
Disclosure Statement
Private providers of pre-license statutory real estate courses must obtain course approval from The Department of Real Estate (DRE). As part of the approval process, the DRE reviews the course materials only. The DRE does not qualify the school or course provider. In addition, there is no regulatory oversight of private pre-license course providers who offer courses or programs costing $500 or less. For courses or programs over $500, qualification by the Bureau for Private and Postsecondary and Vocational Education is required, in addition to the DRE course approval. As a result, if a course provider offering a course costing $500 or less fails to deliver the educational course/program as represented, a student’s monetary remedy is to seek redress in Small Claims Court. Students are cautioned to fully understand the education course/program offered by the provider before enrolling or registering. A list of pre-license statutory courses approved by the DRE can be found on the DRE website at http://www.dre.ca.gov under DRE records.
Evaluation
After you have completed the course, the DRE has a course and instructor evaluation available on the lower right section of the home page of their website at http://www.dre.ca.gov/pdf_docs/forms/re318a.pdf.
Tell Our Certification Authority What You Think
You will have numerous opportunities within the course to tell us here at Approved Real Estate Academy what you think of the course and how we serve you, and to suggest what we can improve.
APPROVED REAL ESTATE ACADEMY
4040 Barranca Pkwy., Ste. 150
Irvine, CA 92604
Phone: 714-875-0979
Email: Jim@ApprovedRealEstateAcademy.com
MAILING ADDRESS
Approved Real Estate Academy
PO Box 4163
Tustin, CA 92781
