Action School of Real Estate: Would-be agents put local education efforts to the test

Anyone who wants to pursue a career in real estate must pass a state-mandated test. For nearly two decades, Action School of Real Estate Inc. has been helping prepare people for test day.

Action School of Real Estate was incorporated in November 1983, according to LaVern Kohl who, with his wife Margo J. Kohl, owns the school. By the time the first class was held in February 1984, there were 12 students. By the second month of operations, there were nearly 30.

Originally, LaVern Kohl said, the school offered, day, night and broker classes.

Now the school offers only day classes and correspondence classes in pre-test preparation for aspiring salespeople and brokers.

These days, Action School of Real Estate averages about 15 students in its day classes.

In accordance with state law, the day classes require 60 hours of classroom training for the tests required of real estate salespeople.

"What it entails is a national portion of the program and the state program. There are two parts to the test that the student eventually must pass," Kohl said. He serves as the school's administrator and instructor, while his wife handles secretarial duties.

"On the national test there are 100 questions. On the state portion, there are 40 questions, and they have to make a 75 percent on each test," he added.

There are six categories of questions on the national test, including what is necessary for and related to listing houses for sale.

"I talk about what you have to look for in a house so that you don't get in trouble or the buyer or seller doesn't get into trouble," Kohl said.

Other blocks of the national test are selling, property management, settlements which includes how to do estimated closings financing and professionalism and administration.

"Part of that has to do with discrimination laws," Kohl said of the professionalism and administration portion.

The state test primarily deals with state law and regulations.

Kohl stressed that what Action School of Real Estate offers via its day classes is strictly preparatory training.

"We don't really teach them how to make a living or anything. It's just preparing them to take the test and hopefully pass," Kohl said.

Before the students leave the school and take the state's test, Kohl noted that they must first pass a test that he gives them.

The 60-hour day classes cost $350, which includes all materials. The correspondence courses, which are for salespeople and brokers, cost $400.

Student demographics

Of his students, Kohl said the demographics are "a mixed bag," with no set pattern.

"But I would say that at least 50 percent or more (of the students) are looking for their second career," Kohl said. "They're people who may have retired."

Action School of Real Estate also is seeing several students who are coming back to real estate, Kohl said. "They had a license years ago, didn't do anything, let it die, and now they're coming back to the schools to activate them."

Kohl said there are some first-time younger people who go through classes at his school, but he estimated that there are probably only 25 percent of the students that fit that category.

Continuing education

Kohl said that like all real estate schools, Action School of Real Estate also offers continuing education classes, which are required for real estate agents to renew their licenses every two years.

On the average, Kohl said, there are between 30 and 50 people per continuing education class. Kohl said that for the continuing education classes, his school does offer both day and evening class times. The fees for continuing education classes are $100 for the 12-hour blocks required, which Kohl said is pretty standard among real estate schools.