Real Estate Salespersons and Dealers to Get Free Access to the Learning Material

Real estate salespersons and dealers will soon have free access to learning material for the Real Estate Training Institute (RETI) pre-licensing courses, following the organisation’s decision to go paperless.

“They will now be able to read these documents on their phones, tablets, and laptops. As such, it will not only be more cost-effective, but more accessible and convenient,” Acting Chief Operating Officer of the Real Estate Board, which owns the RETI, Cresfroid Brown, said in a release.

He noted that the move was largely influenced by more Jamaicans developing greater acceptance of doing things online.

However, printed documents will still be made available to those who prefer to have the physical format, for $10,000.

“While previous cohorts received the documents included in the overall course fee, the Board has decided to go this route… as a means of containing its own cost in lieu of any course increase at present. We have not increased our course fees since February 2019, which is quite unusual of any post-secondary programme,” Mr. Brown said.

“It is not uncommon at this level for course documents to be posted to an online portal for each student to download and print at his or her own expense,” he added.

The Board has seen substantial increases in these areas since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020.

However, it can save up to $1 million in printing costs annually by going paperless.

Funds spent on printer upkeep and repair and ink and toner supplies are also expected to decrease significantly as the Board reduces its reliance on paper.

“When you can be cost-effective and protect the environment at the same time, everyone wins,” Mr. Brown said.

The Real Estate Training Institute, which has been in operation since 2016, offers pre-licensing training for real estate dealers, salespersons and property managers.