About The Center for Real Estate Studies

The premiere institution for Real Estate Education in the State of Maine

The Center for Maine Real Estate Courses

Why consider the Center for Real Estate Studies?

After more than 30 years working in some of Maine’s largest real estate agencies,  Charles “Kim” Coit founded The Center for Real Estate Studies in September 2012.  In 2017, he was joined by Attorney Tom Coward  (30+ years) and others to grow the school and expand course offerings.

We know that you have choices about where to take your pre-licensing and continuing education courses.   

So why should you choose us?  How are we different?

The CRES Difference

  1. Due Diligence: Before you take the plunge into a new career, spending time and money figuring out whether this career is for you, we help you do your research into the business to see if it is a good fit for you. We provide you with a free booka free list of interview questionsa free spreadsheet to project your income and expenses, and a free career counseling session.
  2. Licensing Courses: After doing your research and you decide to proceed by signing up for the Sales Agent course, you have access to our instructors with any questions you have about content or process.
  3. Textbooks: During his 35 years of teaching,  Kim was disappointed in the textbooks used by real estate schools around the county.  While some were very well written, none focused on the practice of real estate in Maine.  All the real estate textbooks were generic texts written for a national audience.  Students in Maine want to know what the law is in Maine and don’t want to live with the uncertainty of “what might be true in some states”.  So, Kim wrote:
    1. Introduction to a Successful Career in Maine Real Estate, used in our Sales Agent Courses. This book has been so successful that other real estate schools use our content as part of their sales agent course.
    2. Maine Real Estate Practice is used in the Associate Broker Class and like the Intro book above, is written specifically for Maine students.
    3. Running a Successful Maine Real Estate Company is the text for our Designated Broker Course.  Again, this book has been so successful that other real estate companies have licensed its use for their DB course.
    4. Case Studies in Real Estate, a book of 500 case studies and answers which we use in our Associate Broker Course.  We believe students learn and remember more from stories and cases.  These cases have been edited and approved by the Maine Real Estate Commission.  No other school has this book.
    5. Exam Prep Book focuses students’ attention on terminology with flashcards and 300 practice questions similar to those found on the Pearson VUE state exam.  We use this in the Exam Prep course.
  4. Experienced Instructors: All our instructors have extensive Business and Real Estate experience.   We feel it is important to have instructors who are skilled in all areas of real estate practice and can provide the best level of information to you on an academic as well as a best practices/professional level.
  5. Access to instructors: When you enroll in one of our classes, you have access to an experienced instructor who is available to answer any questions you have as you study the materials.  Call them up or email them for personal consultation and discussion of any issue.  We want to be engaged with our students.
  6. Stories and Case Studies: We believe in the power of stories and case studies as effective teaching tools. Most of us learn best from stories; they are easy to relate to and easy to remember.  Kim has incorporated into his textbooks and Book of (500) Case Studies stories loosely based on his 35 years of experience on the front lines. This exclusive to our company and something we will never share with others.
  7. Continuing Education: Once you complete the licensing courses and get started in your career, we have courses and continuing education to keep you sharp and on top of your profession.
  8. Dedicated to your success”. Why CRES Maine? Because everything we do is “dedicated to your success”.

 

Thank you for considering us as your real estate school of choice.

Our Instructors

Showing You the Way

Charles “Kim” Coit, Esq.
President
Charlene Hamiwka
Instructor
Tom Coward, Esq.
Instructor
Bob Joslyn
Instructor