Education

The North Shore - Barrington Association of Realtors® offers the option of Home Study. These three-hour courses are the fastest and most efficient way for you to complete your C.E. hours--including the Core classes! You can pick up course materials at the office in Northbrook or (by prior appointment) in Barrington. You also have the option to study the course materials on-line. We've even provided some Ethics classes that meets the NAR Ethics requirement. You will need Adobe Acrobat to download these courses. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat.

To register or for more information, please click here

Core A: Agency, License Law & Escrow (COR 1653)
This course will review the real estate license law with an emphasis on Agency disciplinary actions and maintenance of escrow accounts.

Core A: A Study of Illinois License Law (COR 1654)
This course meets the requirements for the Core A curriculum of 3 hours required by the IL Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation. It provides an in-depth review of the Real Estate License Act of 2000 with particular emphasis on agency, licensing requirements, compensation and business practices, escrow requirements and disciplinary provisions.

Core A: Agency & Escrow Issues (COR 1651)
This is a three hour course exploring the basics of agency duties and disclosure as well as the proper procedures when handling escrow monies.

Core A: Keeping It EZ - Agency, License Law & Escrow (COR 1661)
The new Core A requirements are important and it is also important to keep it simple and if possible, fun. This course is geared toward the busy licensee who wants to keep informed, but values their time. Keeping it EZ incorporates all the required information IDFPR wants licensees to know to keep themselves violation free.

When reading thru the Core A materials, it is often helpful to have the Illinois License Act of 2000 available for reference. You can download a copy of the Act at the following link:
- Appendix A: The Real Estate License Act of 2000

Core B: Melting Pot Home Study (COR 1640)
From Melting Pot to Salad Bowl: Understanding Cultural Diversity Immigration and changes in our marketplace make it imperative that we understand cultural differences and know how to work with people of different backgrounds. This course helps today's agent understand not only why we need to embrace diversity, but gives them some concrete guidelines for working with multi-cultural clients.

Core B: Legal Issues: Disclosure and Antitrust Issues In Real Estate (COR 1655)
This course is intended to provide the student information on certain disclosure issues and issues related to antitrust in real estate. After successful completion, the student should have a working knowledge of the requirements of the Illinois Radon Awareness Act, the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act - Title X and the Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Act. In addition, the student should provide information to their clients concerning these disclosures. Also, the student will have an understanding of the history of antitrust laws and those antitrust issues applicable to the practice of real estate.

Core B: Legal Issues: Disclosures (COR 1658)
Covers most of the critical real estate disclosure issues explaining to the agents what needs disclosure, to whom they have a duty to disclose and when and why it needs to be done.

Disclosure Issues For Landlords (COR 1662)
Lack of disclosure can lead to many violations for licensees and for landlords. This refresher course addresses four main disclosure issues: Lead based paint, mold, Radon, Illinois Real Estate License Act disclosures. Whether you sell residential property or manage real estate, these disclosure issues affect you.

Legal Issues (COR 1663)
Practice "smart and safe" real estate by knowing the laws and playing by the rules. This course is a refresher and reminder of a number of specific points that are part of residential real estate transactions each day.

Companion Assistance Animals in Housing (FH 355)
This three hour elective continuing education course will provide the student with information regarding the local, state and national ADA laws regarding service animals, as well as define the Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988 as it defines persons with disabilities and types of accommodations.

Real Estate Ethics (ETH 1524)
This course helps the licensee understand how the REALTOR® Code of Ethics impacts their business and how the Code is reflected in Illinois License Law which affects all licensees - not just REALTORS®.

Property Taxes in Illinois (FI-1103)
This course is an introduction to the basic principles and concepts of the Illinois property tax system. Property taxes in Illinois are the major source of revenues for local unites of government, schools and local taxing bodies and districts. Over the past 30 years, property taxes have become a major expense for property owners and can be an obstacle to ownership.

Real Estate Investing 101 (FI-1198)
This course will give the real estate licensee an awareness of the opportunities for personal wealth building, in addition to providing an overview of the special challenges for a licensee who wishes to be a real estate investor.

-Broker Management is now available in home study format for $124.00 for IL residents and $144.00 for non-IL residents.
-Broker Management home study materials must be purchased. Contact NSBAR to arrange for materials.

There are three ways in which you can make use of these courses:

  • You can study one, two, three or all four courses by going through the material on your computer.
  • You can download any or all of the courses onto a floppy disk that you can use on another computer.
  • You can print all of the course pages and study them the old-fashioned way.
  • You can pick up a print copy of any of the course materials at the NSBAR office.


When you feel that you have studied the course material sufficiently, simply e-mail or call the NSBAR office at 847-480-7177 to arrange an appointment to take the test that accompanies each course. You can take the tests on different days, or all on the same day.

IMPORTANT: Please note that all students completing any or all of the homestudy courses will be required a certification form. This form (click to see form) certifies that NSBAR is in compliance with testing regulations set in-place by the State of Illinois and its Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's Office of Banks and Real Estate. Completing the form enforces Illinois License Law requirements and protects the integrity of exam centers and therefore the overall professional health of the real estate industry for the protection of the public.

What does all of this convenience cost you? No more than the cost of our regular print home study courses:
One course $22
Two courses purchased at the same time $39
Three courses purchased at the same time $54
Four courses purchased at the same time $69

The best deal is the four-course package. When you come in to take your first course test, explain that you want the complete package and you will be charged $69. You can take the rest of the tests the same day, or schedule them for a later day. Note: If you buy only one course, you will not be able to get a quantity discount that includes that course at a later date. You must complete the test for each course you purchase within 30 days of the purchase date or the end of the course license renewal period, whichever comes first. All of these courses currently are licensed by the Office of Banks and Real Estate through June, 2008.You are welcome to preview one or all of the courses. In fact, it costs you nothing to read through all of the course materials. Then, if you decide that you want to earn C.E. credit and/or complete your NAR Ethics requirement, e-mail or give us a call at 847-480-7177 to set up your test day. It's just that simple!