Montclair School of Real Estate Opens on Walnut Street

As the local real estate market shows signs of recovery, a new real estate school has opened its doors in Montclair.

The Montclair School of Real Estate, located near the train station at 89 Walnut St., is currently accepting enrollment for day, evening and weekend courses scheduled for this summer and fall.

The courses are designed to prepare students to become licensed real estate salespeople in New Jersey. Upon passing the course, students have a year to take the state licensing exam.

School Administrator Mercury Volt said many people ask her, “Isn’t the market down? Well, actually the market is up. The statistics are out there that the market has actually recovered to a more normal market.”

Volt said many agents left while the real estate industry was in a crisis. But things are changing.

The course teaches the basics of taking a listing, marketing and selling a house, as well as home inspection, contracts, fair housing, ethics, and other areas.

“It’s very intense. It’s an overview for an entry-level salesperson,” she said.

The New Jersey Real Estate Commission requires classroom instruction to prepare for the state exam.

“You can’t do this online,” Volt said. “If you are an agent in another state, you must come to New Jersey and have classroom instruction.”

Jose Garza, a licensed real estate agent, is the school's director, as well as an instructor.

“You want the people who are experienced to really teach the course, to give that instruction,” she said.

Real estate, Volt said, makes a good career for people who have a sales or marketing background who are unemployed or looking to change careers. Licenses are sometimes required of property managers and sales assistants.

“There’s a lot of reasons people go out and get their real estate license,” she said.

The real estate course is 75 hours. A 150-hour broker’s course will also be offered. 

The closest real estate schools to Montclair are in Fairfield and Millburn, according to the New Jersey Division of Banking and Insurance.

The average listing price for a home in Montclair is currently $582,000, up 27.4% over the same period last year, according to Zillow.com.