How to Choose a NSW Real Estate CPD Provider: What to Check First

Every NSW real estate agent has to complete compulsory CPD with a provider approved by Fair Trading, so that’s where you start. But approval only tells you a provider is allowed to teach the topics. It doesn’t tell you whether the course is built for this year, whether you’ll know exactly what to do on the day, or whether anyone will explain the next rule change before it catches you out.

Once approval is ticked off, check that the course covers this year’s topics, runs live with an assessment, explains booking clearly, issues your records promptly and keeps you informed when the rules change. Here’s how to look at each one.

Start with Fair Trading approval

Compulsory CPD topics must be delivered by a training provider approved by the Strata and Property Services Commissioner. Fair Trading publishes the list of approved providers for each CPD year on its CPD page, so a provider approved last year isn’t automatically approved this year.

The list also shows which compulsory topics each provider is approved to deliver, broken down by area of practice. That detail matters. A provider can be on the list without covering your pathway, so if you’re a buyer’s agent, for example, check that the provider is approved for buyer’s agent topics, not just listed. Our guide to checking Fair Trading approved CPD providers shows you how to read the list.

Is the course built for this year’s topics?

Fair Trading sets the compulsory topics each CPD year, so a good course names the current topics for your area of practice up front. For residential salespeople, this year’s 7 hours cover four topics:

• Auction laws and practice
• Contracts
• Rules of Conduct refresher
• Supervision Guidelines and AML CTF in agency practice

Buyer’s agents also need 7 hours across four topics. They share three of those, and take Marketing services, scope of practice and licensing obligations instead of the Rules of Conduct refresher.

If a course page doesn’t list topics, still describes last year’s course, or talks vaguely about “CPD points”, ask before you pay. Our overview of NSW CPD requirements sets out every pathway.

Live, interactive and assessed

Compulsory topics have to be delivered in an interactive training environment and include an assessment activity. That can be face-to-face, with up to 40 attendees, or an interactive webinar, with up to 25.

Live interactive webinars count in full, so you don’t need to give up a day travelling to a venue. What doesn’t count on its own is self-paced study, such as recorded videos or reading modules you work through alone.

A good provider tells you plainly which format a course uses, how many people will be in the group and how the assessment works. If you have to dig for those details, ask. Our guide to completing NSW real estate CPD online explains what makes a webinar interactive.

Clear dates, clear booking, no surprises on the day

This is where providers differ most, and it tells you a lot about how the session itself will run. A well organised provider’s website answers your questions before you think to ask them. You can see the dates and start and finish times, and which topics are covered on each day. Booking takes a few steps, and you know straight away that you’re enrolled.

Before the day, you should know what you need: the link to join, whether your camera must be on, and anything you need to show to confirm who you are. You should also know what happens if you’re sick, an auction moves or you need to switch to another session, and who to contact if something goes wrong.

If you have to send emails just to work out what you’re buying, take that as a preview of the day itself.

Your certificate and records

Ask how and when you’ll receive confirmation that you’ve completed each compulsory topic. Licence holders must keep their own CPD records for 3 years and provide them to Fair Trading if asked, so clear records that arrive promptly save you chasing them later.

If you’re a licensee in charge, you’re also keeping track of the whole team, and all CPD training needs to be in the agency’s training plan. Our guide to what CPD evidence a licensee in charge should keep covers that side.

Trainers who know your side of the business

An interactive session is only as good as the person running the discussion. Look for trainers who understand day-to-day sales and buying work: how auctions actually play out, where contracts go wrong, what supervision looks like in a busy office, and how AML/CTF fits into agency practice.

A good provider is happy to tell you who its trainers are and what they’ve done. Real examples from agency work make the hours far more useful than a reading of the rules.

If you hold a Class 1 licence

Class 1 holders complete the same core CPD as everyone on their pathway, plus a Fair Trading accredited forum of at least 5 hours. Fair Trading runs several forums, and select approved providers run accredited forums too. Class 1 holders in the relevant areas of practice also complete AUSTRAC’s AML/CTF course, which sits outside the forum framework.

When you compare providers, check exactly what a course includes, so you’re not left assuming the forum is covered when it isn’t. Our guide to Class 1 vs Class 2 CPD sets out how the extra requirements work.

Does the provider keep you up to date between courses?

Your CPD happens on a day or two, but the rules keep moving all year. In the current CPD year alone, selling agents are working through underquoting reforms that are coming into effect in stages, AML/CTF now sits inside this year’s compulsory topic on Supervision Guidelines and AML CTF in agency practice, and Class 1 holders have an accredited forum and an AUSTRAC course to fit in on top of their core hours. None of that waits politely for your next session.

That’s why it’s worth asking what a provider does between courses. Someone who tracks changes and explains them as they happen is almost certainly the same team updating its course material, because the work is the same. If a provider is writing about a reform when it lands, you have a good reason to trust that its sessions reflect the current rules. A provider you only ever hear from when it’s time to book is much harder to judge.

So have a look beyond the course page. A useful provider usually has a guides or blog section that’s recent and clearly dated. The explanations are written in plain English and point back to Fair Trading and other official sources rather than asking you to take their word for it. When the rules or the timing shift, the guide gets revised, and you can see when it was last updated. The topics should be the practical questions agents actually ask, like how CPD fits your licence renewal, what records to keep, how booking works and whether the cost is deductible.

For example, our guides cover the NSW underquoting reforms and when they start, how Class 1 agents complete the accredited forum and how CPD fits your licence renewal, so you can judge that kind of material for yourself.

A provider that keeps you informed through the year turns CPD from a once-a-year chore into something that actually helps you at work. That’s worth weighing alongside the price.

Support when you need it

Before you book, check you can reach a person by phone or email, and see how quickly they reply. A good provider will help you work out which course fits your licence and area of practice rather than leaving you to guess. If you’re booking for an office, ask whether they can handle a group booking. Our guide to enrolling your whole office covers how that usually works.

Weighing up value

Price is worth comparing, but compare what’s included rather than the number alone: current topics, live delivery, clear instructions, prompt records, real support and guidance that keeps you current through the year. The cheapest option can end up costing more if you have to rebook, chase a certificate or redo a session that didn’t meet the rules.

If you’d like to compare, our NSW CPD courses page sets out what’s included, current dates and how to book.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose a NSW real estate CPD provider?

Start with Fair Trading’s list of approved providers for the current CPD year and check the provider is approved for your area of practice. Then compare how clearly each one covers this year’s topics, live delivery, booking, records, support and ongoing updates.

Do all CPD providers have to be approved by Fair Trading?

For compulsory topics, yes. Compulsory CPD must be delivered by a provider approved by the Strata and Property Services Commissioner, and Fair Trading publishes the approved list for each CPD year.

How can I tell if a CPD course is for the current year?

The course should name this year’s compulsory topics for your area of practice. For 2026–27, residential salespeople need Auction laws and practice, Contracts, the Rules of Conduct refresher, and Supervision Guidelines and AML CTF in agency practice.

Does online CPD count in NSW?

Yes, if it’s a live interactive webinar with an approved provider. Compulsory topics must be interactive and include an assessment, so self-paced modules on their own don’t meet the requirement, but a live webinar of up to 25 people does.

What records should my CPD provider give me?

You should receive clear confirmation of the compulsory topics you completed. Licence holders must keep their own CPD records for 3 years and provide them to Fair Trading if asked, so it helps to get them promptly.

Does my CPD provider cover the Class 1 accredited forum?

Not necessarily. The 5-hour accredited forum is a separate requirement, run by Fair Trading and select approved providers, and AUSTRAC’s AML/CTF course applies too. Check exactly what your provider’s course includes before you book.

Why does it matter if a provider publishes regular updates?

Rules such as the underquoting reforms and AML/CTF obligations change during the CPD year. A provider that explains changes as they happen is more likely to keep its course content current, and it helps you stay informed between sessions.

Should I just choose the cheapest CPD provider?

Price is worth comparing, but look at what’s included: current topics, live interactive delivery, clear booking, prompt records and support. A course that’s hard to book or slow to issue records can cost you more time than it saves.