A 20-year-old real estate school based in Wilmington is getting a new owner and director who has plans to expand.

Lee Eatmon of Carolina One Properties is purchasing Southern Choice Real Estate Academy from Pam L. Ward for an undisclosed amount in a deal that is expected to close Friday.

Eatmon said Thursday that he plans to move the school from its previous home base in the Network Real Estate office space on Oleander Drive to larger quarters at 5911 Oleander Drive.

“We’ll basically triple our capacity for students’ classes, so we’ll be able to hold bigger classes [from about a dozen students in a class to 40]. Right now we teach in Brunswick County up to Swansboro and Morehead City. Next year, we’re looking into going into Wilson, Rocky Mount and some other markets in North Carolina,” Eatmon said.

Demand has been on the rise for real estate licenses in the Wilmington area and beyond.

“In Wilmington, specifically, the market is strong. In North Carolina and even nationally, it’s strong. But people see opportunity, obviously with money, time management,” Eatmon said.

Southern Choice Real Estate Academy's courses include pre-licensing, post-licensing and continuing education. The cost for a six-week pre-licensing course is about $400 at Southern Choice, Eatmon said, with post-licensing classes at about $185 each.

The school has seven teachers, including Neal Johnson, one of the owning partners of Network Real Estate and president of Cape Fear Realtors. Eatmon is also an instructor.

Eatmon plans to move the school, which was founded in 1997, from the Network Real Estate office space to 5911 Oleander Drive by Oct. 30. The Wilson native will continue to also operate Carolina One Properties.

Eatmon is a graduate of East Carolina University, built a portfolio of residential rental properties in the Wilson market and owned and operated a self-storage facility for 10 years, according to the Southern Choice Real Estate Academy's website. 

The website says that while developing the storage business, Lee took over a Wilson-based real estate firm and served as broker in charge and qualifying broker for several years before moving to Wilmington.