Become a Real Estate Agent

Explore the work of a real estate agent, flip houses, learn the law, use design software, market your business. This was five ELOs!

Overview

Essential Question: The initial ELO grew into five ELOs, over two years time. Each ELO had its own essential question:
1. What are the different ways clients are represented by real estate brokers and agents?
2. How do you flip a house for profit?
3. How can you create a realistic house rendering using Revit software?
4. What are the laws of real estate?
5. How can a Real Estate Agent leverage social media to expand their clientele?
Area(s) of Study: Real Estate, Architecture
Amount of credit earned: This student started with a 2-credit internship with a local real
estate agent and it led to four more ELOs (for a total of 10 credits) over two years.
Community Partners: realty company, architecture firm

Competencies

Content Specific Competencies

Real estate business: identify potential areas of specialization within the real estate industry and explain factors and trends that influence real estate markets.
Real estate law: explain obligations and duties of the agent, client and customer within the scope of the law. Communicate with the public in a way that complies with anti-trust and fair housing laws.
Listing properties: identify various types of listing contracts, calculate commission, explain seller’s closing costs, and verbalize rules and regulations relating to listing activities.
Revit software: use architectural design software Revit to create computer based models of buildings.

Schoolwide Learning Expectations

Communication – use various media to interpret, question, and express knowledge, information, ideas, feelings, and reasoning.
Creativity – use original and flexible thinking to communicate ideas or construct a unique product or solution.
Collaboration – work in diverse groups to achieve a common goal.
Self-Direction – initiate and manage personal learning and demonstrate a growth mindset.

ELO Department Competencies

Research – analyze and demonstrate an understanding of a learning experience through reflection.
Reflection – apply ongoing research to the evaluation and presentation of issues that arise, and the decisions made as the ELO progresses.
Product – demonstrate new knowledge and develop a tangible product that relates to the student’s interests, skills, and abilities.
Presentation – communicate the entire ELO experience, including the process and the learning.

(See the detailed ELO description for the full text of these competencies.)

Student Activities

First ELO – What are the different ways clients are represented by real estate brokers and agents?

Meet with Real Estate Agent to develop a list of goals and expectations of the ELO internship experience.
Shadow real estate agent in the field and in the office to learn their duties and responsibilities.
Choose a final project. Present final project and ELO experience to peers in a business class.
Make plans for future ELO experiences based on experience in first ELO.

Second ELO – How do you flip a house for profit?

Internship with house flipper/investor to learn all aspects buying, renovating and listing an investment property.
Document experience working with investor on choosing house, designing renovation, completing renovation and placing house back on the market.
Presentation for this ELO was a walkthrough of the property onsite while student acted as a realtor in an “open house”.

Third ELO – How can you create a realistic house rendering using Revit software?

Advanced Study on campus to learn the architectural design software Revit.
Work daily for the entire trimester to self-teach Revit software by Autodesk.
Complete a Revit manual for future student use.
Present to peers in an Architecture course.
Internship with an architecture firm who specializes in both residential and business. Review goals (learn how to create realistic computer renderings using CAD/Revit software, gain exposure to architecture sketch work, and gain exposure in project pitches, timelines and evaluations).
Shadow mentor in office and on job sites.
Project: a Revit rendering of an actual client’s renovation that was originally just sketched out.
Present experience to peers in an Architecture course.

Fourth ELO – What are the laws of real estate?

Advance Study off campus taking a Real Estate Licensing course.
Enroll in a course through CMSU in Exeter.
Choose your project – this student did an Investigation of Real Estate Law.
Present to peers in a Business Law class.

Fifth ELO – How can a Real Estate Agent leverage social media to expand their clientele?

Internship with real estate agent.
Once you are age 18, take the NH real estate license exam.
Intern with established real estate agent to begin to define your own career as a real estate agent.
Develop your own marketing strategy that includes business card and social media presence.
Present your entire ELO experience (over the course of 2 years) to an audience of school staff, students, family and community partners.

Assessment

The student completed weekly journal articles and log sheets for his ELO experiences. He also completed final reflection papers for each experience. He checked in with his ELO partners on a regular (if not daily) basis. The student worked closely with the community partners to gain knowledge and skills related to architecture and real estate, but also conducted independent research in order to complete projects for each individual ELO experience. The student was responsible for sharing these resources with mentors and ELO Coordinator in order to confirm their legitimacy and reliability. In most cases the student also submitted a final resources list for assessment.

The student was responsible for an original product for each individual ELO experience. For each one, the student presented their projects and experience to a unique audience of his peers, school staff, parents and others. The student also presented one final presentation that encompassed his entire ELO experience over the two years.

More information

This ELO experience was unique in that it started as a standard internship experience with a real estate agent that counted as a business elective credit. It transformed into an entire career pathway for this student to earn his real estate license before graduating from high school. Even though this experience was a tremendous success for the student I would caution any student taking on such an enormous responsibility. I would encourage ELO Coordinators to look at this as 4-5 different ELOs that can be done alone or in various combinations based on the student’s own interests, abilities and needs.

This ELO was submitted by Donna Couture, ELO Coordinator at Winnacunnet High School. Email for more information