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Course Descriptions

Course Descriptions

OVERVIEW

BUSINESS SKILLS

The course is tailored towards non-business majors and covers basic accounting concepts while emphasizing tax and accounting methodologies in relation to the development and management of real estate assets. Students will understand and practice the accounting fundamentals and their application to real estate.

Focuses on leadership principles applicable to real estate and the built environment.  Helps students articulate their career goals and understand how to apply their strengths for a successful career. Examines many Leadership styles with a focus on Authentic Leadership. Uses a diverse group of RE leaders and guest speakers to supplement readings and class exercises.

Overview of negotiation theories, strategy and tactics. Heavy emphasis on negotiation simulations and role-playing exercises that grow in complexity throughout the quarter. Application of deal making procedures for various aspects of real estate decision making situations and audiences (e.g. government, community groups, real estate investors and partners). Analysis of conflict resolution techniques including negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.

Prepares students for future careers in real estate. Helps students understand their core competencies, areas of real estate they could utilize them, and how to prepare and present themselves to future employers. Students practice effective communication tools to apply in real estate companies of various scales, and professional and cultural backgrounds.

 

TECHNICAL/SOFTWARE SKILLS

Provides an overview of different data collection methods, basic statistical techniques and their appropriate application based on the size and type of various real estate and socioeconomic dataset. Students determine the appropriate method based on specific objectives and critically assess their findings. No previous knowledge of statistics is required, and all applications will be on Excel and open source software.

Introduces students to commercial real estate modeling, use of Excel and handheld financial calculators. Allows students to gain mastery and confidence in setting up and using pro formas and models to analyze real estate investment and development.

Covers techniques for visualizing data, creating data structures, and implementing performance metrics. Provides an overview of ways datasets can be visualized across various software.

The course focuses on real estate project management fundamentals of both managerial concepts and technical skills. The managerial concepts include organizational structures, successful components of managing teams and SWOT analysis, while the technical skills focus on construction document review, delivery methods and the MS Project software.

Covers a variety of different issues that arise when analyzing and modeling land, residential, and commercial real estate markets. Uses GIS and teaches students how to collect, clean, use, manage, and model a variety of data sets to make real-world decisions. Suitability and exploratory spatial data analyses will be covered in the course.

 

REAL ESTATE CORE

The course does not assume previous knowledge of real estate and covers: a) the participants and processes; b) the workings of different components of the real estate industry; and c) the quantitative components of basic real estate decision-making. Additionally, students are introduced to an overview of construction management, sustainability, corporate services, property law and ethics. Offered: jointly with URBDP 552.

Introduces students to the valuation of income-producing properties. The course examines real property interests, the economic foundations to value, and the market in which real property interests are traded. Students learn professional valuation techniques as well as strengths and weaknesses of appraisal methodology. Valuation foundations are used to explore different real estate strategies including development and investment. Offered: jointly with URBDP 555.

Introduces students to basic real estate finance and institutional analysis allowing them to quantify the financial implications of real estate decisions. Topics include: basic time value of money, financial leverage, discounted cash flow analysis (properties and institutional portfolios), assessment of various real estate investment classes and distribution of proceeds to investors. Prerequisite: R E 552/URBDP 552. Offered: jointly with URBDP 554.

Focuses on the legal principles and issues essential to understanding the real estate industry, including creation of different ownership interests in real estate, legal requirements for enforceable agreements, legal remedies, regulatory framework for real estate development and investment and legal issues arising in management of real estate assets. Offered: jointly with URBDP 557.

This course is designed to introduce students to the urban land market and the economic, spatial, and institutional contexts in which sites and properties are embedded. The course culminates with a team project that entails the preparation of a comprehensive market study. Offered: jointly with URBDP 516.

This course provides exposure to theory and analytical methods used for underwriting residential and commercial mortgages, pricing mortgage-backed securities, and estimating returns. The course also incorporates discussions of recent institutional and market changes including the implementation of Dodd-Frank and the growth in shadow banking as well as the rise of FinTech and its impact on real estate finance.

Analyses capital flows (global and national) and emerging capital market trends that affect the industry. Pays special attention to securitized real estate, including Real Estate Investment Trusts, and Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities. Offered: jointly with URBDP 579

A survey of the real estate development process, including issues of site control, public/private approvals, project design/construction, marketing, and disposition focusing on extensive MS Excel-based project pro forma modeling to test project financial feasibility and measure the creation of economic value. Prerequisite: R E 552/URBDP 552. Offered: jointly with URBDP 578

Provides students with the tools to understand housing markets, the policies in place to support housing production and remaining frictions. Emphasizes the link between housing finance systems and housing market outcomes with a focus on the US mortgage system and products. Incorporates international components to analyze factors that underlay differences and similarities in housing markets in selected countries.

This course is an introduction to the field of affordable housing. The course guides the students through the affordable housing development process and the policy issues that must be addressed to successfully plan, finance, design, construct, and manage affordable housing in the United States. The role of federal, state, local, non-profit and private sector agencies and participants will be examined.

Provides an overview of how the use of technology in real estate is disrupting the traditional way of doing business. Students explore how property technology is affecting real estate – from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Internet of Things (IoT). Also covers how real estate decision making is changing based on the shared economy, financial technology, blockchain and real estate asset tokenization.

 

CAPSTONE COURSE EXPERIENCE

Emphasizes the understanding of ways real estate footprint can be a factor in attaining the vision/mission of a corporation. Analyzes principles of corporate real estate, key activities and internal relationships, customer motivation, drivers, client based strategic approaches as well as the industry evaluation process including reporting and client deliverables.

The course highlights the differences between asset and portfolio management, the existing theories and practices behind the development of mixed asset portfolio investment vehicles, risk profile differentiation, strategic approaches, tools (e.g. derivatives, secondary market etc.), benchmarks, performance measurement and market dynamics.

MSRE students apply what they have learned to an actual development site(s). Working as a team, with industry mentors, neighborhood and governmental officials in developing a Business Plan reflecting highest and best use.

Offers students an advanced survey of housing studies. The course has two primary elements. First, students will select a housing-related topic that will serve as the basis of a quarter-long project. Second, students will read key texts and articles on a range of housing-related topics and participate in seminar discussions on these readings.