AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
REAL ESTATE MATHEMATICS
COURSE SYLLABUS
Spring Semester 2009
4 Week Session (5 Calendar Weeks)
March 9 – April 8, 2008

INSTRUCTOR:                    Scott Sims

COURSE TITLE:                 Real Estate Mathematics

COURSE NUMBER:          RELE 1225-001    Credit
                                                RELE 1026-301    Continuing Education

SECTION NUMBER:          32660             Credit
                                                93894             Continuing Education

            
COURSE LOCATION:       Highland Business Center, Room  # 410.0

COURSE TIME:                   Monday and Wednesday     6:00pm – 10:00pm

CREDIT HOURS:                2
C E HOURS:                        32

OFFICE:                                Campus Adjunct Office
   
OFFICE HOURS:                Immediately following class.
                                                During Breaks

CONFERENCES:               By phone:  o:  (512) 223-1799 x: 26208
                                                By e-mail: ssims2@austincc.edu
                                                                  scottasims@gmail.com
                                                By fax: (512) 223-3427

HOME PAGE:                      Scott Sims
                         
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Mathematical logic and basic arithmetic skills including percentages, interest, time-valued money, depreciation, amortization, prorating, and estimation of closing statement.

REQUIRED TEXT / MATERIALS
Mastering Real Estate Math, 7th Edition, by Ralph Tamper.  Dearborn Publishing
           ISBN # 0-7931-3523-0       Calculator and possibly Protractor and Ruler

 

Instructional Methodology
Traditional Classroom teaching method with supplemental exercises.  

Course Rationale
The purpose of this course is to assist the student in developing a higher level of competence in working with the numbers and calculations used in the Real Estate business. The information in this course will help you with calculations used in typical Real Estate activities.

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES

  1. Understand fractions, decimals and percentages
  2. Understand list price, sales price and net price
  3. Understand appreciation and depreciation
  4. Understand compensation
  5. Understand ad valorem taxes
  6. Understand property taxes and legal descriptions
  7. Understand area and volume
  8. Understand interest, appraisal methods and tools of investment analysis
  9. Understand prorations
  10. Understand closing statements
  11. Understand lease calculations
  12. Chapter objectives that appear in the textbook

 

COURSE EVALUATION PROCESS (Grading)

COURSE GRADE
Course consists of four (4) exams and a comprehensive final.  The final will be optional.  The final will allow the student to try to raise the grade for the class only.  The final will NOT reduce the student’s score from previous exams.
GRADING SCALE
Your letter grade is determined using the grade distribution that follows. Your percentage is found by dividing your total points by the total points available. This percentage is then matched to a letter grade. You can determine your standing in the class at any point in the semester by tracking your points and the total points to date.

A

90% and Up

B

80% to 89%

C

70% to 79%

D

60% to 69%

F

Below 60%

READING ASSIGNMENTS
Students are expected to complete the chapter readings before class.

LATE EXAMS
There will be no make-up exams unless approved by the instructor in advance or due to extenuating circumstances (as determined by the instructor).   The optional final exam is available to a student who missed an exam.

INCOMPLETE POLICY
An incomplete (I) will be granted to a student in rare circumstances. Generally, to receive a grade of I, a student must have completed all examinations and assignments to date, be passing, and have personal circumstances that prevent course completion that occur after the deadline to withdraw with a grade of W.

TEACHING AND LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
Teaching and learning is a partnership between faculty and students.  I will fulfill my partnership obligations by serving as advisor, consultant, mentor and providing general comments and clarifications of difficult or confusing concepts. You will fulfill your partnership obligations by being a fully participative, responsive, helping, and working member of the class.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

To earn credit for any Real Estate course you must attend 90% of the total class hours and make up any time you are absent.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY
It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from a course.  Instructors are allowed to withdraw students but students must not rely on their instructor to withdraw them if they wish to withdraw. I will, generally, not withdraw students.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
Each student is responsible for maintaining high standards of academic honesty and ethical behavior.  In order that each student understands what is (or is not) acceptable behavior, the following guidelines are offered. 

Discussions of assignments with other students and members of the faculty is both permitted and encouraged as a constructive educational practice. Students are expected to take their own exams, copying of another’s work and representing it as one’s own work is a serious academic offense, and will be treated as such.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM STATEMENT
Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class. In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints. These differences enhance the learning experience and create an atmosphere where students and instructors alike will be encouraged to think and learn. On sensitive and volatile topics, students may sometimes disagree not only with each other but also with the instructor. It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions.

SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY STATEMENT
Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework” (see Student Handbook). Penalties for scholastic dishonesty will depend upon the nature of the violation and may range from lowering a grade on one assignment to an F in the course and/or expulsion from this institution.

STUDENT DISCIPLINE STATEMENT
Classroom behavior should support and enhance learning. Behavior that disrupts the learning process will be dealt with appropriately, which may include having the student leave class for the rest of that day. In serious cases, disruptive behavior may lead to a student being withdrawn from the class. ACC's policy on student discipline can be found in the Student Handbook.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES STATEMENT
Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities.  Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester” (see Student Handbook).

RULE OF THREE
Per state law, effective Spring 2006 any student taking a class for the third time or more may be charges an additional $60 per credit hour unless exempted.  We call it the Rule of Three.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has mandated that all publicly funded higher-education institutions will not receive funding for courses a student takes for the third time or more.  Without the state funding for those affected classes, ACC will charge additional tuition to pay for the cost of the class.  The new “Rule of Three” tuition costs will not apply to developmental courses, Continuing Education courses, special-studies courses in which the content changes each time, or other selected courses.  For additional information go to http://austincc.edu/admiss/ruleofthree/

SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR RECEIVING A “W” IN A COURSE
The Texas Legislature has now, for the second session in a row, instituted some substantial consequences for students who withdraw from courses. Students have traditionally thought of a W as a non-penalty grade, thus it is very important that students understand the direction that the state is going about withdrawals so that they can avoid substantial negative consequences later.

The consequences instituted by the state in 2005 are that, for most courses, if a student enrolls for the course for the third time, the student will have to pay substantially more tuition for the course.

In 2007, the state declared that, for incoming freshmen in Fall 2007 and later, there will be a limit of six W’s overall in the student’s college career.
http://www.austincc.edu/withdraw/WithdrawalInformation.php

The syllabus is subject to change as deemed necessary by the instructor.

 

Real Estate Math (RELE 1225)  Continuing Education (RELE 1026)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday & Wednesday  6:00p -- 10:00p

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date

Chapters

 

Topic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9-Mar

 

 

Introductions

 

 

 

 

1

 

Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages

 

 

2

 

List Price, Sales Price, and Net Price

 

11-Mar

3

 

Appreciation and Depreciation

 

 

 

4

 

Compensation

 

 

 

 

5

 

Ad Valorem Taxes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23-Mar

Test 1

 

Chapters 1 - 4

 

 

 

 

6

 

--- Skip Chapter ---

 

 

 

 

7

 

Legal Descriptions

 

 

 

25-Mar

8

 

Area and Volume

 

9

 

Interest

 

 

 

 

 

10

 

Mathematics of Real Estate Finance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30-Mar

Test 2

 

Chapters 5 - 8

 

 

 

 

11

 

Appraisal Methods

 

 

 

 

12

 

Tools of Investment Analysis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1-Apr

Test 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13

 

Prorations

 

 

 

 

14

 

Closing Statements

 

 

 

 

15

 

Lease Calculations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6-Apr

Test 4 & FINAL

 

 

 

 

 

 

8-Apr

FINAL