Real Estate Educators

Real estate education classes take place in a variety of settings, such as high schools, colleges and universities, community centers, and businesses. The responsibilities of a real estate teacher are similar to those of a schoolteacher and include planning and conducting lectures, grading homework, evaluating students, writing and preparing reports, and counseling students.

When employed at colleges or universities, real estate educators are referred to as instructors or professors. They hold an advanced degree in real estate or related field, such as business or law. In addition, many have years of practical real estate experience. This expertise and insight adds greatly to the instruction they provide their students. Students who complete these types of programs graduate with an undergraduate or graduate degree in real estate, or a business degree with a concentration in real estate.

A larger number of real estate educators teach at community colleges, vocational schools, for-profit real estate schools, or park districts. Many, but not all, educators at this level hold a college degree in real estate or business. Others obtain their positions solely on the merit of their career experience. They may teach classes for college credit towards a certificate or associate’s degree. Others may teach a one-session adult enrichment class or noncredit courses lasting for an entire semester. They may teach classes pertaining to property appraisal standards and ethics, real estate law, mortgage brokering, commercial property management, or countless other topics. Educators at this level may also prepare students for exams needed to obtain a real estate broker’s license or property appraiser’s license. They may teach certification classes such as those needed to become a home inspector.

Many real estate teachers are also employed by real estate corporations to provide their staff additional education or training. The Real Estate Educators Association (REAA) estimates that between 5,000 to 6,000 educators are employed throughout the United States to provide agents and brokers information on the latest trends and developments in contract law, mortgage financing and disclosure, and other topics. Others real estate teachers are tapped to provide sales agents additional training to boost job performance.

Well-known and respected professionals in the real estate industry are often contracted by associations or corporations to teach seminars at conferences and training sessions. Their advice, approach, and experience are often inspirational to those still climbing the real estate corporate ladder.

Whether teaching in higher education or a continuing education classroom, real estate teachers, in addition to giving lectures, assign textbook readings and homework assignments. They prepare and administer exams and grade essays and presentations. Real estate teachers also meet with students individually to discuss class progress and grades. Some courses are conducted as part of a long-distance education program (traditionally known as correspondence courses). Many of these classes are now taught online. For these classes, teachers prepare course materials, assignments, and work schedules to be sent to students, and then grade the work when the students turn it in.