Course Syllabus

Course objectives
Required text and materials
Prerequisites
Grading
Contacting me
Plagiarism and academic honesty
ADA statement
Course schedule and lecture notes

Course Objectives

This course will train students in the use of secondary data sources to evaluate the market potential of proposed business ventures.  Students will learn how to identify and evaluate the validity and usefulness of various public and proprietary data sources.  Particular emphasis will be placed on creatively combining these data to identify potential market opportunities.  Students will also receive a hands-on introduction to geographic information systems and their use in site analysis.  Each student will analyze several prospective projects through the semester and will present the results of these analyses in both oral and written form.

The required eBook consists of two chapters on market analysis from Ling and Archer’s Real Estate Principles.  We will be discussing these chapters the first three weeks of class, so you need to download or gain access to the e-book as soon as possible.  Make sure you have read the first chapter (Chapter 6) no later than the second class period. 

To access the eBook, simply go to https://create.mcgraw-hill.com/shop/#/catalog/details/?isbn=9781121127234.  I believe the cost of the eBook is about $8. Detailed instructions can be downloaded here.

The Real Estate Market Analysis text offers an excellent overview of the issues involved with preparing market analyses for several different property types and provides several case studies of market analyses for each of these property types.  I may end up requiring this for the class. In any event, it an excellent reference in your professional career as well.  This book appears to cost around $70 on Amazon.com, or you can order it from the ULI website at http://www.uli.org. 

Advanced standing.  Students working on a real estate degree should already have taken RE 310.  

The formal grading scale has yet to be finalized.  I will give some exams and papers.  Overall, however, you should expect your grade to be based on your engagement in the learning process.  Although I will give you feedback on each of the written assignments and oral presentations we do, your final grade will be determined not by the scores on these assignments, but rather the degree to which you are actively involved in learning how to do market research and improving your skills in theses areas.  I will also ask you for your personal assessment of your engagement and learning. 

As we proceed through the semester, we will begin to analyze real market research questions, both as a class and individually.  These case studies will involve class discussion, independent research, written reports, and oral presentations; you will be evaluated across each of these dimensions. 

Writing is an essential skill I want you to develop during this course.  Many if not all of the assignments, exams, and case studies in this course will involve some writing component.  The key to success with writing is REVISION!  Write an initial draft, let it sit, then revise it.  Let it sit again and revise it again.  And again.  Pay attention to details, including spelling, grammar and overall visual appearance.  Use the assignments in this class to develop good writing habits; this will be invaluable no matter what your final career path. 

I also want you to enhance your oral presentations skills during this class.  Over the course of the semester you will have several opportunities to speak before the class in formats ranging from leading informal brainstorming sessions to presenting the final conclusions of your case studies with PowerPoint presentations.  There is an art to making presentations that are professional without being stuffy and boring, interesting and entertaining without being flippant or inappropriate.  As we make presentations, we will have opportunities to give feedback to one another to help us all become more skilled and confident in this area. 

Finally, timeliness is essential in business, and I am going to hold you strictly accountable for completing your assigned tasks when due.  Expect a significant deduction in points if a part of an assignment is late (or sloppily done because it was done at the last minute).

I encourage you to contact me at any time if you have questions or concerns about any aspect of this course.  I am also happy to answer questions about homework assignments as well, although you should first attempt to resolve any questions through discussions with your classmates. 

The best way to reach me is via e-mail (stan.longhofer@wichita.edu).  In addition, I will often conduct class correspondence using your official WSU e-mail addresses.  Thus, each of you should configure your WSU account so that you can access your e-mail several times a week, preferably daily.  You can do this on MyWSU where I also encourage you to update your official phone listing so that I can reach by phone if necessary.

I will usually respond to my e-mail immediately when I am in the office, and within a day in any event (unless I am out of town).  Finally, you may always send me anonymous comments using the course feedback form on the class web site.

You are responsible for any material I distribute to the class via e-mail or on the class web site.

Plagiarism and Academic Honesty

It should not come as a surprise to you that I expect each of you to do your own work.  I will prosecute violations of academic honesty vigorously.  Anyone caught cheating or turning in work that is not his or her own will be subject to punishment ranging from a zero on the exam/assignment to failing the course to expulsion from the University.  Expect a severe punishment if I catch you cheating in this class. 

NOTE WELL:  You may NOT use cell phones or personal digital assistants during quizzes and exams.  I understand that these devices often have good financial calculator emulators.  Nevertheless their potential for misuse is great.  Any student caught using a cell phone, personal digital assistant or similar device during an exam or quiz will automatically receive a zero on that exam/quiz. 

Required University ADA Statement

If you have a physical, psychiatric/emotional, or learning disability that may impact on your ability to carry out assigned course work, I encourage you to contact the Office of Disability Services (DS). The office is located in Grace Wilkie Annex, 978-3309 (voice/tty). DS will review your concerns and determine, with you, what academic accommodations are necessary and appropriate for you. All information and documentation of your disability is confidential and will not be released by DS without your written permission.

Course Topics

The course schedule for the semester will be maintained on the schedule page of this website.  Please remember that this schedule will likely change depending on our pace through the semester, so check the website frequently for the most current information.  Make sure to press the REFRESH button on your browser to ensure that the latest information is shown.

Center for Real Estate home page.