It’s true. I’m in real estate school. Why? Because I love school. Because getting my PhD just isn’t enough for me. I had to find some other type of school to fulfill me and real estate school happened to be feasible…
Okay, not really. I do love school, but not that much. I would not be putting myself through real estate school for no reason. Nine hours of class a day really hinders the summer tan, the reading for fun, the hanging out with friends, and the summer goals list. P.S. Here is an adorable family summer goals list from the blog Whatever…
 |
| Isn’t it CUTE?! |
Anyway… I am in real estate school because Micah wants me to do it. Not in the mean, dictator “wife, you will attend real estate school NOW” kind of way. More in the Micah has always wanted to get real estate background before we buy a house, but getting licensed might be a conflict of interest for him at work, so he asked me if I would do it in his place kind of way. I don’t think Shakespeare, mommy blogs, and real estate laws are a conflict of interest, so I said “sure.” So here I am. It’s actually my last official day of class today. I did a three week program, so basically I just started and now I’m almost done. Now I just have to pass my school test and my state test and I will be an official real estate licensee. Booyah! (However, I have a long weekend of studying ahead of me and it looks like this…)
So I’m getting my real estate licence: A) for the knowledge – because Micah and I would like to own an investment/rental property in the future and it’s nice to know the laws about such things. The past three weeks have taught me that there are a lot of laws. A LOT of them. B) to make or save a little money in the future. If I get commission from selling even ONE house, it more than pays for the cost of real estate school. If we ever sell a home in the future, I can list it myself and save us the commission we would have to give an agent. And if my parents ever finally decide to buy a home in Arizona (they tell me all the time this is their plan… LIES. ALL LIES if you ask me), I can be their agent and earn a little extra money. I will never really work as an agent, but it might be a nice thing to have on the side, and I can help out friends and family in the future. However, I would prefer it if my friends and family only buy and sell houses in the summer months. That works well with my school schedule. Thank you in advance.
So here is the strange thing about real estate school. I love it. Okay, maybe love is a strong word. I take a 4.5 hour class in the morning, and then I take another 4.5 hour class in the evening until 10:30pm! There are quizzes and homework and even MATH, so it can be pretty grueling. But overall, I am really enjoying it. I am learning so much about taxes, lending, contracts, rules for landlords and tenants, and so many other things that will be so applicable in the near future, and even some things that are applicable right now as a renter in the state of Arizona. As I learn all this new information, I think to myself, “Oh, so that is what I was doing when I bought a house a few years ago…” I signed all those papers and I had NO clue. Thankfully, I have a great dad who helped me with the whole process. Here is a HAPPY (early) FATHER’S DAY to him!
And I have a confession… I am even kinda, sorta enjoying real estate math (gasp!). To my college roommate, Camille, and to all the people in my high school trigonometry class, I haven’t cried during the math lessons or homework even ONCE! I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. I like doing the math, not because it’s easy (the math itself is fairly simple, but since it is all word problems, you have to figure out what step to do first and what you need to convert, etc. etc. which makes it a bit more complicated), but because it’s PRACTICAL. I am learning how to calculate my tax payments or to figure out how much cash I would have to bring to the table to close on a house. That kind of stuff. Real estate school has only confirmed my belief that the math requirements in high school and college are completely POINTLESS. I honestly believe that students should not be required to take math beyond algebra and geometry unless it is needed for their career path. Unless you need pre-calculus or calculus or stats for your future career, these classes are a complete waste of time. I wish my high school or college had offered real estate math, so that I could be better prepared to ace this test next week!
