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March 15, 2007
Numeros!
If there is one thing agents seem to hate, it’s math. Today when the lesson topic was announced, everyone cringed and began to search for a calculator.
Humorously, our instructor who normally presents his lessons from the top of his head, is using an antiquated tape recorder and a set of slides to teach us math.
He stands beside the tape player, pausing and playing, it begins:
“In order to solve and real estate math problem you must follow four steps:
1. Read the question
2. Write down the formula
2.5 Convert the fractions to decimals.
3. Solve the Problem
4. I didn’t bother to write down #4…but I’m guessing it was something like write down answer.
This brought about our first math problem:
“An area measures 50 feet by 100 feet, how many square feet is that?”
We were given 3 minutes to type away madly at our calculators. I caught some glances as I found myself giggling rather hard. Maybe I’m just too good at math.
.2 x 4 = ?
We were told that in order to solve this problem, we will have to move the decimal, and solve for 2 times 4, then move the decimal back. Tricky! Now I know that .2 times 4 is .8! I’d remember that, but hey, I have a calculator, so really no point. Speaking of which, after 5 minutes of class, I put my calculator away.
I’ll spare you the next part of class in which we were shown simple geometric methods for calculating areas, and given extraordinary amounts of time to solve sample problems. It was mildly amusing to see the instructor ask for volunteers to come up and solve the samples, and to see the volunteers come up, get halfway through an intricate math problem such as 8400/320, and then give up and sit down. How they managed to fill the board with so many numbers is beyond me. It took four attempts before the instructor helped out.
After an hour of this, someone groaned: “This is not a fun class”
Towards the end of class we were treated to one of the class members (a public school teacher) angrily confronted a group of spanish speaking students towards the back of the room, asking what their excuse was for talking so rudely while the instructor was speaking. He also threw in that it was particularly rude for them to be speaking in a language that no one could understand. I disagree with that, I do understand Spanish, and I think I found their constant chatter even more annoying for that very reason…seriously nothing worse than having to listen to hilarous jokes and not being able to laugh (I was still embarrassed about my laughing at the beginning of class.) They sat in stunned silence for the rest of the class, only speaking in quieted English while trying the problems.
read comments (2)
March 15th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
So I guess that’s why a lot of listings say “Buyer to confirm sq ft.” LoL.
March 15th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
It certainly makes things convenient. An agent can go crazy “puffing” up his property, and just mention somewhere on the property that the buyer’s agent has to confirm.
Home falling apart? List it as newly renovated. City refusing to zone a room as a bedroom? Count it as one anyway!
Thankfully agents have been trained with such thorough schooling, that they are well prepared to see through such, and will identify all the lies on a listing for their seller. NOT.