What School Classes to Take to Prepare for Real Estate?

Question

as a 16 year old kid i don't know much about real estate, but it interests and that is what i wanna do when i get older. As a 16 year old sophomore is there classes i should take as a junior or senior? if so then what? what are the best things i could do now that will help me in the future?

J Scott · Answer

Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Finance, Business, Entrepreneurship.

Annette Hibbler · Answer

Account Closed  Highschool is not likely to teach you how money works in the real world.  You have to look outside of school for that.  Problem is many adults don't know either! Ha!

I would recommend you read a couple of Robert T. Kiyosaki's books.  Included a link to one that appears to be written for your age group.  I read the first two but the one I like the most was "What the Rich Teach Their Kids" and that was a real eye opener.

It's not enough to just read about how to do something, you have to learn from actually implementing it, right?  Now your too young to get involved buying and selling real estate, but you can learn a lot by starting your own small biz. One of my daughter (age 15) designed some nice free business cards from VistaPrint.com and printed up some half page flyers announcing her babysitting services.  With some encouragement, she distributed them in our immediate neighborhood mailboxes every other Friday after school because it was after the mail had already arrived but before most people arrived home from work.  It wasn't long before she got one, two, three babysitting jobs which then lead to tutoring a middle school girl one hour M-F in math everyday for an additional $60 a week cash.  She's also done some housesitting.

What are you good at?  Look around you, and find a way to make money on your own.  This is a great way to learn.  :)

Michael Jobe · Answer

Account Closed First off, welcome to Bigger Pockets! This is a significant step in the right direction towards launching your career in real estate. Do you have any ideas of what you want to do in real estate? You could be a Realtor, wholesaler, rehabber, landlord, and so on. I would suggest taking as many business related courses as your high school offers as well as communications & English related courses. This is an industry where you'll interact heavily with people on a daily basis so you want me make sure you are a well spoken individual. If you're able to take any technical classes that teach you things like plumbing, construction, etc. look into those as well as it'll save you money down the road for example if you know how to fix a broken toilet in one of your rental properties.

Talk to your network of friends & family to see if you already know someone who may be in the real estate business. If so, express your interest to them and maybe they will take you under their wing and teach you some things. It also can't hurt to establish some credit at your age. When I was 16 I had a credit card, cell phone & car insurance in my name to get my credit history going. Read about real estate whether it be books, here on these forums, or otherwise and you'll be in good shape. Best of luck to you!

Bill Gulley · Answer

Stay away from RE gurus and strategies! Don't even start there! As J. Scott mentioned, begin with an education. Av real education!

Here are courses that will get you started;

Macro and Micro Economics

Personal Finance

Business Finance

Accounting (101 bookkeeping and 102 business accounting)

Debate and Speech (two different aspects but both in speech.

Real Estate 101 basic real estate.

Business law!

Not in order of importance.

Get these courses before you look at RE strategies of doing deals, especially the basic RE courses. Insurance is also helpful.

Then get your state RE course for agent, you don't need to be an agent but you do need to know what they know.

Then look at strategies and ways of doing deals. :)

Eric Belgau · Answer

In addition to business, look into vocational classes that will teach you the basics of building.  Also, working at a hardware store or lumberyard will also teach you a lot about building materials, their names and uses, benefits and disadvantages, etc.  Working at one of the big box home improvement stores will also introduce you to construction people, and you'll pick up some of their language and vibe.

Knowing that will give you a significant head-start, and it's something that career-minded students on a professional track often overlook!

Britt M. · Answer

Yes, welcome! And, good for you for investigating early on a potential career. You'll probably have a few over your lifetime and you can work in RE in a full-time or part-time capacity over the years.

Investigate which sides of the business are of interest. Try to find and intern during the summers with contractors, developers, and RE agents. Heck, you could be a receptionist in a RE office during the summer and you'll learn a lot by listening, asking questions, and undoubtedly through osmosis.

WRT course work: Any courses with a business, math, business law, or engineering focus will be of use. As you proceed to college, economics or business administration are options. And, you could get a MBA later with a focus on Finance.

Just a few ideas for thought. I'm sure there are other folks who will chime in.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Best!

What School Classes to Take to Prepare for Real Estate?

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