Andrea Bent & Caitlyn VanOrder

11/25/14

Design Challenge Paper

Taylor

Avid

Real Estate

It is not possible to just build a school, there are many steps that one has to take to be able to. There are many different parts of building a school that you have to consider, including: real estate, financing, and construction.  The real estate part of building something is what covers the  majority of things required in order to build. To be more exact, one must pay attention to the land that is being built on, the surrounding area of the site, and the legal documentation and financing that is required.

First of all, one must pay attention to the land that they are building on, they can’t just build something anywhere. The land must have certain qualities to be able to be built on. Some of these qualities include: a specific size must be met, the land must be level, and the land must be of good quality (meaning that the soil isn’t loose and sedimentation wouldn’t be a problem.) When meeting a specific size, you have to consider what grade levels the school is being built for. Whether for middle or high school, the requirements are usually different due to population. Usually high schools are a lot bigger than elementary schools or middle schools. Then again, it depends on the area as well. When one is looking at how level a land is, the ideal is “the site is gently sloping with an elevation and contour which will ensure good drainage.” (The School Site Planner p. 13) This leads into the need for a site to be able to have adequate drainage without much use of pumps. According to the The School Site Planner: Land for Learning, it is important to “Provide an adequate amount of level area for physical education, some uneven and wooded areas with a variety of tree and plant life, and some water area for use in various parts of the educational program.” (The School Site Planner p. 13) It is important to always keep these things in mind when looking at land for a school building.

Another thing that would need to be focused on in real estate is the area around the land in question. There are a lot of factors that determine whether or not a school should be built in a certain place. One has to look for good sociological points; these include the history of the land and the type of people in the area. According to the Public Schools of North Carolina, State Board of Education, and the Department of Public Instruction in The School Site Planner: Land for Learning, sociological points are as such:

Should include information about the general characteristics of all inhabitants of the administrative unit, such as community history, ethnic origin, educational levels, economic status, employment, cultural opportunities, population, crime patterns, religious bodies, institutions and educational services.

This tells shows that sociological points are a major part in the site-selection process. Utilities and other facilities in the surrounding area can affect the way someone may choose a site as well. Boundaries of facilities and utilities should be known so that there aren’t problems regarding space. Also, facilities should be known so that any hindrances that may occur with the building could be avoided. With sociological points and facilities in the area, access (traffic flow) is a big part in picking a site in regards to the land around it. You have to keep in mind how traffic flow would affect the process of building and how it would affect the project once it is finished. When you are near a major roadway one needs to keep safety in mind. “a school district needs to ask questions similar to those used in evaluating risk from rail lines.”(School Site Selection and Approval Guide) As it says in The School Site Planner, “Study of transportation practices may help determine optimum locations for school sites.” (p. 4)

Real estate agents must have a license in order to get anywhere near selling any kind of property. In order to get the license they must go through a rigorous process in which they attend a 75 hour class and then take an exam.(North Carolina Real Estate Commission, 2014) North Carolina is a broker license only state which means there is only one basic type of license available. Once the class and exam are complete one will get a provisional broker license, which is the starter license. Normally these agents then go into a Firm and that’s where they begin selling property. That’s where one would find the person who would buy or sale land for public buildings.

When building a school, there are a lot of important concepts to think about when it comes to the real estate portion of the construction. It is important to make sure the land is of good quality, the area around the land is safe and effective for the learning environment, and it is important to make sure that you have the legal documentation and financing required. Building a school is not a simple task and it takes a lot of time and effort to do. All of this effects the plan to build a new school.

Works Cited

Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina. Raleigh, N.C. (P.O. Box 17100, Raleigh 27619-7100): North Carolina Real Estate Commission, 1986. Print.

Public Schools of North Carolina, State Board of Education, Department of Public Instruction, Division of School Support. The School Site Planner: Land for Learning. Raleigh, N.C. Public Schools of North Carolina, 1998. PDF.

California Department of Education. "School Site Selection and Approval Guide." - School Facility (CA Dept of Education). California Department of Education, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.

• “Underneath All is the Land!” This famous axiom forms the foundation of all Real Estate Professionals’ work.
• Real Estate Professionals are individuals and companies who know the laws and regulations pertaining to real estate – individuals you can trust with your confidential information. They aim to promote peaceful ownership and effective passing of the title from one person to another.
• Real Estate licensing for Real Estate Brokers and Salespeople has evolved in order to protect consumers while they buy and sell real property. These agents act like catalysts between the various parties involved in a transfer of title to real estate. The Real Estate Broker License or Real Estate Salesperson License indicates that the person has what it takes to help consumers through the maze of finding, evaluating and financing real estate.
• The uniqueness of the real estate licensing laws of each state is expressed in the diversity of laws, rules, and regulations that each state adopts. 
• The states differ on every aspect of the licensing: how much education is required to obtain a license, the type and depth of the examinations, and whether education courses are required once an agent becomes licensed.
•  Fees vary tremendously in the various states, as does the valuable potential of reciprocity with other states.
• To further the protection of the consumers, and to provide a voice for the Real Estate Professional, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) was formed.
• Members are pledged to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. The association has over one million members. The NAR also provides continuing education courses, an annual requirement for maintaining a Real Estate license in some states. The association also promotes the most effective government regulations. All states have members in the NAR.
• The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) was formed to bring together the nation’s Real Estate Minority Professionals in order to promote a meaningful exchange of ideas about the real estate industry – always searching for better ways to serve their clients.
• The North Carolina Real Estate Commission is an independent state governmental agency whose primary function is to oversee the licensing and regulating of the over 80,000 real estate agents in the state. The North Carolina Licensing Law can be viewed online.
• There is only one “type” of real estate license, a broker license in North Carolina.  There are however, there are several license status categories
• Provisional Broker: This is the “entry level” license status category. A person who has met all the license qualification requirements (including a 75-hour prelicensing course and passing the Commission’s license examination) is initially issued a broker license on “provisional” status and is referred to as a “provisional broker.”
• Broker: – A broker is a “provisional broker” who satisfies all postlicensing education requirements to terminate the “provisional” status of such license becomes simply a “broker” and is NOT required to be supervised by a broker-in-charge in order to hold an “active” license.
• The requirements for a real estate broker license in North Carolina include being at least 18 years of age and having successfully completed at least 90 hours of approved classroom real estate courses within the three year period preceding the date of application.  An equivalent amount of experience and/or education may be accepted by the Commission in place of some of the 90 hours. All applicants must pass the broker real estate exams.
• All applicants for a real estate broker license need to provide proof that they possess competency, honesty, truthfulness, integrity and general moral character. Therefore, all applicants need to provide a Criminal Record Report and fingerprints to aid investigation.
• The North Carolina real estate broker licenses are issued at no charge, but the application fee is $30 and the exam fee is $66.  Licenses are issued for a one year period ending on June 30th and renewal of the licenses begins 45 days before that date.