Students Explore Real Estate Opportunities at REM+I 2024
August 2, 2024
Each July, the Weidner Property Management and Real Estate (WPM+RE) Program hosts an interactive, three-day workshop at UAA’s College of Business and Public Policy for high school students and recent graduates. The Real Estate Management and Investment (REM+I) Workshop offers a glimpse into the world of real estate investing, rental properties, cash flow analysis, property management, and the various career paths in the real estate industry.
18 participants from 10 area high schools were selected by application to attend at no cost. Students spend the first two days in the innovative Weidner Center for Real Estate Management, learning investment fundamentals and then working in teams to analyze actual properties listed on the market. They gather information and make assumptions to prepare and deliver a presentation to their peers about the neighborhood, property features, competitive characteristics, and projected financial performance of the asset.
This year, each team had an alumni or current student from the WPM+RE Program at their table to help guide their discussion and research. One of the guests this year was Korben Senden, a current WPM+RE student who attended the REM+I Workshop as a participant in 2022.
“Learning how to build and structure a cash flow pro forma was extremely helpful for me,” says Francis Barajas, a senior at Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School. Kelsyn Bailey, a recent graduate of Chugiak High School stated, “I have always wanted to better understand how to use Microsoft Excel, and now I have a clearer idea of how that program works and will be able to use it in the future.”
Another popular activity is the site tours organized on the final day of the workshop. The 2024 visits showcased a variety of asset types, including The Highlands Apartments (Weidner Apartment Homes), Ch’bala Corners (Cook Inlet Housing Authority), Fireweed Business Center (Cook Inlet Region, Inc), and 188 W Northern Lights (Manny Rodriguez). Industry professionals – including some recent graduates from the program – provided tours and shined a light into their day-to-day world and operations. Students explored everything from townhouse-style apartments to new construction senior housing to rooftop HVAC and building systems for a Class A office building.
Aileen Guevara, an incoming senior in the Alaska Middle College School remarks, “I think, with the things we learned, I now have a good base so that I can explore further into this path with more confidence and experience. After attending the workshop, I am thinking more about this field and considering if it is something I want to pursue in my future. There is a lot to think about when I consider the career path I want to go down, but this workshop has really been very valuable to me in making that decision and for personal reasons too.”
“That is the goal,” explains Terry Fields, Program Coordinator and Associate Professor for the WPM+RE Program. “We began offering these workshops to generate awareness of this career pathway at the high school level, giving students the opportunity to discover this track early in their academic careers and positioning them to benefit from the WPM+RE Program for a full four years – i.e. networking, internships, scholarships, travel opportunities, etc.”
For participants like Brandon Haslett – a recent graduate of South Anchorage High School and incoming freshman at UAA – the benefits don't have to end with the workshop. Students who attend a REM+I Workshop and ultimately continue on to pursue the property management and real estate degree program at UAA can receive an extra $1,000 scholarship in their freshman year.
If you have any questions or comments regarding the REM+I Workshop, reach out to Terry Fields at tjfields@alaska.edu or (907) 786-4136 to learn more. Applications for next summer’s workshop will be available in January 2025.