Thursday, December 11, 2008

Final Grades

I just posted final course letter grades on WebCT. I will post the final exam grades soon but overall the class did well on the final (the average was 87% but I did curve a bit (three questions)).

Have a good holiday break! If you want to get deeper into some of the topics we covered this semester, consider taking Real Estate Investments or Real Estate Finance this Spring (Real Estate Appraisal and Real Estate Development are both offered in the Fall).

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Class Feedback on Blog Posts

Based on your feedback, the class ranks the top four blog posts as follows:

Best Post: Lisa Briggs for Barnett Shale: Has Texas Hit the Mother Load? (and you asked me if this would be a good topic at the start of the semester...)

Second Best: Julio Rivas-Aguilar for Empirical Research on International Real Estate Diversification (sorry about the typo on the evaluation sheet Julio!)

Third Best: Fahad Almudhaf for The Vanishing January Effect: Evidence from REITs

Fourth Best: Sanjukta Kar for Subprime Mortgage Meltdown

In general, good work on the blogs this semester. I think we will continue this assignment in future classes.

Monday, December 1, 2008

No Office Hours on Thursday

Just fyi. I will be off-campus this Thursday and will not be able to hold office hours from 2 to 4 PM. As always, I will be checking e-mail.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Final Exam

The final exam will cover chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 23, and 13 (we will not cover chapter 24). The exam will be primarily objective style questions.

Please don't forget to bring your calculator, pencils, and Scan-tron answer sheet. Thanks!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

REAE 5311 students are invited...

If anyone is interested, we have a special event coming up in our real estate program (REAE@UTA). See the blog post at:

http://realestateprogram.blogspot.com/2008/11/soutlake-town-square-november-15th.html

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Subdivision - Solution

Solution:

Housing units demanded:

35,000 ¸2.75 x 60% = 7,636 single family units

Housing units per year:

7,636 ¸ 5 years = 1,527 per year

City wide supply:

500 + 100 + 750 = 1,350 lots & houses

Duration of supply:

1,350 / 1,527 = .88 years, or 10.6 months

Home prices in subject:

20,000 / .22 to 35,000 / .22 = $90,900 to $159,000



Incomes to qualify:

[90,900 x 90% x .0881* + (90,900 x .0275**)] / .28 = $34,700 (R)


[159,000 x 90% x .0881* + (159,000 x .0275**)] / .28 = $60,600 (R)


* Rm = 360 N, 8 ¸ 12 I, -1 PV, solve PMT x 12 (.0881)


** Taxes are 2% & insurance .75% of value = 2.75%

% who qualify:

The median income is $35,000 and 75% of the population is

within $25,000 of the median income, or $10,000 to $60,000.

Therefore, ½ of 75% is from $10,000 to $35,000 & ½ is from $35,000 to $60,000. This is translates to 75% divided by 2, or 37.5% of the population is in the range of the subject home value.



Lots/homes demanded:

1,527 per year x .375 = 572 units per year

Capture rate:

20%

Absorption:

572 x 20% = 114 lots per year

Sellout:

400 lots ¸ 114 = 3.5 years



Variations:

1.

If the market study is for apartments, etc. (rental units), then instead of mortgage payments, look at affordability and rental payments that will be made.

2.

Also look for % owner vs. renter, & possibly further segmentation based upon type of subject property (e.g. high amenity apartments, extended care facilities, etc.

3.

The problem above gives the capture rate (20%) for the subject. You may be asked to make a judgment call on the test based upon competitive supply.








Office hours today...

Today is one of the Undergraduate Assembly meeting days (2-3:30 PM+/-). Please note if you were planning to stop in during office hours 2 to 4 PM. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Market Analysis - Retail Solution

Solution:
1. Total income = 11,000 x $35,000 = $385,000,000
2. Retail sales potential = $385,000,000 x (1 - 25% - 45%) = $115,500,000
3. Retail sales by subject type = $115,500,000 x 20% = $23,100,000
4. Sales retention = $23,100,000 x 80% = $18,480,000
5. Primary sales sf required = $18,480,000 / $250 psf = 73,920 sf
6. Plus: Secondary sales = 73,920 x 1.15 = 85,008 sf
7. Plus: Frictional vacancy = 85,008 / (1 – 5%) = 89,482 sf
8. Less: Existing, U.C., propose = 250,000x20% + 50,000x25% + 40,000x15% = 68,500 sf
9. Shortage of space (next 5 years) = 89,482 sf – 68,500 = 20,982 sf

Market Analysis Problem - Industrial

Solutions:
1. Total employment growth = 20,000 / 1.75 = 11,429
2. Total occupying office = 11,429 x 20% = 2,286 persons
3. Office demand = 2,286 persons x 225 sf per person = 514,350 sf
4. Capture in subject market = 514,350 x 25% = 128,588 sf
5. Total demand for Class B in market = 128,588 sf x 50% / (1-5%) = 67,678 sf
6. Less: Existing, UC, proposed = (50,000 sf x 20% vacant) + 25,000 sf = 35,000 sf
7. Residual demand = 67,678 – 35,000 = 32,678 sf needed

Variations:
1. There may not be a frictional vacancy given. Compute demand without making up a vacancy.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Audio/video clips on appraisal posted to 5311 homepage

Four audio/video clips (totaling about 2 hours) have been posted to the REAE 5311 homepage. If you have not viewed this clip already (REAE 5334 students have already), please include these clips with you chapter 8and 9 reading assignments. Please view the clips using MS Explorer (Firefox will not work) and make sure you audio is adjusted to a comfortable level.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Investment Problem Exam grades

Investment Problem Exam scores have been posted to WebCT along with grade distribution statistics. Sorry guys, this one is very time consuming to grade. We will review on Tuesday.

Just a reminder, anyone from REAE 5311 is invited to the Dprofiler session tomorrow. See



http://realestateprogram.blogspot.com/2008/09/dprofiler-at-reaeuta-saturday-october.html


for details and hope to see you there!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

New Urbansim Event on Campus (free to students)

The Congress on New Urbanism

New Directions: A traditional green future for north Texas
a one day symposium and discussion

Friday October 24

School of Architecture
The University of Texas at Arlington

8:30am -- 5:30 pm

Free and open to students, faculty and staff

No prior registration required

Speakers include:

Jon Hockenyos
expert in economics and public policy

Peter Swift
dynamic leader in the area of walk-able communities

John Norquist
former mayor of Milwaukee, author, and expert in urban issues

Steve Mouzon
author, architect, and President of the New Urban Guild and Original Green.

Friday, October 17, 2008

"Intro to Argus" computer lab session invitation

REAE 5311 students are welcome to join the REAE 5334 class on Saturday, November 8th from 11 AM to 1:50 PM in the third floor REAE@UTA computer lab. During this class, we will do an introduction to discounted cash flow analysis using Argus. This session should give you a general feel for Argus and the program's capabilities.

Student Question - General

Alex,

Remember, the IRR is the discount rate that makes the NPV equal to zero. You don't specify a discount rate in IRR because you are calculating the discount rate that makes NPV=0. jah


On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 11:55 AM, Alex Papavasiliou wrote:

OK, got the correct IRR. One last question, why are the cash flow entries different for NPV and IRR? I thought they were the same. What I am I missing? FYI, I was stuck in traffic yesterday and missed your office hours.

Student Question - General

Alex, Remember, if you are doing Re after taxes then you need to use all after tax cash flows. ATCF then the ATER at the end of the holding period. jah


On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 11:39 AM, Alex Papavasiliou wrote:

Ok will do. What is enter for the final cash flow in addition to the pre-discounted cash flow? BTER, Net proceeds, etc. I also had a question on this. Thanks!

Student Question - IRR calculation

Alex,

Look carefully at the cash flows that you are entering into your CF menu for the IRR calculation. Make sure that you enter the pre-discounted cash flows. This is typically the problem for what you describe. Get back to me if this is not the problem. jah

PS Also, you can look at the IP spreadsheet to check the cell references for the =IRR function. The IRR is calculated right below the NPV calculation.

On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 11:06 AM, Alex Papavasiliou wrote:

Dr. Hansz -

I am having trouble calculating the correct IRR on investment problem 1 on my calculator using the cash flow menu. I have gone through several scenarios; I can calculate the NPV correctly but get a negative IRR. What are the correct inputs? Thanks.

--
Alex Papavasiliou

Thursday, October 16, 2008

OK, blog post project, part II

I have been getting some nice feedback (on and off campus) regarding the student blog posts. I realize that we have had only two posts so far (with many more to come) but I am anticipating the the quality of these posts will persist.

I have noticed that several of you are struggling with a decision between two or more topics and a couple of you have asked me if it was possible to do a second blog post for a grade. So far my response has been 'no.' However, due to the initial success of this project, I will treat a second blog post as a single quiz grade, if you choose to do a second blog post (entirely your option and definitely not a requirement).

As with the first blog post, you will post directly to the REAE@UTA main blog, realestateprogram.blogspot.com. Also, I will ask you to make the second blog post shorter in length, as compared to the first.

The first blog post should be between 1,500 to 2,500 words. For reference, Richard's post was 1,800 words and Ramya's was right at 2,500 words (the max). This second blog post should be between 800 and 1,500 words. I am trying to keep the posts at lengths that people will be willing to read on computer screens. Also, remember that we are more interested in quality than quantity (and yes, spelling and grammar still count!). As with the first blog post, please provide references/citations and links.

Student Question

Dr. Hansz,
I have been practicing the investment problem and was wandering where the solutions to the other two problems are. I found the solutions to the first example but can't seem to find the other 2. Thank you.
Will Swan

RESPONSE

Will,

Download the IP spreadsheet and plug in the assumptions. Use this spreadsheet to create additional practice problems. jah

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Investment Problem Exam: October 21st

The investment problem exam is one week from tonight. This exam will cover "The Investment Problem" (all steps with no notes), Chapters 19 and 20, and also the Review Materials for Real Estate Analysis (all section except for the Duration topic).


This exam will be in two or three sections. The first section definitely will be...."The Investment Problem" with the second section consisting of 25+/- multiple choice style questions (primarily from chapters 19 and 20). A third section may consist of an essay question or an additional problem section.

Study hard!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

No Office Hours this Afternoon

I will be attending the Financial Management Association (FMA) conference today and will not make my office hours from 2 to 4 PM today. I will be checking e-mail and my phone.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Exam 2 Info

Exam 2 (on October 21st) will cover Chapters 19 and 20 and include "The Investment Problem." Normally, exams are not cumulative but let's also include the "Review Materials for Real Estate" packet (everything from the packet is fair game except for the material on Duration) on Exam 2.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Exam 1 grades posted on WebCT

Exam 1 grades have been posted to WebCT this afternoon. The scores reported on WebCT are percentage scores (out of 100%).

The exams statistics were as follows:

mean 80.83%
median 81.82%
St. dev. 9.32%
Max 96.97%
Min 66.67%

We had 4 As, 8 Bs, 5 Cs, and 3 Ds. There was a 4 point curve (I allocate this to multiple choice section). Your grade was calculated by adding the number of correct answers from the multiple choice section (plus 4 point curve) with the points from sections 2 and 3 (16 points total and someone did get 16 out of 16) and dividing by 66 total points.

If you scored less than the mean, you really need to take advantage of the Investment Problem exam coming up in a couple weeks!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Chapter Solutions

Just a reminder that all of the end of the chapter solutions are posted on the course homepage (just below the link for the class notes).

Friday, September 26, 2008

Exam 1

Exam 1 is this Tuesday at 7 PM. You will have most of the class period for the exam. The exam will cover chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 15, 16, 11, and the Review Packet for Real Estate Analysis supplement. Please note that you are responsible for every topic in the "Review" packet with the exception of the material on Duration.

The exam format: primarily multiple-choice (50 questions) with an essay question and a problem. Please note that the multiple-choice questions can also be problem style questions (in fact, 12 of the 50 multiple-choice question require some type of calculation).

Please bring a Scan-tron form, pencils, and your personal TVM calculator. No calculator sharing during the exam. Please bring a basic financial calculator and no computer devices.

Exam grades will be posted on WebCT and we will review the exam during the following class.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Office Hours Today

I have an Undergraduate Assembly meeting today at 2 PM. Typically, I am back at the office around 3 PM, but these meetings vary in length. Please note this if you are planning to stop-in during office hours (2 to 4 PM) today. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

WebCT update

Ooops, my bad. I didn't release the name columns in WebCT. Now your name and quiz grade should be viewable in WebCT. Sorry!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Quiz 1 Stats

Statistics: Quiz1
Graded out of: 23.00
Number of records: 17 Highest grade: 23.00
Lowest grade: 5.00 Mean grade: 15.41
Median grade: 17.00 Standard deviation: 4.61

Check your score on WebCT (see Links in upper right corner of blog).

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Blog post schedule

Note: You will be posting on our main program blog realestateprogram.blogspot.com.

Here is the list of REAE 5311 bloggers with self imposed due dates (10% per week penalty after the due date). Remember, you can always post early, especially the November 20th crowd.

Sept 22 Richard Bowen Suburban sprawl

Oct 7 Ramya Aroul New Urbanism

Oct 14 Jordan Goslee No topic yet, Ross McCuistion No topic yet

Oct 20 Julio A. Rivas Real estate and international diversification

Oct 21 Joe Carey Short Sales

Oct 28 Kevin Jacobi Rural Real Estate Prices in West Texas

Oct 31 Wade Dennis No title yet

Nov 10 Alex Papavasiliou Building Information Management

Nov 14 Delon Mollett DFW: Comparative Effects of the Real Estate Bubble in Major Metro Areas

Nov 15 Fahad Almudhaf Relationship between real estate and stock market: international evidence

Nov 17 HsiangYu Yan No title yet

Nov 20 Traci L. Yates Housing and economic act of 2008

Nov 20 Hum Nathpanta Effects of real estate on stock market: evidence from the US stock market

Nov 20 William Kim Multiple city centers

Nov 20 Lisa Briggs Barnett Shale: effects on property values in DFW

Nov 30 Sanjukta Kar Sub prime mortgage crisis

Sunday, September 14, 2008

WebCT: Grade Reporting Only!

The class roster has been loaded into WebCT.  Please log on at www.uta.edu/webct using your UTA user name and ID to make sure that you are on the roster.

Please never contact me through the WebCT e-mail function.  Since I only use WebCT for posting grades, I do not check the WebCT e-mail on a regular basis.  Thank you.