Saddleback College
Business Science Division
Course Syllabus
RE 250
Real Estate License Preparation
"DRE Exam Prep"
Distance Education

Ticket Number

COURSE DATE

LIVE ORIENTATION DATE
(REQUIRED)
18375 3/23/2009 to 5/1/2009 Saturday, March 21, from 1-2:30pm in BGS 200


Offered for letter grade or credit/no credit.

Instructor: Barbara Cox
Email: bcox@saddleback.edu  
NOTE:  You'll get a fast response by email! Guaranteed.

Office Hours
Wednesday: 3:20 PM to 4:20 PM
Thursday, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Office: BGS, Room 210
Virtual Office Hours on CCCConfer, to be announced.

 

Contents::

 

Course Description
Real estate salesperson or broker license examination preparation. Fundamental information regarding practice of real estate with emphasis on real estate law, principles, practice, and other topics covered in the state licensure examination. Essential test-taking strategies.  Important preparation for those intending to take the real estate salesperson’s license examination.

We strongly recommend that you have completed or are currently enrolled in RE170, Real Estate Principles.

Goal
The goal of this course is to prepare students to answer questions about topics they will encounter on the State real estate licensure examination. 

Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Apply practical test-taking strategies.
  • Describe and distinguish between real and personal property
  • Explain the process of transfer of title by sale, gift, inheritance
  • Define terminology related to land descriptions, encumbrances, easements, liens, ownership, transfer of ownership, probate, public records, title and title insurance, exchanges and other agreements, escrow, appraisal and appraisal methods, various types of leases, real estate finance, notes and mortgages, and other industry-related language
  • Describe various contracts and agreements used in real estate
  • Describe the steps of the escrow process
  • Describe the steps of the appraisal process
  • Answer questions expected on the state real estate salesperson or broker licensure examination

Topics

o Real and personal property
o Land descriptions
o Land rights
o Land interests
o Encumbrances, easements, liens
o Ownership, Transfer of ownership
o Probate
o Public records
o Title and title insurance
o Exchanges and other agreements
o Escrow
o Appraisal
o Leases
o Finance
o Notes and mortgages
o Taxation

 

Materials

Required:  

  • Text: Broker Exam Prep Course, 18th Edition, 2007, plus update. [The Real Estate Center  (no ISBN)]. OR Sales Exam Prep Course, 18th Edition, 2007, plus update. Author: John Henderson. 
     Available ONLY at the Saddleback College Bookstore. You can order from the Bookstore online or get the book in person.  

  • Access Code for Rockwell Practice Exams ... purchase at the Saddleback College Bookstore.

Optional  References
The Plain Language Dictionary of Real Estate.  Bella Vista Publishing Company, Inc. (c) 2004. ISBN: 0-9718225-0-6   Available in the bookstore.

Real Estate Law; California Department of Real Estate (latest edition). NOTE: This book is FREE online in Adobe Acrobat format. Get it at http://www.dre.ca.gov/relaw.htm

Reference Book: A Real Estate Guide; California Department of Real Estate; 0-916478-02-5 (or latest edition)  NOTE: This book is FREE online in Adobe Acrobat format. Get it at http://www.dre.ca.gov/reftoc.htm

Recommended for anyone who plans to enter the real estate industey: Real Estate the Ethical Way. Hunt, Robert. Bella Vista Publishing Company, Inc. (c) 2008. Available in the bookstore.

The telephone number for the Saddleback College Bookstore is 949/582-4715.
Getting Started    
Blackboard Blackboard contains your online course learning material, course pre- and post-tests, and chapter pre-and post-tests. Direct Access: http://socccd.blackboard.com.

Click here for information on how to log into Blackboard
Rockwell Keycode The Rockwell keycode gives you access to four online practice ("mock") exams. You can take each exam three times. These exams are just like the State exams. Two of them will count as your Final Exam. Follow the instructions that come with the keycode (that you buy at the bookstore)..


 

Course Requirements and Grading

  1. Attendance at orientation  
  2. Completion of all tests available via Rockwell. The two exams with your highest scores on the first attempt will count toward your grade. These are considered your Final Exam.
  3. Completion of all online work via Blackboard. The chapter post tests and the course post tests will count toward your grade. The pretests will NOT count toward your grade.

About the Final

  • The Final has a Blackboard component and a Rockwell component. On Blackboard, complete both parts (two of them) of the "Course Post Tests." The two highest scores on your first attempts on the Rockwell online mock exams will count together as the other part of your Final Exam.

Grade Computation

Your grade will be based on your Blackboard Post Tests and Final Exam scores. Your grade will be computed according to the percentage correct/possible of all questions.. The two Rockwell scores combined with the COURSE post tests will together count as 75 percent of your grade. The chapter post tests are worth 25 percent of your grade. Your lowest chapter post test score will not be counted.

NOTE: The Final Exam is one constructed to prepare you to take the State Exam. Therefore, the grading scale is not as rigorous as we apply for other classes. For example, you will need 85 percent to get an A.

You may take this course either for a letter grade or as credit/no credit.
If you want to enroll as credit/no credit, you are responsible for notifying the Records Office. Your instructor cannot do this for you.

The course does not fill any state education requirements for the real estate license.  

***IMPORTANT GRADE INFORMATION***
The Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 restricts the release of certain student information such as grades. Therefore, please do not call for grade information. Your performance score/grade will be mailed to you if you provide your instructor with a self-addressed, stamped envelope or postcard at the Final Exams, or you may go to http://www.socccd.cc.ca.us/grades.

If you decide to drop this course, you must go to the Office of Admissions and Records in the Student Services Building.

If you fail to officially drop and do not complete the course, you will receive an "F" on your permanent record. This is a College rule. Your instructor cannot change it.

 

Disability Accommodations
If you have specific disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know early in the semester, so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Special Services Office in Student Services Center, Room 113.

Students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury and attention deficit disorder, are encouraged to contact the instructor to discuss appropriate accommodations that might be helpful to them.

Students with disabilities who may need academic accommodations should discuss options with their professors during the first two weeks of class.

Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with the instructor. All discussions are and will remain confidential.

 

Academic Dishonesty

Any acts of academic dishonesty will be subject to the terms specified in the Saddleback College Course Catalog and the Saddleback College Student Handbook. All terms specified in those documents apply to this course and are herby incorporated in this syllabus.