Meeting & Agendas

The Real Estate Commission and Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TREC) is implementing some major changes to the salesperson and broker licensing procedures. These changes will be in place September 1, 2012. Beginning in January 2012, applicants for a broker license will need to have four years of experience as a licensed salesperson, up from the current two year requirement, plus demonstrate practical competency by providing a detailed list of brokerage activities engaged in by the applicant during this same period. This will ensure consumers who deal with brokers and their sponsored salespersons a level of service more solidly backed up by additional practical experience. Brokers, and other direct supervisors of licensed salespersons, who seek to renew a license after September 1, 2012 will need to have completed a new 6- hour course in “Broker Responsibilities”, in addition to the combined 6-hour courses in Legal and Ethics updates. All of these courses are updated every two years by a panel of experts convened by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. Applicants for a sales license after September 1, 2012 will need to have completed two additional mandatory 30-hour courses in TREC Promulgated Contracts and in Real Estate Finance, courses that are currently optional. This additional education will directly benefit consumers. These changes will require the Real Estate department to change some course offerings by adding some courses to the schedule, and update the degree plans before September 1, 2012. Specific changes in order to be in compliance will include: • Change Rele 1311 Law of Contracts (3 LEH) to Rele 1211 Law of Contracts (2 LEH) • Change Rele 2301 Law of Agency (3 LEH) to Rele 2201 Law of Agency (2 LEH) • Add Rele 1200 Contract Forms and Addenda (Promulgated Contracts) (2 LEH) • Add Rele 1219 Real Estate Finance (2LEH) These are all WECM courses. New syllabi will need to be written for these courses. The certificate and Associate degree will need to reflect these changes. The fall schedule will need to reflect these changes. Changes will need to go to Curriculum Committee for approval. The Advisory Board and Department Members moved to accept these changes. They stressed the importance of implementation by September 1, 2012 when the new requirements from TREC are mandated.

During the Fall 2011 semester the department chair was informed that the Real Estate course caps could no longer be 25. Those caps would revert to the official course caps of 36 beginning with the spring 2012 semester. Course caps in Real Estate have been at 25 for many years. Ina Midkiff, the Department Chair attended a curriculum meeting on January 27, 2012 to request course caps of 25. The committee voted against her proposal. The Real Estate Department/Advisory Board members want to express their disapproval of the Administration for arbitrarily raising the course caps to 36 and also their concern about changing the minimum to make for a course to 18. This will have a negative impact on workforce programs. As you know, ACC says we are working very hard to keep completion rates up. To change anything as dramatic as our course limits will have drastic results. This will affect how much attention our teachers can give to individual students, impact our curriculum, and make it more difficult for students to pass the Texas Real Estate Salesperson Licenses. The Real Estate Advisory Committee has been paying attention to current class limits at 25 and how critical those limits are in maintaining high completion rates. Real Estate currently maintains high completion rates. We hope you won’t change something that is working.

Here’s the final list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats from the Real Estate SWOT meeting. These items will be included in the Real Estate Program Review. S.W.O.T. REPORT Program: Real Estate Departmental Meeting Date: February 10, 2012 Self‐Study Chair: Ina Midkiff Facilitator: Guillermo Martinez III Number of Attendees: 14 STRENGTHS CURRICULUM ‐ 11 votes • Degree Program – 5 votes • Free Exam prep class – 2 votes • Curriculum – The Real Estate department adheres to TREC requirements. – 2 votes • Curriculum – Exam Prep Course do better prepare students for state exam – 1 vote • College Credit – 1 vote • Increased completers • Flexible Scheduling (nites/weekends) • Good textbooks • Curriculum – Real Estate Dept. has developed and implemented high distance learning standards. • Internet Courses • R.E. Exam Prep (Free) • Dual Accreditation • Locations – All Courses are offered online. • New Course up and running in 30 days • Curriculum – We no longer partner with Continuing Education and their external partners. • Separation from ACC C.E. EXCELLENT FACULTY ‐ 10 votes • Depth of Experience – 5 votes • Experience in Discipline – 2 votes • Excellent faculty – 2 votes • Knowledge of Instructors – 1 vote • Long Term Teaching Experience • Positive Accessible Faculty • Different Class Locations • Instructors’ Love of Teaching • Faculty dedicated knowledgeable • Most instructors are knowledgeable and really do everything possible to help students succeed • Actual market experience of instructors that are both brokers and active realtors • Dedication of the instructors to the department • RE Knowledge • Practical Knowledge • Faculty – Experienced/Diverse faculty that are active in the fields they teach • Experienced instructors COMMUNITY AND FACILITIES ‐ 4 votes • Serves community need – 1 vote • Community – Program has strong Advisory Committee and Community Support – 1 vote • Serves a need for the active greater Austin R.E. market – 1 vote • Convenient classes (when they “make”) – 1 vote • ACC great facilities equipment technology • Excellent students • Marketable skills • Small classes • Williamson County (strong housing market – fastest growing in country) • Most of our students have chosen their career path and work hard (ie students are motivated) • Great facilities TUITION/COSTS ‐ 0 votes • Price/Availability of classes (when they make) • Inexpensive Low Tuition • Costs – Tuition is competitive as compared to other Real Estate Program WEAKNESSES ADMINISTRATION ‐ 21 votes • Internal – ACC administration rules working against our department success – 6 votes • Class limits too high – 4 votes • Classes are canceled – 4 votes • Class size requirements set too high – 2 votes • A lack of Administration Understanding and Support is having a negative impact on this program. – 2 votes • Weak support from administration – 1 vote • Fall 2011 course caps in Rele were changed to 36 from 25. This will have a negative impact on enrollments – 1 vote • Classes don’t make consistently students become frustrated. – 1 vote • Profit is profit No department = No profit and a loss of students • Administration increasing class size • Some classes are ONLY offered online. • Those in the chain of command who value a dollar more than the founding principle of a community college • New globals will kill classes ‐ /our department – ACC will lose students and their money – This isn’t Harvard, students will not change majors so that they can graduate from ACC • New Rules about class size to make are making it impossible to offer upper‐level courses – or new classes • New Globals are not sustainable and will eliminate a profitable department • Class cancellations • Long semesters vs. private schools 16/12 wks vs 4/5 day or weekends • Classes don’t make • RE is not the only department be threatened by pure greed. (Did we learn nothing from Bank of America, AIG wallstreet) • Unworkable student globals • College has implemented an arbitrary 18 to make ‐ very harmful to workforce • Administrators • School administration wrecking the program SCHEDULING ‐ 4 votes • Offer too many sections within a semester, which splits enrollment, causing neither class to make. – 2 votes • Lecture courses scheduled at too many campuses should be centralized i.e. RGC and NRG – 2 votes • Offer classes in more campuses • Need bigger program • Increase # of classes offered TECHNOLOGY ‐ 2 votes • Little or no training curriculum (mostly just education) – 2 votes • Internet delivery not always adequate EMPLOYMENT ‐ 2 votes • Real Estate and Economy Markets Affect Enrollment – 2 votes • Economy – Competition – ROI of degree FACILITIES ‐ 0 votes • Classrooms used as storage facilities i.e. RVS • Dirty classrooms OPPORTUNITIES CURRICULUM ‐ 10 votes • More than textbook learning, with experience, knowledgeable instructors – 7 votes • Market Degree Program for RE Industry – 2 votes • Revamp schedule fewe sections offered with ability to add more sections as scheduled sections fill – 1 vote • Associate Degree in Real Estate • Teach New Real Estate Professionals • Get a degree (more educated industry) (more credibility) • Bilingual Instructors • Expand curriculum to attract existing licensees • Internal/External TREC → Higher educ. required may push students to traditional educational agency MARKETING ‐ 9 votes • Increased pass rate for R.E. license – 7 votes • Become best real estate program in Texas – 2 votes • Inform service area brokerages of course all offers for agents required TREC additional education • Continue to build better community relations • Bigger Population Bigger Program More Students • Better promotion and recruitment of the program • More marketing through advertising to the ACC service areas • Market to older demographic (Define “Workforce”) PARTNERSHIPS ‐ 8 votes • Build more partnership w/ Industry – 6 votes • National real estate market → National real estate program – 1 vote • Utilize outside recruiters for students – 1 vote • Ongoing review of articulation agreements and degree options. • Medical Insurance • Class Vouchers FACILITIES ‐ 0 votes • Approach RE training as new home buyer training in High School campus environment. Young people need to understand “The Rules” • High Foreclosure Rates = Investment Opportunities = Need for training for those interested in pursuing new opportunity. • We have great classrooms to use. Need better student recruitment to fill them. • Opportunity to have more classes make if students understand that cut dates sometimes happen 5 days before registration ends ie give students more information during enrollments. • Cluster classroom course at north/south locations THREATS COMPETITION‐ 11 votes • Competition in Holding RE Classes – 9 votes Pre‐Licensing – TAR – RE Schools – NAR CE – Associations – Title Companies – RE Schools • Create courses that will satisfy the new educational requirements that become effective 9/1/2012 in the Tx R.E. License Act. – 1 vote • Increased competition from proprietary schools and other schools offering Rele courses – 1 vote • The Austin Real Estate School Texas Tech and everyone else who offers students a chance to enroll in a class and have it make • Competition from other institutions • Competition • Succeeding (even with degree in this industry) • External Competition becoming more attractive to students • Cost vs. ROI (competition of RE Schools) • Private schools recognizing and exploiting our weaknesses MARKET/ECONOMY ‐ 9 votes • Real Estate is a commission based Industry, which may deter entry in a questionable market. – 9 votes • The recession has had a major effect on real estate enrollment • Economy • Housing economy getting worse • Market conditions • Downturn in Real Estate market • The Economy on a downslide prevents individuals from making personal changes unless they have to. • Bad economy COMMUNITY ISSUES ‐ 8 votes • Student frustration with cancelled classes. Look elsewhere. – 6 votes • Cancelled classes – 2 votes • NO classes south of downtown • No students • No Job