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GRADE LEVEL: Middle School |
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THE
ACTIVITIES
CAN
I SELL YOU THIS HOUSE?
Description: Students will role-play real estate agents and home buyers in a hypothetical residential development outside a large U.S. city. Each role will demonstrate the buyer and agent perspectives of living in a suburban setting. The real estate agents will write a marketing brochure for the development; the buyer will script a conversation with the agent on environmental considerations and sprawl issues.
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The research and role-play of this activity will help students to:
- Understand the general sprawl issues and impact problems related to large suburban housing developments
- Gain information on how the real estate industry markets residential property
- Learn what sales messages are promoted in real estate sales
- Learn important aspects about home buying for future use
PROCEDURE AND TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
Teachers will need to direct students to resources that help them understand how large residential communities contribute to sprawl. Use the following Web sites and search for specific information on residential development and golf course impact.
Help
students understand what residential real estate development involves.
From surveying to laying in roads, utilities, and sewer. Find a large
gated community in your area that can serve as a concrete example of the
hypothetical situation that has been described to the students. Try to
obtain marketing materials on the development to show students. The following
site is a good introduction for understanding the real estate agent industry.
The following is a good resource for students to understand the complexities of real estate development.
Home buyers are going
to ask the real estate agent challenging questions on how Paradise Hills
stacks up to an environmental "report card." Buyer must also
provide answers to their questions that reflect the correct way the property
was hopefully developed. Help students to develop some very direct questions
of the real estate agent. Help students create a rating system on how
well the development is protecting and conserving natural resources and
how it is contributing to or helping with sprawl problems in the area.
Examples of "report card" questions might include: 
- Did the developer drain any wetlands in the process of preparing the land?
- Were there many trees cut for roads, clearing lots?
- Were they part of the old growth forest?
- Was the acreage logged?
- Where do the street storm drains empty?
- What fertilizers are used on the golf courses and how/where do the courses drain when it rains?
- Are they close to the marshes, lakes, and creeks?
- Where does the chlorinated pool water go when pools are cleaned?
- How are custom homebuilders regulated when they are building on a lot — spilling of chemicals and other waste products?
- How much water is used to irrigate golf courses?
- Are homeowners permitted to plant any grasses or landscaping plants regardless of irrigation (water use) needs?
- Are there wild animals (deer, raccoons, possums, birds, etc.) that have been displaced or isolated to certain undeveloped areas?
- Has the developer created corridors for them to move about?
- How dense is the commuter gridlock in the mornings?
- How do 300+ cars impact the surrounding commercial and other residential communities?
All these types of questions can apply to almost any development. Make sure home buyers can find well resourced answers to their questions. The answers will be shared with the agent so that the mock role-play will illustrate the agent's knowledge of best practices in residential development projects and real estate representation, as well as the developer's well-designed and eco-friendly community.
Introduce the role-playing activity and the assignments for the agent (marketing brochure) and homebuyer (environmental impact and sprawl) questions and answers.
 So much of the movement to reform the suburban picture has to do with the fact that people don't want to be living in this characterless place that doesn't give them any particular sense of identity. —Elizabeth
Plater-Zyberk |
STUDENT ACTIVITY
Research as much as you can to familiarize yourself with the real estate and residential development industries. Refer to recommended Web sites, as well as others you find. Team up in real estate and homebuyer roles. Get copies of the descriptions of Paradise Hills Country Club and the roles you will be assuming. Choose who will be the agent and homebuyer.
If you are playing the real estate agents you will design and write a marketing brochure that promotes the beauty and amenities of Paradise Hills. This is a selling piece that includes photos of the amenities (cut pictures out of magazines), featured homes, golf courses and natural areas. Remember that the goal of this brochure is to SELL property.
Those in the role of homebuyers will put together a script wherein they ask a question of the agent and provide the correct answers that reflect good land development and anti-sprawl considerations.
Homebuyers and agents trade materials to read. Homebuyers help prep agents to present the best answers possible based on the homebuyer's research on good residential development and sprawl minimization practices. Agents and homebuyers role-play in front of the class.
Agents verbally describe the development by referencing their brochure and displaying it for other students. Homebuyers ask agent questions and agents respond with well-researched answers.
EXTENSION
Role-play the same
scenarios, except make the answers to environmental impact and sprawl
problems the wrong ones — poor development practices, pollution and
destruction of natural areas, huge sprawl contributions from the development,
etc. The agent should act totally uninformed and only press for a sale.
The homebuyer should act aghast at the agent's lack of knowledge and the
developer's greed at any environmental price.
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