Dr. Yiwei Zhao, Assistant Professor of Finance, recently invited Patrice Carroll to visit his Real Estate Finance & Investment class and talk about strategies for building wealth and financial freedom through real estate. Carroll currently holds the positions of Director of Productivity, Realtor, and Talent Acquisition Recruiter at Keller Williams Realty, Inc., with its headquarters located in Austin, Texas. Keller Williams is renowned as the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, with more than 1,100 offices and 187,000 agents. The franchise also holds the top position in units and sales volume in the United States. Since its establishment in 1983, the company has cultivated an agent-centric, technology-driven, and education-based culture that rewards agents as valued stakeholders.
Carroll is an alumna of Longwood University, having earned a degree in business administration and management. Additionally, she serves as an active member of the CBE Advisory Board, whose members serve as consultants for program and process improvement, keeping the College updated on new business trends and practices to integrate into the curriculum and strategic planning.
She recommended that students, “go to as many events as you can and network with alum. Just be open to hearing and meeting people. One thing you will find is that people want to help you and want to connect you with someone who may be able to help you.” When it comes to wealth-building in real estate, Carroll promoted strategies such as buy and hold, rental income, house hacking, and fix and flip, emphasizing the importance of "investing in your future. Homes appreciate 4-5% on an average year and generates passive income."
The Real Estate Finance & Investment course is designed to expose students to the complete life cycle of an investment decision, from ownership entities, tax impacts on investment decisions, capital decisions, maintaining value during ownership, risk analysis, asset valuation, and fundamentals that affect property disposition decisions. This course also provides an in-depth analysis of secondary mortgage markets, derivatives, portfolios, and various types of real estate investment funds.
Longwood University’s College of Business and Economics students take FINA 455 Real Estate Finance & Investment if they plan to pursue a Real Estate concentration. This specialized curriculum equips students with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in the real estate industry. By completing this concentration, students will be prepared for diverse career opportunities in real estate investment, mortgage banking, property management, sales, appraisal, and development.
More information about the Real Estate concentration can be found here: https://www.longwood.edu/business/business-administration/#RealEstate. For more information or to sit in on one of our classes, email the Executive Director of CBE Student Success, David Zirkle, at zirkledw@longwood.edu.
