Richard Florida Quote

"Today's key economic factors--talent, innovation, and creativity--are not distributed evenly across the global economy.  They concentrate in specific locations."

-Who's Your City (page 9), 2008.

Richard Florida will be speaking at Fresno State this fall semester.

Real Estate Internship

Our Company Guarantee Real Estate has a need for a few good interns. We are looking for students who are interested in a career in Residential Real Estate. We have openings for 3 interns this Fall. We do offer a stipend for the 150 hour internship which you will also receive academic credit for. If your interested please email me your resume.

Thanks,
Ryan Perkins
MBA, Realtor
Guarantee Real Estate
ryanmperkins@gmail.com
559-906-2449
DRE Lic. # 01812270

CoStar Donates License to Gazarian Center

Thank you to CoStar for donating a license to the Gazarian Real Estate Center.  The CoStar database is the largest commercial property listing and sales database in the country.  I will be using the CoStar data for a research project and I will also introduce this database to the student this fall in the Real Estate Appraisal class.  For more information on CoStar please visit www.costar.com.


CoStar also encourages students and other site visitors to access CoStar's free commercial real estate search engine - Showcase.com. It's a great tool that gives students and professionals the ability to search from over a million commercial properties nationwide.

You can try out the search engine at www.Showcase.com and learn more on our About Us Page.

Two Gazarian Board Members to be Honored as "Top Dogs"

Hal Kissler and Maureen Lewis will be two of 12 people honored as part of Fresno State's prestigious "Top Dog Awards."  Congratulations to Hal and Maureen who will be receiving the Arthur Safstrom Service Award on October 15th at the Save Mart Center.  The award ceremony is open to the public.

Real Estate Economics Presentation on the Clovis Market

Real Estate Economics uses Clovis, California as the subject of a special land acquisition and single family housing development study.  The three part presentation can be viewed by visiting the links below.

Part 1:  http://www.youtube.com/realestateeconomics#p/c/2CFBA4143156CC1D/0/GQuiMfucs3U

Part 2:  http://www.youtube.com/realestateeconomics#p/c/2CFBA4143156CC1D/0/GQuiMfucs3U

Part 3:  http://www.youtube.com/realestateeconomics#p/c/2CFBA4143156CC1D/0/GQuiMfucs3U

Real Estate Economics' Video Presentation on the North Central Valley Housing Market

Please see the links below for Real Estate Economic's recent housing market update and forecast for the North Central Valley.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKGQKxrZ3Eo&feature=related

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFT7-jD8j5s&playnext_from=TL&videos=-i6MsFTFKr0&feature=sub

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kebs9UBQqq0&feature=related

Happy Birthday Wish

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Gazarian Real Estate Center

Meeting with Bob Lewis Thursday, July 8th

A small group of students will be meeting with Kings County commercial landowner Bob Lewis on Thursday, July 8th at the University Business Center.  We have room for a couple more interested students.  If interested, please contact me at hansz@gazarian.info.

Real Estate Economics' Video Presentation on the Fresno Market

Please see the link below for the recent presentation on the Fresno housing market.

Fresno, California Economic And Housing Market Forecasts (part 1 of 4)
Fresno, California Economic And Housing Market Forecasts (part 2 of 4)
Fresno, California Economic And Housing Market Forecasts (part 3 of 4)
Fresno, California Economic And Housing Market Forecasts (part 4 of 4)

Please note that the presentation is presented in four video clips.

Opportunity in Commercial Brokerage: Students and Mentor Practictioners

I met with Mr. Bob Lewis yesterday in Kettleman City.  Mr. Lewis owns a large, commercially zoned tract of land off of Route 41.  Kings County has recently approved the construction of a $10 million water treatment facility for this area and Mr. Lewis has nine commercial pads sites, several of which are ready and available now.

Mr. Lewis would like to know if any highly motivated Fresno State students would like an opportunity in commercial real estate?  He is looking for ideas and assistance in marketing these sites.

If you have an interest, please contact me (hansz@gazarian.info).  He is not necessarily looking for students with a lot of experience, but he does need to move quickly and needs people who can work at his pace.

Also, this is a wonderful opportunity for the Gazarian Real Estate Center to start a mentoring program.  If there is anyone with experience in marketing commercial property who would be interesting in mentoring a small group of students on this or other similar projects please contact me.

Fresno Bee Editorial on CSUF Economic Impact

Please click on the above title for the full editorial.

Fall Graduate Course: Real Estate Analysis with the UrbanPlan

DRAFT Syllabus for Real Estate Analysis with the ULI's UrbanPlan Project
Fall 2010	California State University, Fresno
Course: MBA 289T.01	Dr. J. Andrew Hansz Ph.D., CFA
Units: 3	Office: University Business Center
Time: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Saturdays	E-mail: hansz@gazarian.info
Class Location: TBA	Telephone: (559) 325-4732
Website: www.gazarian.info	Office Hours: Wednesday TBA
Updated: 4/29/2010	(held in UBC Gazarian office)

Prerequisites

Current MBA student or by permission from the instructor.

Course Description

This course will cover the fundamentals of real estate analysis at a graduate level and is developed around the Urban Land Institute's UrbanPlan project.

Required Materials

• Real Estate Analysis: Environments and Activities, Julian Diaz III and J. Andrew Hansz, Kendall-Hunt Publishing 2010 (available at the bookstore)  For more information on this text, please visit http://www.kendallhunt.com/index.cfm?PID=219&CID=219&CEL=992&PRD=27390 
• UrbanPlan Handbook (provided in class)
• Business or financial calculator with time-value of money menu

Course Format

• The class is developed around the Urban Land Institute’s UrbanPlan project. UrbanPlan is a real estate development simulation in which students will be placed in development teams and assigned individual roles on their team. Each team creates a proposal in response to the RFP (Request for Proposals) issued by the municipality in this simulation. The objective – to win the contract to redevelop the site. Teams present their proposals to the “City Council” which selects the winning developer. The “City Council” will be composed of senior members of the Urban Land Institute's San Francisco District Council in San Francisco.
• Lectures, discussion, guest speakers, and readings will supplement the UrbanPlan project.
• The course also requires a project.  The project will involve using a theory developed by Urbanist Dr. Richard Florida and applying the theory to a neighborhood or district (for example, Downtown, Lowell, Belmont, or the proposed high-speed rail depot) in Fresno, California.  Please see the following links:
• Richard Florida: www.creativeclass.com/richard_florida
• Upcoming event at Satellite Student Union: www.creativeclass.com/richard_florida/events
• Books: www.creativeclass.com/richard_florida/books
• Article library index: www.creativeclass.com/article_library
• More information on the course project will be posted on the course website.  
• We will have an opportunity to attend the Richard Florida speaking engagement at the Student Satellite Union on October 25th.

Examinations

Two examinations will be administered.  The exam format will include multiple choice, calculation problems, and short answer questions.

Grading

The grading distribution is as follows:

90 to 100%	A
80 to 89%	B
70 to 79%	C
60 to 69%	D
Below 60%	F

Your final course grade is a weighted average using the following weights.

                          

Exam 1	25%
Exam 2	25%
UrbanPlan Project Group Grade	20%
Florida/Lowell or Belmont Project	30%
Total	100%

Important Dates 

Please put these dates in your calendar at the start of the semester!  No make-ups for these dates.  You must be in attendance.  Also, we will be running the UrbanPlan project starting September 11th and ending on October 2nd.  Missing any class during this time period will negatively impact your group.

• EXAM 1, Saturday, September 11th
• UrbanPlan Facilitation, Saturday, September 18th
• UrbanPlan City Council in San Francisco, Saturday, October 2nd (arriving Friday night)
• EXAM 2, Saturday, October 23rd
• Richard Florida presentation at the Student Satellite Union, October 25th starting at 4 PM
• Final submission of course projects, Monday, November 1st by 9 PM

Subject to Change

This syllabus and schedule are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on announcements made while you were absent.

Tentative Course Schedule

The schedule and procedures for this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.  The primary reason for a schedule change will be for the opportunity to bring in a guest speaker(s) into the classroom and/or conduct special projects.  Please note that I will do my very best to NOT make any change the examination and any other due dates announced in-class.  You are responsible for any schedule changes that are announced in-class, e-mailed, or posted on the Internet.

Tentative Course Schedule - Fall 2010 (classes held on Saturdays from 9 AM to 4 PM, except as noted) 

This is a tentative schedule for coverage of the text material and adjustments may be necessary during the semester.  Also, please visit the course website frequently for updates. 

Date	Subject	Chapter readings and other assignments
8/28	Introduction
AM	Overview of Lowell/Belmont Districts (guest speakers Sal Gonzalez & Michael Sigala, Triangle Associates)  Introduction to Richard Florida and the Creative Class
PM	Introduction to Real Estate Analysis Real Estate as an Academic Pursuit Location: The Spatial Dimension	Chapters 1, 2, & 4
9/4	Real Estate Markets; Entrepreneurial Activity; ULI's UrbanPlan
AM	Real Estate Markets and Entrepreneurial Activity	Chapters 6, 8
PM	Introduction to the UrbanPlan project UP class discussion of exercises 1 & 2 City objectives from RFP (market analysis, neighborhood groups, financial targets, risk) Creating an effective development team	UrbanPlan Handbook
9/11	Exam 1 and Urban Land Institute's (ULI) UrbanPlan (UP) project
AM	Exam 1 Exercise 5, focusing on roles Financial model	Exam 1 covers chapters 1, 2, 4, 6, & 8
PM	UP teams work on development scenarios	UrbanPlan Handbook
9/18	UP facilitation by ULI Members
AM	Preparation Facilitation Session 1	UrbanPlan Handbook
PM	Revisions and Facilitation Session 2 Facilitator feedback to class	UrbanPlan Handbook
9/25	UP preparation for city council
AM	Review "Presentation" section Guest speaker Teams finalize development scenarios	UrbanPlan Handbook
PM	Presentation preparation.
10/2	ULI's City Council Presentations in San Francisco
AM	Arrive in San Francisco Friday evening Presentation to ULI City Council
PM	Meetings and social with ULI members Return to Fresno Saturday evening
10/9	Political and Legal Environments and Final Project Preparation
AM	Political and Legal Environments	Chapter 7
PM	Final project preparation
10/16	Government and Consuming Activities
AM	Government Activities	Chapter 11
PM	Consuming Activity	Chapter 13
10/23	Successor Entrepreneurial Activity and Exam 2
AM	Successor Entrepreneurial Activity
PM	Exam 2	Covers the UP project & chapters 7, 11, 13
10/25	Dr. Richard Florida Keynote Presentation (4 PM at Student Satellite Union)
11/1	Submission of all final projects
	November 1st is the final deadline, submissions accepted earlier 10%/day late submission penalty after 11/1

Any questions regarding this course?  Please contact Dr. Hansz at (559) 325-4732.

New Real Estate Analysis Textbook Out Soon

Real Estate Analysis: Environments and Activities by Julian Diaz III and J. Andrew Hansz is scheduled to be released in July.  We will be using this text this fall in a graduate real estate course and this spring in undergraduate real estate principles.

For more details on the text, please visit www.kendallhunt.com/index.cfm?PID=219&CID=219&CEL=992&PRD=27390.

Real Estate Economics Upcoming Fresno Video Seminar on June 30th

Real Estate Economics will focus on the Fresno area market for their June 30th Economic Update and Forecast.  They have a new format.  To view the presentation, just visit their YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/RealEstateEconomics after 9 PM on Wednesday, June 30th.  They update their weekly forecast by 9 AM each Wednesday.

Al Smith Editorial on High Speed Rail and Job Creation

Please click on the above link for the Fresno Bee editorial.

The high speed rail and job creation discussion has been focused on construction and maintenance jobs with some recognition of travel and tourism job creation.  These are very important jobs, especially in the short-term; however, the major potential for job creation is long term and is greatest for the high speed rail line center, Fresno.  As compared to the immediate construction and maintenance jobs, the locational advantage will take time to develop, realize, and appreciate.

If high speed rail comes to fruition, Fresno becomes almost an equal 1.5 hour commute (where people can work or study on the the train) to Los Angeles and San Francisco for knowledge workers.  Service business will recognize that a Fresno office could efficiently serve three major markets, including Sacramento.

As an example, consider an accounting firm.  With a Fresno based auditing staff, this team could work in LA several days one week and San Francisco or Sacramento the next week while maintaining permanent offices and homes, at relatively low costs, in family friendly Central Valley.  Many California service business exploiting this opportunity will become more efficient and competitive and California workers improve their quality of life options.

We have so many problems, issues, and opportunities that deserve our attention.  High speed rail will create tremendous financial, environmental, and political challenges.  As issues and problems arise, I hope that all constituents will remember what is at stake, especially in terms of long-term job creation potential in Fresno.  No location has more to gain than the center.

FIN 180/183 Lowell/Belmont Blog Posts

For those doing the Lowell/Belmont blog posts, please check out your work on the following site.

http://sites.google.com/site/lowellneighborhood/home/jose

Jose has most papers posted (he is missing Word files from Valerie and Carter).  Please review your blog post on-line and contact Jose if you need to to any editing or add exhibits or pictures.  Also, several forgot to include a title!  If you missing a title please contact Jose with your title.  A title is very important.

Once these final details are addressed, we will share this site with interested parties.

Thanks to Jose for putting together the website for us!

FIN 180/183: Final Grades

Final grades for both FIN 180 and 183 have been posted to BlackBoard.

FHFA Reports on Housing Prices

Click on the title above for update on the FHFA housing price index.

FIN 183: Exam 4

Exam 4 grades have been posted to BlackBoard.

FIN 180: Quiz

Quiz grades have been posted to BlackBoard.

Commercial Valuation Job Opening

                                                                                                First Service PGP Valuation Inc.                             

                                                                                                3000 Lava Ridge Court, Suite 220

Roseville, CA 95661

TEL   916.724.5500

FAX  916.724.5600

www.FirstServicePGP.com

FirstService PGP Valuation Inc, one of the largest nation-wide commercial real estate appraisal firms, is expanding by extending the Sacramento/Roseville region to include Fresno. Immediate opening for a licensed, experienced commercial appraiser.

Minimum Requirements: 5+ years’ experience; licensed certified general real estate appraiser; bring in a book of business. Please submit your resume if interested.

RESIDENTIAL APPRAISERS NEED NOT APPLY

Email resume to: Robin Kanzler @ robin.kanzler@firstservicepgp.com

Wells Fargo Economic Update (click on title to download report)

Click on the title above for full report.

Wells Fargo Economic Update (click on title to download report)

Click on the above title for full report.

FIN 180: Exam 3 Grades and Reminder for Wednesday

Exam 3 grades have been posted to BlackBoard.

Also, don't forget that we have our Quiz this Wednesday.  The Quiz will cover the appraisal chapter.  Please bring a pencil or two to class.  You do not need a calculator or Scan-tron sheet.

If you are doing the optional project, you will have 5 minutes at the beginning of class to present a general overview of your project.

FIN 183 - Week 16 (May 10, 2009): Cumulative Final Exam

• Exam 4 on Monday.  Cumulative final exam with emphasis on chapter 22 Liability, Agency Problems, Fraud, and Ethics in Real Estate Finance.
• Please bring your PHOTO ID, pencils, calculator, and Scan-tron answer sheet.
• Check www.gazarian.info for additional readings.