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Day 1: Real Estate Career Exploration — H&L + Gallery Walk

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Explore real estate careers in H&L's Business, Marketing, and Finance cluster; distinguish commission-based from salary-based roles via Gallery Walk; complete Real Estate Career Research Sheet for one career
TEKS d(1)(C), d(2)(A)
Deliverable Completed Real Estate Career Research Sheet for 1 career
Materials Chromebooks, H&L accounts + Workbook (Ch 5, p. 72 pathways), printed Gallery Walk career profile cards (Agent, Broker, Appraiser, Property Manager), Real Estate Career Research Sheet, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: How much do you think a typical house costs in your neighborhood? Take a guess. Then estimate: if a real estate agent earned 3% commission, how much would they earn from selling that house?

Collect 2-3 guesses. DFW average home prices run $300K-$450K depending on neighborhood. At 3% commission, that is $9,000-$13,500 per sale. This primes students for the commission math on Day 2 and shows them immediately that real estate can be lucrative with just a few sales a year.

Activity 1: H&L Business/Finance Cluster — Real Estate Pathway (15 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 5, p. 72, "What are the Pathways?"

Direct students to open Hats & Ladders and navigate to the Business, Marketing, and Finance cluster. The workbook confirms six pathways in this cluster:

  • Accounting and Financial Services
  • Business Management
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Marketing and Sales
  • Real Estate: "Helping people buy, sell, or rent homes and buildings."
  • Retail Management

Students focus on the Real Estate pathway. Using the Hat Finder in the app, they browse real estate Hats:

  • Real Estate Agent
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Appraiser
  • Property Manager
  • Mortgage Loan Officer

For each Hat, students note: education/licensing requirements, salary data (DFW), demand level, and whether it is commission-based or salary-based.

Facilitation Tip

Students are often surprised to learn that Property Managers and Appraisers earn a fixed salary while Agents and Brokers earn commission. Draw this distinction clearly, it frames the income discussion on Day 2.

Before class, post four career profile cards around the room, one for each role:

  1. Real Estate Agent: Commission-based (2.5-3% of each sale). Median DFW: $50K-80K but highly variable. License: TREC Sales Agent.
  2. Real Estate Broker: Commission + brokerage management. Median DFW: $75K-150K+. License: TREC Broker (advanced).
  3. Appraiser: Salary-based. Median DFW: $55K-75K. License: Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board.
  4. Property Manager: Salary-based. Median DFW: $60K-90K. License: Varies by role (sometimes TREC).

Students rotate through the 4 stations in pairs, taking notes on:

  • Income model: Commission or salary?
  • Licensing: What Texas agency regulates this role?
  • Education time: How long does it take to get licensed?
  • Best for: What personality type fits this role (RIASEC)?

DOK 2: How would you describe the key difference between earning a commission and earning a salary? Which model do you think would motivate you more, and why?

Activity 3: Real Estate Career Research Sheet (12 min)

Students pick one real estate career (from the 4 Gallery Walk roles or another H&L Hat) and complete a Real Estate Career Research Sheet, similar to the Hat Research template from Ch 5. Fields:

  • Career Name
  • What Interests You?: why this career caught their attention
  • Brief Job Description: daily responsibilities
  • Income Model: commission, salary, or mixed
  • Education/Licensing Required: TREC or other Texas agency
  • DFW Salary Range: from H&L and BLS
  • One Skill Needed: sales, communication, attention to detail, math

Exit Ticket (3 min)

EXIT TICKET (Mini-Case / Scenario Application) · Printable PDF:

Scenario: A DFW couple just inherited a 4-bedroom house from a relative. They want to RENT it out (not sell) and need help managing tenants. They also want to KNOW the market value for tax purposes.

  1. Which TWO real estate careers do they need to HIRE?

Hire 1 (property management): _____

Hire 2 (market value): _____

  1. For EACH career, is the person paid on COMMISSION or SALARY?

Hire 1: commission / salary

Hire 2: commission / salary

  1. ONE risk of my #1 Hire's income model AND ONE upside:

Risk: _____

Upside: _____

  1. Which income model (commission OR salary) fits MY personal risk tolerance, and why? (d(2)(A), d(5)(A))

Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-select the career (Real Estate Agent) for students who need focus. Provide the Hat profile page pre-loaded. They fill in only the income and education fields.
  • Extension: Research Compass, Keller Williams, or Ebby Halliday, what are these companies, and how does the brokerage model work in DFW?
  • ELL: Bilingual Gallery Walk cards with Spanish summary labels. Pair ELL students with bilingual peers for the walk.