In the world of real estate, knowledge is power! No matter where you are in your real estate investment journey, everyone can benefit from learning from the masters at MIT. Luckily for us all, MIT’s world-class instructors have shared much of their real estate investing-related knowledge with the public—for free! In this article, we reveal some of the most popular, and free, real estate investing courses offered by MIT.
Free Real Estate Investing Courses from MIT
Through MIT OpenCourseWare (MIT OCW), MIT’s online learning resource platform, you can soak in the expertise of America’s most esteemed professors without spending a dime. Not to mention, you can download real estate investing courses that are self-paced and perfect for busy investors. While these online real estate investing courses through MIT do not offer certificates, Northern Virginia property managers and investors can still take away valuable lessons that set them apart from the rest. Let’s take a look at what they have to offer –
Real Estate Finance and Investment
This free online real estate course serves as an introduction to core “fundamental concepts, principles, analytical methods and tools useful for making investment and finance decisions regarding commercial real estate assets.” It emphasizes individual (micro) properties, as opposed to investment, portfolio, and firm-level (macro) properties.
It centers on institutional (i.e. pension funds and life insurance companies), Wall Street, and Main Street perspectives. Additionally, the main goal of the course is to identify what differentiates real estate from other “securities investments and corporate finance.” There are many ways to invest and this real estate investment course is perfect for those looking to diversify their industry expertise.
Real Estate Economics
MIC OCW’s comprehensive course has 12 units, each focusing on a different type of real estate. It goes through residential markets, prices, and land use. Then, it moves on to residential development and retail development. Next, this online course discusses the office market, local government market, and local land market before diving into the study of regulating these developments. Finally, it analyzes macro housing and non-residential properties, the time-series qualities of real estate markets, and the relationship between real estate and regional growth.
Real Estate Capital Markets
Real Estate Capital Markets was designed specifically for individuals who have little background in finance. It is an accelerated, half-semester course that provides “a basic introduction to the public capital market sources of financial capital for real estate, and how those markets value such capital investments.”
Advanced Topics in Real Estate Finance
This half-semester real estate investing course introduces and surveys a selection of real estate topics in the field of finance and investments. It was created for Real Estate majors and allows investors, students, and individuals to explore topics of their choosing.
E-Commerce and the Internet in Real Estate and Construction
E-Commerce is a free online course made to be accessible to real estate beginners. It investigates how online business concepts can be applied to real estate and construction strategy.
Participants learn how information technologies can grant companies a competitive edge. These insightful topics include –
- Supply chain optimization
- 3D solid modeling tied to databases
- Knowledge management
- Auctions and procurement
- Information intermediaries
- Multi-party contractual agreements
Those factors are then analyzed through strategic and financial business planning.
Video Lectures for Real Estate Learning
In addition to the courses mentioned above, below are a few video playlists and recorded lectures of interest. While these clips may not be specifically about real estate, they still pertain to issues deeply intertwined with real estate investing. Understanding land use and basic financial principles can help propel investors, developers, and real estate beginners to success.
Development Economics Course
Development Economics’ 3-part land markets lecture offers viewers easy-to-understand principal-agent models of land usage. Furthermore, this course discusses empirical evidence to test each practical example. General topics include why the allocation of land matters and why securing property rights is so important.
Development Economics: Macroeconomics
According to the macroeconomics course material summary, the class inspects “dynamic models of growth and development.” It covers topics such as migration, modernization, and technological change. Additionally, this course discusses models of income distribution and institutional change as they relate to the functioning of financial markets. Interested in learning more? You can find a lecture playlist of the course’s first half on YouTube.
Finance Theory I
According to the online course lecture playlist, this course introduces viewers to “the fundamentals of modern financial analysis and applications to business challenges.” However, it doesn’t stop there! This course also discusses risk analysis, corporate investment decisions, and basic security analysis for investment management.
Moreover, the course has four parts. It kicks off with a summary of the financial system, and firm and household financial challenges, along with modern finance principles that dictate how these groups respond to these challenges. Next, it examines how stocks, bonds, forwards, futures, and options are valued. After that, it explores various ways to incorporate risk analysis in valuation models, such as “portfolio theory, mean-variance optimization, and the Capital Asset Pricing Model.” Finally, it ends with examples of how these facets can be applied to financial decisions, such as capital budgeting and real options.
Partner with Real Estate Experts at BMG
While some of these financial theories may not apply to every investor, it’s important to remember that knowledge is power. In an ever-changing financial climate, learning to diversify is critical for savvy investors. Fortunately for those eager to learn, online MIT programs aren’t the only way you can gain knowledge and skills about real estate investing.
At Bay Management Group, we specialize exclusively in property management and have done so for over a decade. Online courses can teach you the big-picture theories behind the real estate industry, but our team has an in-depth understanding of how the rental industry works in practice. Our dedicated managers collaborate with owners to streamline real estate operations and even fill the gaps you may not have experience in. Contact us today to find out how our team can help simplify your property management tasks and responsibilities!
