Buying, Improving, and selling a house group project. February 2014.
First Christian Academy Technology and Computers class.
We’re going to work on a group project that involves the pretend purchase of a house, improving the house, and then marketing and selling the house.
The project will use many of the skills you’ve learned in technology/computer class. In a few weeks, each group will present their project to the class.
Here are the main components of the project:
Research. Use www.zillow.com to find a house for sale near your house or near the school. Find a house that is priced below $200,000. You’ll want to capture the address of the house, save at least five pictures of the house, save a map view of the house location, the square footage of the house, and details about the house. Then calculate the price per square foot. For example (and you can’t use this one in your project).
5034 Dove Dr, New Port Richey, FL 34652.
Price: $49,900
Square feet: 1128
Price per square foot: $44.24 (you’ll need to calculate this, it’s not in the listing)
Calculate cost of improvements.
Then you’re going to upgrade the kitchen by upgrading cabinets. Plan on up to $5,000 for new cabinets.
Buy a new AC / Heat unit. $2,500 (for a 1500 square foot house) to $5,000.
Paint three of the rooms. You’ll need 5 gallons of paint. What does that cost at Home Depot or Lowes? Call or stop by and get a price for a “5 gallon bucket of interior satin paint.”
You’ll also need to hire a handyman to do some of the improvements. He/She charges $35 an hour. It’ll take six hours to paint. It’ll take 15 hours to install the new cabinets. Calculate your labor cost to pay the handyman to do all the improvements.
Turn all of this into a spreadsheet that lists the original cost you spent on the house, then add the improvements, calculate the costs for labor, and include a grand total of what the house cost you to improve.Your spreadsheet should include a line for each improvement (cabinets, paint, labor).
Market the new and improved house.
Create a 1-2 minute video that uses pictures and narration (one of the members voice on top of the pictures). You can make this serious and accurate, or have fun and improve the place with pictures of the ‘new’ house from a completely different house. You can use pictures of the house you live in or pictures of houses you find online. Use at least 20 pictures in your video, or 1-2 minutes of video edited together.
Here are three examples of homes for sale videos with narration:
Collect your pictures; write your script. Then you can record your narration in class with me (I’ll bring a professional microphone and get your piece recorded...then will give you the .wav or .mp3 file to use in your project). A two minute narration would be between 200 and 250 words. Upload the finished video to youtube or vimeo.
Create the website. Create a website that shows off the newly improved house. Choose either wordpress.com or google sites to host it. The website will have at least 3 pages. The welcome page that will have at least one picture of the newly improved house and the video mentioned above embedded, a second page with at least 10 pictures and some text describing the house, and a third page that has a google map linked to the address of the house and contact details for a potential buyer. Don’t list your phone number or contact details on it, put a fake phone number (727-555-1212 is fine).
Create a flyer. Make it look appealing with at least 2 pictures and details about the house. Here’s a good template to consider for the design:
http://www.forsalebyowner.com/education/selling-your-home/marketing-your-home/45-a-great-sales-flyer
In one week (Due February 5, 2014 at beginning of class), your group needs to have:
▢The house selected on Zillow and have the research done on costs and data that I detailed. ▢created a shared document and give everyone access. Put your data in this document. Include your email address. Each week I’ll look at this document in class and see the progress.
▢You will have the narration script completed in the next week because you’re recording it next week. The script needs to be done before class starts in week two.
Week two (Due February 12, 2014 at beginning of class):
▢the narration script and spreadsheet done and show it to me. I may suggest some improvements for the way it’s presented.
▢You’ll also record the narration for the house for sale video.
Week three (Due February 19, 2014 at the beginning of class):
▢Show me progress on the video
▢Progress on website
▢Progress on flyer
Week four (Due February 26, 2014 at beginning of class): present your project to the class.
Who is doing what? On the next page, print and sign your name in the slot that you’re taking for the project. You are solely responsible for that portion of the project. Everyone will have contributed the work that is needed by everyone else after the first week. If there are any problems working together, it needs to be brought to my attention prior to class. Your grade depends on the work you have agreed to do.
Here's a link to the sign up sheets showing what you agreed to do.
Marketing an Improve Home Group Project, February 2014.
First Christian Academy
Project assigned Wednesday, January 29, 2014.
___________________________________ (name) has agreed to do the research portion of the project which includes saving at least 5 pictures of the house, the map of the house, and calculate the price per square foot of the house. The pictures and data MUST be in the shared document prior to the beginning of the next class period.
___________________________________ (name) has agreed to do the calculating of the improvements (cabinets, paint, labor) and design the spreadsheet as described on the project page.
___________________________________ (name) has agreed to do the marketing video for the new improved house. This includes the narration and taking (or finding online) the 20 + pictures used in the video. Remember, they can be pictures from your house, a friends house, or pictures you find online. Then you’ll piece together the video in a program (picasa, windows movie maker, etc.). The video should be uploaded to youtube or vimeo.
___________________________________ (name) has agreed to do the Flyer and the website. Spend time making it look professional if you want a good grade. Include the facts about the house and at least two pictures. Include the address, who to contact to ask about the house. Complete the website as described in the project documents.
You will all present your portion of the project when up in front of the class. You’ll each speak for 60-90 seconds walking us through your portion of the project and showing details. Then we’ll play the video.
