Real Estate Math

I LOVE those real estate magazines you get for free at the supermarket.  The gorgeous houses just call out to me.  The pools, the rooms, the fantastic layouts, the backyards.  One day, I will live in a magazine-worthy house.  However, until then, I can dream....and use the magazines in my classroom.

These are great tools to get the students using and thinking about large numbers.  In the beginning of the year, I have my students "go shopping" in one of the aforementioned magazines.  Given a budget of $5,000,000, the students must purchase three houses, with at least one priced over $1,000,000.  (since we are in Southern California, that isn't a problem in the least)

Once the houses are "bought" (cut out from the magazine), the students write a check for each one.  This is where they practice writing large numbers in both word and standard forms (if you wanted, you can have them write it in expanded form on the "memo" line)

Then, the students have to input the checks into their check register.  They must add up the checks to see how much they spent in total, as well as subtract the house prices from the original $5mil.  Subtraction across zeros at its finest ;) 

When the math is done, I let the students create their new neighborhood, complete with "sold signs" and everything!

Now, due to the rise of more online ways of purchasing houses, the magazines that used to be readily available are not. So I had to make my own.  So I took all of what I used to do with them, added some lesson plans for you, updated the templates, and now have it available for you here.