14 Feb 2018
Isobel Green, a BSc (Hons) Real Estate second year student at the Royal Agricultural University has won the Fox Grant prize 2018 for the best Marketing Report in respect of a real life property.
This is the third year that Rural and Equestrian Property Consultants Fox Grant have supported the innovative learning and teaching methods employed by the module tutor Matthew Smith. It is his desire to embed employability into the assessment by making the assignment as true to life as possible. Liz Langford and William Grant of Fox Grant kindly offered the use of one of their property listings as a scenario and students were asked to advise a fictitious owner as to the most lucrative means of disposal in a formal marketing report with draft marketing particulars.
Isobel won a bottle of champagne and a week’s expenses paid work experience with Fox Grant. Her win was down to her attention to detail and the graphic appeal of her marketing particulars and her consideration of possible sale options and her justification of the best option for her client. The amount of effort and depth of research that had gone into her submission were also highly praised.
Firms will often provide visiting speakers which is always beneficial for the students. However, providing the scenario on which an assessment can be based and involving the firm in the assessment provides some unique perspectives. It allows practitioners to bring the real world into the classroom and be part of the assessment feedback process – these students were being told how to market property by the very people marketing the property. This kind of insight just can’t be found in text books and is invaluable for the students. It also emphasises the need for transferable professional skills and provides a networking opportunity for all the students as well as an opportunity for the winning student to gain hands on work experience, and for Fox Grant to size up the emerging real estate talent.
Matthew Smith, module tutor says “I can’t thank Fox Grant enough for taking the time out to support employment facing assessment in this way and I look forward to future collaborations. The students put in a huge effort and the work of the runners up was also highly praised. I congratulate Isobel on her well-deserved win and thank all the students for their commitment to the module and the assignment.”