Homebuilder Marketing Courses Set for September at UCI

From Los Angeles Times – August 24, 2002

With September marketing the traditional start of the school year, building industry professionals can take advantage of a unique educational opportunity as two highly acclaimed Institute of Residential Marketing classes – IRM I: "Principles and Practices of the Building Industry (Understanding Today's Housing Markets and Consumers)" and IRM IV: "New Home Sales Management Strategies and Training" – begin September 24 and 18, respectively, at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) campus.

Co-sponsored by the Sales & Marketing Council of the Building Industry Association of Southern California (SMC/SC), these courses are offered in conjunction with the UCI Marketing for the Residential Builder" certificate program. Developed under the auspices of the Institute of Residential Marketing (IRM), an affiliate organization of the National Association of Home Builders, these IRM I and IRM IV classes are part of a nationally recognized, four-course series which is required of housing industry professionals seeking the prestigious MIRM (Member of the Institute of Residential Marketing) designation.

As a further benefit, each course also qualifies for 12 hours of continuing education requirements, as needed for California Real Estate License renewals. Additionally, one or both classes may apply as elective credits in the popular UCI "Light Construction and Development Management" (LCDM) certificate program, which is co-sponsored by the Building Industry Association of Southern California's Home Builders Council.

Michael J. Hixson, MBA, MIRM, senior vice president of the Irvine-based sales and marketing firm, Prudential New Homes Real Estate, and a past president of both IRM and the SMC/SC, is the instructor for IRM I. Providing insights into the structure of homebuilding operations, along with the basic principles of new home marketing and market research, this class series is presented on consecutive Tuesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Lasting for 11 weeks, classes begin September 24.

Serving as the instructor for IRM IV is Rita Lamkin, BA, MIRM, principal of PREFACE, Inc., a Laguna Hills-based consulting firm specializing in consumer marketing for developers. Covering all aspects of sales management – from recruitment and training to setting goals and managing prospects as well as purchasers, this 11-week course presents a variety of innovative solutions, along with opportunities for further diversification and profit maximization. Beginning September 18, the IRM IV classes are held Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. through November 20.

Specifically created to broaden the professional knowledge of builders, marketing directors, sales managers and others associated with the homebuilding industry, both courses feature guest lectures by prominent industry leaders and innovators. Among the well-known marketing experts tentatively scheduled for IRM I are Sanford R. Goodkin, Dr. Alfred Gobar and Howard Englander. Guest speakers to be featured during the IRM IV course include Brian Doyle, Barbara Trachy, Marianne Browne, Barbara Stowers, Bill Pisetsky and Ric Hernandez.

As an educational arm of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, the SMC/SC sponsors numerous seminars and educational programs, including all four IRM courses, along with a series of four, all-day Certified New Home Sales Professional (CSP) classes and, as introduced last year, an Advanced CSP Course on "House Construction as a Selling Tool."

To enroll in one or both of the "Marketing for the Residential Builder" classes, contact UCI Extension at (949) 824-5414. Online registration also can be made through www.unex.uci.edu. Further information regarding either class or the IRM course series may be obtained by called Hixson at (949) 567-7200 or via email at mhixson@pruoc.com.