Caveat Academy course · Grades 10 to 12 and adult learners

Real Estate Fundamentals

How homes and buildings are owned, valued, bought, financed, rented and taxed. You adjust comparable sales, read a housing market, test what you can afford, build a full mortgage payment, decide whether points or a refinance pay off, run a rental’s cash flow and compute a property tax bill, at your own pace, with a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the High school electives library, $119 for 66 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Property and ownership

    Distinguish real and personal property and fixtures, compare forms of ownership and title, and compute commissions and splits.

    • What real estate is
    • Ownership, title and deeds
    • The people in a transaction
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Value and the market

    Explain what drives market value, adjust comparable sales, apply a cap rate and read months of supply and median prices.

    • What makes property valuable
    • Appraisal: three ways to estimate value
    • Reading a housing market
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Renting, buying and affordability

    Compare renting and buying, apply affordability guidelines, and analyze the steps, disclosures and contingencies of a purchase.

    • Renting versus buying
    • How much home can you afford
    • The buying process
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Mortgages

    Compare mortgage types, build a full monthly payment, and evaluate points and refinancing with a break-even calculation.

    • Types of mortgages
    • Monthly payments and escrow
    • Points, refinancing and equity
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Renting and managing property

    Apply the Fair Housing Act to rental situations and compute net operating income and cash flow for a rental property.

    • Leases and fair housing
    • The numbers of being a landlord
    • Property management, condos and associations
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Investing, taxes and careers

    Compute cash-on-cash returns, property taxes and the effect of borrowed money on gains and losses, and describe government powers and real estate careers.

    • Real estate as an investment
    • Property taxes, zoning and government
    • Careers in real estate
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 4 · Points, refinancing and equity

Worked example: is a point worth it

  1. Example numbers: a 300,000 dollar loan at 6.5 percent costs 1,896.20 dollars a month. Paying one point, 3,000 dollars, lowers the rate to 6.25 percent: 1,847.15 dollars a month.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished course in real estate: you can tell fixtures from personal property, compare forms of ownership, compute commissions, adjust comparable sales and apply a cap rate, read months of supply, compare renting and buying, apply affordability guidelines, follow a purchase from preapproval to closing, build a full monthly payment, judge points and refinancing by break-even, apply fair housing rules, compute a rental’s cash flow and cash-on-cash return, and compute a property tax bill. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 10 to 12 in business, finance or marketing pathways, adults planning a first home purchase or a first rental, and anyone curious about a real estate career. It covers general concepts and federal rules, not the law of any state, and it does not prepare students for a state licensing exam.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the High school electives library ($119) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The High School space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, buying a house: Loan Estimates, Closing Disclosures and mortgage types: consumerfinance.gov
  2. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Fair Housing Act and housing discrimination: hud.gov
  3. Internal Revenue Service, Publication 523, Selling Your Home, and Publication 936, Home Mortgage Interest Deduction: irs.gov
  4. Federal Trade Commission, using consumer reports: what landlords need to know: ftc.gov
  5. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, investor bulletin on real estate investment trusts: investor.gov

Real Estate Fundamentals is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It explains general concepts and federal rules as of 2026, not the law of any state, and is not legal, tax or financial advice; numbers marked as example numbers are for practice only. It does not prepare students for a licensing exam, does not replace a school course and awards no credit. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.