2023 Finance Meritage Competition

The 2023 Meritage Residential Real Estate Competition consisted of six student teams from the Financial Real Estate Class and students in the Commercial Real Estate Club (CREC) researching and reporting on a current real estate issue and then presenting their findings to a panel of industry professionals. Students this year were asked: What will the long term impact be of higher interest rates (mortgage rates) on the U.S. homeownership rate?

This year’s competition was organized by Aamir Kahn and Kate Freyermuth and hosted in McClelland Hall’s Soldwedel Family Gallery on April 21.

Each team had 15 minutes to present, followed by a round of questions from a panel of judges comprised of Arizona real estate professionals and executives from Meritage Homes, HSL Properties, Larsen Baker and Diamond Ventures. Steve Hilton ’83 BSBA (Finance), executive chair for Meritage Homes, was a judge and has been a long-time sponsor of the competition.

“This year’s class was extremely well prepared," says Hilton. "The judges were really impressed with the students knowledge on the topic and the quality of the research they completed."

The winning team was comprised of Shannon Bauer ‘23 BS (Spatial Design & Real Estate Development), Jacob Farling ‘25 (Pre-Business), Preet Agarwal ’24 BSBA (Finance & MIS), and Roy Freedman ‘24 BSBA (Finance), who took home a $3,000 prize.

Teams that placed second and third won $2,000 and $1,000 respectively, and fourth won $500.

 “The event was superb and Steve Hilton and the other judges were extremely impressed with our students," says Kathy Kathle, Thomas C. Moses professor in Finance and finance department head. "Steve Hilton said it was probably the best set of presentations he had seen in the 10 or so years that he has been sponsoring this competition, and Aamir deserves credit for that.”