Rural valuation education : taking city to the country

Whilst a large portion of the property, and therefore valuation, industry is based in urban areas, by far the largest portion of most countries is rural and regional areas. Presenting courses in rural and fringe urban valuation techniques will create a more rounded property professional, capable of a wider skill range which will be further developed through industry mentoring and expertise.This paper looks at the industry and student demand for such a rural valuation and land management course. It describes the course content that may be covered in such training. The paper also looks at changing practices in this field and how rural purchase decisions are changing, forcing a re-think of current valuation techniques. Finally, practical delivery issues such as flexible delivery, web-based interactive media and mentoring will be discussed.