DALTON, Ga. — It’s a lesson the 18 students probably wouldn’t learn sitting in their pre-calculus class at Coahulla Creek High School — how to buy a home and a car.

Recently, seniors in teacher Jason Linder’s class got first-hand advice from a realtor, loan officer and car dealer. Linder said at the start of the school year he asked seniors if they’d like to learn anything that wouldn’t be covered in class.

“They wanted to learn how to purchase a house or rent one,” he said. “They wanted to know what’s the better option, lease or rent.”

With the help of Coldwell Banker Kinard Realty realtor Lisa Sloan and First National Community Bancorp Inc. loan originator Gentry Brown, students learned a little about the processes.

“Buying is a big deal whether it’s your first or tenth home,” Sloan told students during their trip to the office. “I have a heart for first-time home buyers.”

Sloan said there is a difference between being a customer or client when buying a house. She explained customers simply want to look at houses. A client signs a buyer’s agreement saying the realtor is representing the person.

“A lot of people are hesitant and don’t want to sign the client agreement,” she said.

Sloan said the better advantage is to have a realtor represent you as a client.

“When we have that agreement I’m looking out for your personal interests,” she said.

Brown talked to students about obtaining a loan and documents needed such as work history from the last two years, bank statements and a credit report. Brown stressed the importance of having good credit.

“Credit will follow you forever,” he said. “Late payments will follow you, too.”

Linder said he was happy with the sessions and called them beneficial.

“We need to look at doing more so our seniors are not overwhelmed when they graduate,” he said.

Students also visited North Georgia Toyota to learn about the car buying process. Linder said he doesn’t want them to wait until graduation and realize no one talked to them about buying a car.

The last stop of the day was Heritage High School in Ringgold to learn about how they’re helping build a school in Nicaragua.

“We just want to listen to their leaders and see what kind of ground work they did,” Linder said. “We want to see if there is something our school can do to help or start something similar in our community.”

Estefany Landaverde, a senior at Coahulla Creek, said she appreciated Linder letting them experience something different outside of the classroom.

“I think it was a great way to help us know what to do in the real world,” she said. “We come out of high school and we don’t really know what to do.”