Those interested in the new real estate course for novices described in Tuesday's Living section should contact the Community Education and Development Programme at 236-0829 no later than tomorrow.

While the old adage "location, location, location'' may be the deciding factor for most people who are buying a piece of property, there is infinitely more to making a smart real estate purchase than mere physical layout.

In Bermuda, a sophisticated market that has more twists and turns than just about any other sector in the world, prospective homeowners must jump through a plethora of bureaucratic hoops to acquire their little piece of the Island.

And with even the most modest of properties commanding six figures here, the age-old caution caveat emptor has never been more appropriate.

Enter Miss Susan DeFontes, marketing manager at Jones Waddington Ltd. and the organiser of a new real estate seminar for novice buyers and sellers.

According to her, the need has been great for a course that could shepherd the ordinary person through the real estate maze in Bermuda, which until now has seen little in the way of a comprehensive guide for laymen.

"The courses I had seen at the Bermuda College,'' Miss DeFontes explained, "were all about how to get your realtor's licence, more business-oriented. I hadn't seen any courses out there that told people how to actually buy a piece of property, the procedures that are involved or what your realtor should be doing for you.

"Buying a home,'' Miss DeFontes continued, "is one of the most important decisions that most people will make in their lives. But how many of them really know how to buy a house, or what a realtor should be doing for them? "I just want to make sure that people ultimately get the level of service that they should be, or if they're doing it on their own, that they know precisely what they're getting into.'' The result of Miss DeFontes' efforts, a four-day course that will school participants on everything from buying a home without the services of a realtor to their rights as landlords and tenants, is scheduled to begin next week at Warwick Secondary School.

Developed through the Community Education and Development Programme and called, appropriately enough, "The Real Estate Maze,'' it will also cover such topics as the "listing'' or selling of a home, the importance of land surveying and financing ontracts.

Various experts, including sales agents, land surveyors and appraisers-auctioneers, will also take part in the seminar, said Miss DeFontes.

She added that any interested parties could participate in as many or as few components of the four-day course as they wished.

"It (the course) should provide a good foundation,'' Miss DeFontes said.

"The instructors will be able to provide the answer to any question that a person may have, as well as resource material that people can draw on when they eventually do buy a house.'' If the seminar, which has an enrolment fee of $30, is successful, it may be widened to include a longer format and a greater range of real estate subjects, Miss DeFontes said.

She also told Living that she has tried to tailor the course to meet the needs and interests of as many participants as possible.

"I am not a realtor,'' the marketing manager said. "I am just a layperson, and this course, as I have tried to develop and organise, is a course I would like to take.'' "The Real Estate Maze,'' which is scheduled to run from April 10 to 13, is to take place between 6.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. on each of the four nights.

Anyone who is interested in taking it can register for the course by contacting the Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs or the Ministry of Education before the end of Friday.