Hot competition at j-school... for a house

I was back at school... journalism school... For some reason, our teacher was telling us about this house that was for sale. It was part of our schoolwork, kind of. After the class, everyone wanted to buy it. They were lined up at the phone, trying to call the seller/agent.

One student in particular was being very annoying, wheeling and dealing in order to get an edge on the other students. This whole scene is pretty reflective of my time at j school... classmates competing for leads and jobs.

I also, desperately, wanted to buy this house. Something about a barn and 1950s decor... I went out of our department and down the escalator, to use a different phone. Someone was using a really loud machine next to the phone, so I went down another level and called about the house.

Then I went to go see it. It was a small, kind of ugly bungalow. Nothing special... Still, I wanted it.