Virginia Association Of Realtors Residential Move-In Move-Out: Fill & Download for Free

Begin with checking on county zoning requirements, if any. And internet access! It can be sketchy or nonexistent in rural areas. You’ll probably have to rely on well water and that could be a huge problem. Then there’s the need to install new power lines, a water system, a sewage system. I’d check with the various environmental agencies in Austin on their regulations. Will you need an environmental impact study? Any habitat issues, endangered species?Work on a budget and your business plan.Beyond meeting the development requirements and regulations, there is something that could be even more challenging.Build trusting relationships.This is very important. Talk to the locals, county commissioners, county government officials, including county sanitarian (guessing that’s their title here), lawyers, bankers, accountants, doctors, county schools superintendent of schools, school board members, sheriff, police chief, hospital administrators, teachers, Chamber of Commerce, business owners, librarian, Postmaster, realtors, insurance agencies, auction barn folks, and begin building trusting relationships while you’re acquiring information and a understanding of county dynamics. There’s probably a Walmart, H-E-B grocery store and lumber yard so include them.Basically you need to get acquainted with almost everyone. If there are several real estate agencies, talk to all of them, all of the doctors, lawyers, etc. Perceived favoritism will cause problems and remember you’ll be the #1 topic of conversation and whatever you do or say will be discussed, dissected and exaggerated.You really need to determine who the local leaders are. Talk to the pastors, their church leadership and ladies groups. Pay special attention to the ladies groups. You really need their support, Try to figure out the county grapevine and utilize it. Attend church services and activities. Talk to women’s groups, garden clubs and church sponsored quilting groups. Attend whatever functions are sponsored by the Texas Exes (University of Texas) and Texas A & M alumni groups. Go to high school football games. Get acquainted with the local agricultural extension office, probably run by an Aggie (A&M) graduate. Connecting with the Aggie network will be very helpful, There’s probably some departments at A&M that could provide resources and advice. They also sponsor experimental ag projects on ranches. Maybe you could be a bird sanctuary, have a vineyard and viticulture program, There’s probably lots of possibilities related to agriculture and the environment, Hang out at the auction barn on auction days. Subscribe to the local newspaper and gradually figure out the power structure. A visit to Austin to meet with the state representative and senator would also be good. Buy a house and live there. Set aside office space in your house so people can drop by. You’ll need an office anyway and definitely an assistant. Then there’s the expense of office equipment. Internet access will be challenging. Getting that resolved is critical and should be one of the first issues to address.Get acquainted with the local newspaper folks and be careful that they fully understand and support your plans before any articles are written. Ask to review their article before it’s published if you can. Getting some media attention would be good. Texas Monthly would probably do a magazine article and the nearest tv and radio stations could also report on your plans. Do you know the current ranch owner? Get all the history of the ranch you can. You really need to be aware of county history and try to incorporate some ways to honor it in your plans.Talk to the nearby ranchers who could be concerned about traffic, their stray cattle or sheep being hit by a car, new power lines, crazy students tearing up their town, increased drug use and sales, whatever worries them. The rapid change to the county that you’ll be causing could generate anxiety and anger. All of this PR activity is very important, especially if you’re new to the area and maybe to Texas. Stress the educational program benefits and job opportunities so kids can stay in the county after high school.When you have your goals set, have a preliminary meeting/presentation. If you’re a top contender for a grant, you’ll probably have a site visit and the expectation of a citizens town hall type meeting to demonstrate community support. You will also need to recruit a board that is representative of county demographics.Where is this ranch property located? 41,000 acres!! Are you sure 41,000 refers to acres? How far from the nearest town?What kind of school? Are you able to finance your project? It sounds like more research is needed or you might provide your goals for us so we can try to help.University or proprietary trade school offering bachelors degree? There’s a requirement for the number of books in a library (used to be anyway), plus many other requirements to meet. Check out Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. You’ll need to be accredited or licensed depending on the type of school.For a private K-12, contact the Texas Education Agency in Austin. Can you find certified teachers, provide benefits, etc.?For an early childhood program (infants through pre-K), contact Texas childcare licensing. Childcare licensing is responsible for residential programs as well.If a religious school, there’s other accreditation organizations. I taught kindergarten at a Catholic elementary school and experienced a periodic reaccreditation visit. Several representatives went into each classroom to observe. I don’t know what was required of administration, but I’m sure it was demanding.There’s a national accreditation designation for early childhood programs through NAEYC. Earning accreditation and then renewing it is quite a process and can be expensive just to meet the physical requirements for playground, classrooms and equipment and materials needed for a high quality educational program.Will it be a Muslim school? Saudi Arabia is providing funding for a 100,000+ Saudis to come to American universities and is paying for tuition, books, housing and living costs, plus something like a $5,000 monthly stipend. Five years ago a friend tried to talk me into working for the Saudi group that oversees this program. Their office is located in Arlington, Virginia. The job would have involved assuring that the students’ needs were met, that they were passing their courses and resolving any other issues. I don’t know whether the Saudis were renting offices or owned the very nice, several story building. The salary would have been more than double my current salary at the time, but I didn’t pursue it. I was concerned about potential language barriers. It might be worth talking to them about your plans. There is a Saudi prince living just outside DC in Virginia who might also be of assistance.Since you’re considering a large amount of land, I’m guessing it might be a residential program for children or you’ll need on-campus housing if you’re thinking about a college.A ranch that size would be out in the middle of nowhere. Just supplying sufficient water IF successfully finding ample water sources, plus the expense of drilling when you may end up with dry holes (I’ve experienced drilling three dry holes), would be a huge expense. Then there’s the cost of putting in roads, water system, street lights, parking lots that all come with environmental considerations.And liability insurance!! Errors and Omissions insurance is also absolutely needed. Do you plan to incorporate? You need to think about personal liability in order to protect yourself. There’s another expense. Lawyers aren’t cheap here. Nonprofit? Grant funding is another issue. Finding start up funding isn’t easy. SEEDCO used to provide grants for that, but has changed its funding objectives. The Foundation Center can provide information if you plan to apply for grants.I suggest finding an architect experienced in designing schools. A traditional architect could potentially cause some problems since there is more involved in designing educational facilities. Harvard has a two week summer program for architects and administrators on educational building design. That course is also expensive. There are also other architects who specialize in playground design if you’ll be serving young or school age children. Actually you’d need it for faculty children, There’s equipment standards for playgrounds which include safe surfacing. Bare dirt is not acceptable. You also need to think about shade. Shade structures are also expensive. It would be good to provide onsite day care with a high quality educational program for the children of faculty and students as well as local children. A campus lab school would be ideal. It could provide work study opportunities plus a feeder system for the county’s schools.Meeting IDEA guidelines is yet another expense so your buildings and sidewalks will be safe for people with disabilities.In order to attract faculty, providing onsite apartments or homes would be essential, Then you’d need some recreational facilities for them. A stable, horses, riding trails, riding lessons and someone able to manage all this? Maybe a three hole mini golf course? Hike & bike trails? Camping areas? A separate recreational building with a common area for meetings and parties, a work out area with all the equipment, craft rooms, a kitchen, a small gym, a small theater, and whatever you can provide in terms of recreation to keep your faculty happy? Hopefully there’s a creek on the property, small lake or ponds (called tanks in Texas) that could be stocked with fish.Last fall I put together a plan for developing community support for a possible community development corporation to serve my county which incorporated a state of the art early learning center. My plan included an extensive compilation of grant funding possibilities and also federally funded youth programs, partnering with the high school so that their child development students could have classes st the new center and then move on to the satellite university center to continue their education, earn a certificate in early childhood education plus their CDA, the Child Development Associate Credential, which would qualify them to be a teacher or director in Texas.If you have questions about any of this, please contact me via LinkedIn. It would be fun to talk with you about your project. I’m working remotely now doing some consulting plus an odd assortment of contract projects.Wishing you the best with your school!