All Forum Posts by: Mason Moreland

Depends, what general geography is it located in? How robust is the AirBNB market within 10-15 miles of the location?

If you hop on AirBNB and there are lots of places to rent way out in the future but few now (assuming there isn't a "busy season"), that could be a positive sign.

18 acres isn't enough space to hunt on safely or ethically except maybe wingshooting or bow deer depending on location, so that's probably out...

-insert MJ popcorn meme-

Hope you kill it. LOL @Jay Hinrichs "sounds like the clothing optional places" was exactly what I was thinking.

No kids/pets isn't my cup of tea personally (I could field my own soccer team and my bird dog is my BFF, LOL), but I can totally see the attraction. If it's for RV camping as well, the no pets will be a hard sell, coming from a frequent RV camper. Many many many couples that travel without kids have small dogs or cats they bring with them to glampgrounds. But if it's no RVs, just cabins and such, different demographic and different story.

Good luck, hope you kill it!

 Pretty far out of my territory here in the southwest to help on the actual growing side, but if you ever need someone to run things past to poke holes/lend ideas, I'm here!

Great reply @Christaye Foster!

#1 thing I’ve learn in raising money/partners so far (the hard way) is that if you have a great deal, don’t spend all your time trying to “sell” someone who doesn’t fit for it. If it’s not a great fit, learn what you can from the interaction and move on and know you’ve got something great to offer! Spending too much time trying to catch a catfish with a bass bait is a losing endeavor! Go bass fishin’.

KP (key partner), 100%. When you don't have the financial background to support a loan (and you've confirmed with the bank this is the ONLY hurdle left), go out and get a KP in the deal. They will be someone with lots of cashflow/W2 income typically who does not have time or expertise to do a deal like you are doing. They will co-sign the loan and take a % for putting their rears on the line. Many deals do this!

You can make a lot of money with ground leases on solar. The problem with having one small piece of land is that most utility scale solar requires 3 things:

- Proximity to transmission infrastructure (high voltage lines + substation)

- Appropriate to develop (relatively level, not environmentally sensitive, suitable solar potential, reasonable regulatory burden:land cost ratio)

- Large contiguous area (2,500+ acres); typically for wind or solar a company will have to lease from several landowners

Background for me is land acquisition, permitting, and environmental consulting for large utility scale solar projects nationwide.

Only as an actual operator. We raise capital for, develop farmland into, and operate vineyards here in Texas. Some on our business partners also operate traditional row crop farmland. 

What are you looking to learn and what are your potential clients expecting that you do?

Missed it, yeah 8 acres is small for a functional vineyard without something else supplementing it. Lot of work for not a lot of grapes, too.

The Air BnB/glamming is a good idea and you can still maintain Ag status by doing some other stuff on the property. 8ac almost seems silly small to be irreversibly zoned as AG, I’d look seriously into getting rezoned.

How many acres? Depending on size that could change plans.

@Jay Hinrichs very true, can't/shouldn't use aerosolized herbicides! We have bigger herbicide concerns out here though, residential levels are small fry. We are completely surrounded by traditional row crop cotton (RoundUp, Dicamba/2, 4-D, and other herbicide resistant GMO cotton!) that gets sprayed frequently right up to the edges of the cities.

A lot of folks switching to organic/non-GMO cotton around here though. Higher fiber quality/higher $/lb and less chemical costs!