Andrea Bent & Caitlyn VanOrder

11/25/14

Design Challenge Paper

Taylor

Avid

Real Estate

It is not possible to just build a school, there are many steps that one has to take to be able to. There are many different parts of building a school that you have to consider, including: real estate, financing, and construction.  The real estate part of building something is what covers the  majority of things required in order to build. To be more exact, one must pay attention to the land that is being built on, the surrounding area of the site, and the legal documentation and financing that is required.

First of all, one must pay attention to the land that they are building on, they can’t just build something anywhere. The land must have certain qualities to be able to be built on. Some of these qualities include: a specific size must be met, the land must be level, and the land must be of good quality (meaning that the soil isn’t loose and sedimentation wouldn’t be a problem.) When meeting a specific size, you have to consider what grade levels the school is being built for. Whether for middle or high school, the requirements are usually different due to population. Usually high schools are a lot bigger than elementary schools or middle schools. Then again, it depends on the area as well. When one is looking at how level a land is, the ideal is “the site is gently sloping with an elevation and contour which will ensure good drainage.” (The School Site Planner p. 13) This leads into the need for a site to be able to have adequate drainage without much use of pumps. According to the The School Site Planner: Land for Learning, it is important to “Provide an adequate amount of level area for physical education, some uneven and wooded areas with a variety of tree and plant life, and some water area for use in various parts of the educational program.” (The School Site Planner p. 13) It is important to always keep these things in mind when looking at land for a school building.

Another thing that would need to be focused on in real estate is the area around the land in question. There are a lot of factors that determine whether or not a school should be built in a certain place. One has to look for good sociological points; these include the history of the land and the type of people in the area. According to the Public Schools of North Carolina, State Board of Education, and the Department of Public Instruction in The School Site Planner: Land for Learning, sociological points are as such:

Should include information about the general characteristics of all inhabitants of the administrative unit, such as community history, ethnic origin, educational levels, economic status, employment, cultural opportunities, population, crime patterns, religious bodies, institutions and educational services.

This tells shows that sociological points are a major part in the site-selection process. Utilities and other facilities in the surrounding area can affect the way someone may choose a site as well. Boundaries of facilities and utilities should be known so that there aren’t problems regarding space. Also, facilities should be known so that any hindrances that may occur with the building could be avoided. With sociological points and facilities in the area, access (traffic flow) is a big part in picking a site in regards to the land around it. You have to keep in mind how traffic flow would affect the process of building and how it would affect the project once it is finished. When you are near a major roadway one needs to keep safety in mind. “a school district needs to ask questions similar to those used in evaluating risk from rail lines.”(School Site Selection and Approval Guide) As it says in The School Site Planner, “Study of transportation practices may help determine optimum locations for school sites.” (p. 4)

Real estate agents must have a license in order to get anywhere near selling any kind of property. In order to get the license they must go through a rigorous process in which they attend a 75 hour class and then take an exam.(North Carolina Real Estate Commission, 2014) North Carolina is a broker license only state which means there is only one basic type of license available. Once the class and exam are complete one will get a provisional broker license, which is the starter license. Normally these agents then go into a Firm and that’s where they begin selling property. That’s where one would find the person who would buy or sale land for public buildings.

When building a school, there are a lot of important concepts to think about when it comes to the real estate portion of the construction. It is important to make sure the land is of good quality, the area around the land is safe and effective for the learning environment, and it is important to make sure that you have the legal documentation and financing required. Building a school is not a simple task and it takes a lot of time and effort to do. All of this effects the plan to build a new school.

Works Cited

Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina. Raleigh, N.C. (P.O. Box 17100, Raleigh 27619-7100): North Carolina Real Estate Commission, 1986. Print.

Public Schools of North Carolina, State Board of Education, Department of Public Instruction, Division of School Support. The School Site Planner: Land for Learning. Raleigh, N.C. Public Schools of North Carolina, 1998. PDF.

California Department of Education. "School Site Selection and Approval Guide." - School Facility (CA Dept of Education). California Department of Education, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.