Arkansas!  Arkansas?  Why Arkansas?

Well, part of it is my personal preference.  When I started researching for sites, I had certain criteria I looked at:

• Property prices
• Abundance of water and fertile land
• Accessibility
• Mildness of climate
• Local talent and resources
• Natural beauty
• Competition

I knew I wanted to go South East because I was searching for a golden light (lacking in the Pacific NorthWest which would probably be culturally more accepting of the Peace Villa).  I looked all over and came up with Asheville, North Carolina, as the first choice and Hot Springs, Arkansas as second.  We visited Asheville in the Winter and it is stunning, but driving was precarious in the mountains and it is not easily accessible.  We went to Hot Springs last July and loved it.

However, the area around Fayetteville and Eureka Springs also seems like a good location.  It is booming and offers amenities that would be appealing to guests at the Peace Villa. Both Hot Springs and Eureka Springs have large artist communities, incredible natural resources, and alternative health centers.

Property in Arkansas is inexpensive (compared to Chicago!) and sites abound that would accommodate the Peace Villa well.  Here is an example of a current property for sale close to the Missouri border:

3100 SQ. FT. EXECUTIVE HOME AND 66 ACRES
BORDERS CRYSTAL CLEAR CREEK 8 ACRES BOTTOM LAND ALONG CRK 2-STORY EXECUTIVE HOME CREEK HAS RAPIDS & LAZY HOLES WITHIN 1 HR. BRANSON, MO. 20 MIN. TO BULL SHOALS SEPARATE WKSHP AND BARN ATTACHED DBLE GARAGE	See More Pictures
Year Round Creek/Spring, Pasture! folks here is a stately home that has the sounds of rushing year-round water almost everywhere you walk on this 66 acres of beauty. Approx. 10-12 acres open pasture (8 acres of bottomland) fenced for horses or livestock. Home features zoned central heat/air, 2 fireplaces-(tied into central heating) 3-4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, formal dining room, big patio overlooking crystal clear creek, separate garage/workshop and separate barn. Only 2 miles off pavement along dead-end road. Folks this one has all the Ozarks can offer at the great price of $199,500. Property No.: 03098-50240         Price: $199,500.00

That's 66 acres plus a house and barn for $200K!  Can you picture it?

Investors wanted!  I would like the purchase of the land to be separate from the Peace Villa as a business.  My proposal is to form a corporation with the investors who would purchase the land, buy more than we need, hold it in a trust for fifteen years and sell the rest at a profit to the investors.  The Peace Villa would buy its own parcel from the corporation five to ten years after its inception.

The Peace Villa needs about 20-30 acres for its dwellings, so using this property as an example, the remaining 36 would be sold off, hopefully to like-minded businesses or projects, when the land value became profitable enough to re-sell.  The house pictured here would be wonderful to begin the initial stages.  There are many properties like this which would have to be researched more closely once there were investors interested in making a purchase.