Infrastructure
Editor's Pick
Development Financing and Construction Loans for Land Projects
Land development financing is not the same as horizontal construction lending. A land acquisition and development loan funds entitlement, engineering, dirt work, and infrastructure not the vertical construction that comes after.
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12 articlesOff-Market Deal
The Gladewater Tract: What 142 Acres Taught Me About Reading the Deed First
A 142-acre off-market tract near Gladewater, Texas came with an inherited lien and a 1930s pipeline easement through the middle. Here is how seller financing and a re-plat kept the deal alive.
Partnerships & Finance
1031 Exchange Into Land Development and Partnerships
A 1031 exchange is a tax-deferred swap of real property held for productive use in a trade or business or for investment for like-kind property.
Financing
Development Financing and Construction Loans for Land Projects
Land development financing is not the same as horizontal construction lending. A land acquisition and development loan funds entitlement, engineering, dirt work, and infrastructure.
Infrastructure
Dirt Work, Grading, and Road Construction Costs
Every developer has heard the old line: build the project three times in your head before you build it once in the dirt. That is especially true for manufactured home parks.
Infrastructure
Drainage, Flood Mitigation & Stormwater Management
Most developers underestimate drainage until the rain comes. Then they find out that the lowest point of the parcel is under the proposed office pad.
Site Selection
How to Find Developable Land for MHP, RV & Storage Projects
Most land developers think the hard part is grading, entitlement, or construction. It is not. The hardest part is finding dirt that checks enough boxes to justify a pro forma.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure Costs Breakdown: Water, Sewer, Electric, Gas
Utility infrastructure is typically the largest variable cost in a land development deal after dirt work. Understanding utility routing, capacity requirements, and utility company coordination is what separates feasible deals from ones that die in pro forma.
Entitlement
Lot Subdivision and Platting Process: From A to Z
Subdivision and platting is the process of taking a larger parcel and legally creating multiple lots that can be sold, financed, and developed independently. The process varies by state, county, and municipality.
Market Analysis
Market Feasibility Studies for Land Development Projects
A market feasibility study answers one question before you spend money on a development deal: is there actual demand for what you plan to build, at the price you need to charge, in this specific submarket?
Infrastructure
Septic Systems vs. Well Drilling for Land Developers
Water and wastewater infrastructure is almost always the most technically complex and politically sensitive part of rural land development. Municipal sewer is rarely available in the locations where MHP and RV park development makes the most sense.
Entitlement
Zoning, Variances, and Land Entitlement for MHP & RV Parks
Zoning is the primary regulatory hurdle for manufactured home parks and RV parks. Most jurisdictions have specific zoning classifications for each use, and the variance process is where deals live or die.