Be a Successful Residential Land Developer


Book Description

A veteran construction contractor details the steps to take and the order in which to take them to profitably transform raw land into lots for housing. This guide covers every key phase of the land development process as well as essential business practice fundamentals.




Residential Land Development Practices


Book Description

This comprehensive text focuses on how to develop raw land into marketable residential lots and homes, offering practical and proven techniques to manage land development operations and the process of regulating, debating, designing, and building residential neighborhoods. A successful management process of developing land on time and within budget is outlined in detail. The extensive reports and methods described are useful day-to-day management tools for the land development industry. Topics include cost estimating, conceptual design planning, approval strategies, the land development bid process, project management, and operational procedures. Also covered are preparing design documents, obtaining bids of equal comparison, implementing a project plan in the field, budget constraints controls, and understanding the best interest of the home buyer.




Fundamentals of Land Development


Book Description

Properly planned and visualized, large-scale developments can be successfully constructed, whether as master planned communities, planned unit developments, or new towns. Fundamentals of Land Development provides an in-depth approach to the design, planning, and development of large land areas into comprehensively designed communities. This book provides in-depth discussions of the full range of development tasks involved in any large development project, from site and land use selection, market analysis, preparing the land use plan and impact statements, to getting approval from the municipality and community, permitting and approval, scheduling and cost management, and the basics of engineering systems and design. Developers and other stake-holders will find guidance on such issues as: • How real-world development is driven by profits, and how team members can maximize profits while developing creatively and responsibly • Site selection and acquisition • Entering the growing business of retirement (active adult) community development Illustrated with real-world case studies drawn from the authors own experience, Fundamentals of Land Development is a practical manual for developers looking to improve the profitability of their projects and gain a better understanding of what all team members undertake in a project of this size and complexity.




Residential Land Developer’s Checklists and Forms


Book Description

R. Dodge Woodson uses his years of experience as a builder and land developer to compile this unique checklist and forms book covering the day-to-day business practices of the residential land developers and the construction community. All forms and checklists will also be available in customizable Word and PDF format from companion website. Contents: Researching Profitable Properties * Doing the Demographics * Zoning Matters * Flood Zones and Flood Plains * Wetland Issues * Road Considerations * Leftover Lots * Timber Tactics * Budgeting Your Money * Selecting Partners * Beating the Bank * Organizational Skills That Win • Selecting Your Professional Team * Contractual Terms and Offers * Dealing With Property Owners * Working With Real Estate Brokers * Site Inspections * Plans and Specifications * Putting Work Out to Bids * Sales Projections * Insurance Needs * Working With Subcontractors * Watching Your Workers * Beating Your Budget * The Exit Plan




How to Be a Successful Developer


Book Description

In today’s world of investment hype and unpredictable stock market fluctuations, there is still one asset you can count on: land. Ralph Pisani and Robert Pisani were both adjunct faculty members of the Wharton School of Business, where they taught real estate development. Now, with this easy to understand and informative guide, anyone can begin to invest in the development of valuable real estate. How to Be a Successful Developer is a complete sourcebook for all your questions about how to succeed in land development, from the factors you should consider when looking at properties, to financing, zoning procedures, and much more—all in clear concise terms which anyone can understand.




Real Estate Development


Book Description




Strong Towns


Book Description

A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.




How Real Estate Developers Think


Book Description

Cities are always changing: streets, infrastructure, public spaces, and buildings are constantly being built, improved, demolished, and replaced. But even when a new project is designed to improve a community, neighborhood residents often find themselves at odds with the real estate developer who proposes it. Savvy developers are willing to work with residents to allay their concerns and gain public support, but at the same time, a real estate development is a business venture financed by private investors who take significant risks. In How Real Estate Developers Think, Peter Hendee Brown explains the interests, motives, and actions of real estate developers, using case studies to show how the basic principles of development remain the same everywhere even as practices vary based on climate, local culture, and geography. An understanding of what developers do and why they do it will help community members, elected officials, and others participate more productively in the development process in their own communities. Based on interviews with over a hundred people involved in the real estate development business in Chicago, Miami, Portland (Oregon), and the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, How Real Estate Developers Think considers developers from three different perspectives. Brown profiles the careers of individual developers to illustrate the character of the entrepreneur, considers the roles played by innovation, design, marketing, and sales in the production of real estate, and examines the risks and rewards that motivate developers as people. Ultimately, How Real Estate Developers Think portrays developers as creative visionaries who are able to imagine future possibilities for our cities and communities and shows that understanding them will lead to better outcomes for neighbors, communities, and cities.




Land Development


Book Description

With land becoming an ever more precious resource in the midst of unprecedented population growth, the reliable information in this tenth edition gives readers the edge that seasoned professionals use to acquire the most desirable tracts of land. Includes full-color photographs of the nations leading developments.




Land Development Calculations: Interactive Tools and Techniques for Site Planning, Analysis, and Design


Book Description

A fully updated edition of the best resource for land development analysis, planning, and decision-making This authoritative guide enables readers to calculate the development capacity and construction costs of both vacant and developed land. The book offers a new focus sustainability, taking into consideration the surrounding environment and the preservation of open space. Land Development Calculations, Second Edition explains the information fields on the 41 interactive spreadsheets on the accompanying CD-ROM that forecast the development capacity of vacant land based on data entered in the design specification panel of one or more spreadsheets for three categories of shelter-residential, non-residential, and mixed use. The book includes new and updated chapters covering the additional information that can be forecast for the various categories of shelter.