How do I get in front of builders before they build?

[Amelia Foronda]

I'm looking for listings.  Being an exclusive buyer's agent is great, but lets be honest, I'd love to get some listings under my belt.

I'm in an up and coming area, new builds are going up left and right, property being sold for new builds, all that jazz.

Either way, I've been driving around trying to stay on top of the builds, but the minute a board is laid they're listed with an inside realtor, which is obviously a great benefit to the realtor and the builder, but how can I get in front of builders before construction starts.  So many houses going up and they have realtors before they get started, how do I become one of those ?

Thanks in advance

[Chris Seveney]

@Amelia Foronda

Go to planning department and check out any site plan submissions or recent approvals

Also go to building department and research newly submitted building permits