REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

[Anthony Crawford]

Are there any successful new home developers/builders on BP??  (I'm sure there are).  Just wondering how to go about getting started.  I get the basics, buy a plot of land, divide & develop it.  But as far as picking out plans, do you have to copyright them?  How do you pay the contractor and still leave room for a profit?  (I'm assuming there is a formula).  Just asking in general....I've always been interested in developing land and was on John Wieland's site recently and got re-inspired!

Thanks!

[Tamara Elliott-Deering]

I've looked into it before but in my market I couldn't make the numbers pencil out. One thing I found was that some lumber stores have home packages and sometimes shells. It's cheaper and faster than sourcing all of your materials and paying the markup on the lumber. The problem is the designs are limited and the finishes may not be what you want. However it could be a great way to get started fast.