All Forum Posts by: Rob Harris

A loooooooot of variables in play.  I have no experience in your state. Going in blind; I would contact the county building Dept or authority where you live and ask them who is responsible for the natural water resources in that area. (Food Control District??) Explain circumstances and they should be and to tell you to what degree you can or cannot alter the natural water movement and or collection in your area. 

Once you get some direction; contract a general "engineering" contractor in that area and explain the field situation and send him/her some pictures of what your field conditions are and explain what you are trying to accomplish. They would be best familiar with best practices and pricing in your area.  Also, I would think you are going to have to get some geotechnical information. Your local and state authorities mandate to what degree the use of licensed Structural and or Civil engineer would have to be utilized. Again, an experienced engineering contractor should be able to give you a good idea concerning your circumstances. 

I would think this should get you started, and I'm sorry I don't have any more finite info to share. I'm totally in the dark concerning this type of circumstance in your state. 

@Dan Ossman NP!

Buying infill plots is actually one of my main focuses. You'd be surprised how many people would even just want to get rid of property. Also check for back property taxes. That's another great motivating factor. 

@Dan Ossman - I see your point thinking outside the box, but looking at it from a"time value" perspective, if you are trying to build homes for people whom own standardized vacant parcels within a municipality,, that could be a portentously partnership idea where you profit share in some manner..... But aside from this, don't really see a person gaining much traction doing simply direct mailing starting you can build them a house,,,, etc..... I would only see that effective if your timing was perfect, catching someone was actively seeking a builder at that point and time. 

Another thought is if the new construction market is solid enough and looks like it will have the ability to sustain for a reasonable period of time,,, related to the above,, (finding and partnering with someone),,,,,, possibly you can locate some small parcels adjacent to areas where new construction is conducive..... Do some preliminary research to assess the profitability of developing some houses on their property and have a solid well put together proposal concerning how you can partner with them to generate wealth from building homes on their vacant land...

Just my few cents worth! Good Luck!! 

@Fred Heller is giving you solid advise. You can get yourself into some expensive trouble if anything single item is out of alignment from the contract to hire you handle the money. 

@Peter Schuyler That's a great site and I bought the attorney's book a couple years Beck when venturing into Texas Investing. Great handbook for Texas investors! 

In short,,, hours I would personally look at it is:

1.  Do I need the cash and should I flip"some" while the market is stronger (since a correction is coming)....

2. How's my tax situation? How will taking the profiits effect my tax situation?

3. If I'm in a strong rental market, woulf I expect it to stay strong even when market correction comes ...? If so, if my tax situation is favorable, take the increased yield now and build more Duplexes for yourself for long term wealth building/ passive income...(depending on your lot inventory).... 

I'm currently in a similar assessment situation.. My current situation is that I have pretty significant land inventory and I'm trying to build and sell as fast as I can to grab the higher yield while able. When market start swinging towards a correction, I'll build rentals for long term passive....

Just my few quick thoughts! 

Brien OConnor - NP!

@Ralph R.gotcha!  good luck! 

@Bill Gulley is spot on. I build specs in the rural areas outside Austin Texas.  Even though market is still strong, there is a course correction coming. With this, I'm definitely building a very limited amount of specs that will appeal to a larger market segment. That keeps my buyer pool larger and if I needed too, I could convert any inventory that wasn't selling into a rental and still cash flow. 

If you have land and want to advertise a"build to suit" or you want to build and rent out,,, that's doable,,,,, you just need to make sure you have your construction cost down to a serious "T"! 

If you have plenty of cash in hand,,, doesn't hurt to hold tight until you can find great deals when the market starts to swing back and you can pick up some serious deals for cash... 

Also, hit some local title companies and banks that will look to dump housing and let them know you are a cash buyer if they have any hardship sells coming in.... Check the country clerks office for NODs being recorded and research those properties in default and see if there's enough "may on the bone" for you to get into the property significantly under market value....  

Just my two cents worth,,,, good luck! 

Can be true,  but there's are a lot of stipulating factor that will determine pricing, excluding your price of dirt and the wet and dry utilities cost to the structure. Continuing the structure itself, there are a couple main factors that will significantly influence your pricing. 

1 - Building DESIGN

2.  Material Specifications

These two factors make it about impossible to give you a apples to apples comparison.  

I don't "think" it really matters, but a quick question of a title company could answer that most accurately. Independence Title in Lampasas can answer that for you. Christina Hopson is my contact there.