Welcome, @Janese Parker financing on ground-up deals often comes down to pairing the right builder with a lender who understands local costs and timelines.

People still use it, but mostly on investment properties, commercial deals, or with DSCR lenders.

This seems like a great deal especially given my relationship with the seller and their willingness to work with me and be flexible but I was hoping to hear some other opinions and see if there is anything I am overlooking or any other questions I should ask.

There's now a credibility crisis with AI-generated reviews; one 2025 study found nearly 1 in 4 Zillow agent reviews may be AI-written.The sad truth is, it takes more work creating a fake reality than living in reality.This is unnecessary and comes from a scarcity mindset.The agents and investors I've seen trying to find a hack the most are usually the ones who work the hardest, literally.I'd rather have 1 deal per month and have longevity than have 100 deals done in 2026 but risk lawsuits and getting blacklisted.The smartest work you can do is to remain trustworthy.

You want another professional working with you as a real estate professional that can give you insight on numbers and being able to BRRRR out of the deal you have now and go put the equity to use on another one to get another solid return, then push to get another BRRRR done on that deal that you will buy.

No guarantee of approval.Even if the planning staff likes your plan, council can still vote it down depending on neighborhood pressure.My general rule with rezoningIf the numbers still work even on the current zoning, and rezoning is a bonus, it’s usually a smart move.If the deal only works if the rezone goes through, that’s when you want to be very cautious. 

Sounds like they got a deal….

Currently pulling lists from PropStream and door-knocking for pre-foreclosure/high-equity deals, but I'm looking to scale with inbound leads to save time.Came across Real Estate Bees for their pay-per-lead model—motivated seller leads, geo-targeted to the Triad, supposedly high-intent from SEO/PPC ads (not cold lists).

Analysis paralysis is super normal on your first deal, especially when you’re relying on a realtor’s opinion without having your own framework yet.

Ward III Really great checklist, completely agree that readiness drives confidence with lenders.A few elements we’ve found helpful to include as well:▪ Sensitivity analysis on DSCRJust a quick look at how the deal holds up under different rate or OpEx scenarios.Shows we’re realistic about what’s changing in the market.▪ Institutional OpEx benchmarksA one-liner that ties expenses to actual operator averages helps align expectations early.▪ Brief risk/mitigation bulletsDoesn’t need to be heavy, just shows we’ve already thought through the downside.Those couple of additions have made conversations with lenders much more efficient on our end, especially when moving from preliminary interest to real underwriting.Appreciate you sharing this, would definitely like to take a look at your full checklist PDF as well.