The seller can grant you permission to submit plans for approval so you don't have to close on the property to go through the entitlement process (see what I mean--I bet the county didn't tell you that--they give out bad info all the time). 

if those are lots in a major metro area with a ton of new construction and infill.like Portland or Charleston or charlotte or other really really hot markets.. this would be as simple as sending it to local builders which are the ONLY buyers.if its rural not much activity it takes a lot of time sometimes years to sell vacant land.and given the fact that there is a pressing family need..

I have a background in construction and am able to fix my own property to an extent.

I am going to revaluate/revisit the numbers and will share my revised number with you.Once again, Thank you for your constructive feedback.

Especially when there is constant construction of huge luxury apartment buildings.

Got to think there are safer bets out there.. and it really depends on your financial situation and your stress meter some folks would stress out and lose sleep, others this is just water off a ducks back.. 

They want to see signed leases with all the details confirmed and locked in while our construction process will likely take at least 18 months...

This news article shows they are losing money on each flip, and based on the above metrics that seems to be the case. https://wolfstreet.com/2019/05/10/house-flipper-zillow-lost-109k-35-per-flip-net-loss-triples-shares-soar/Now they say they are shifting gears and slowing expansion.https://www.kmov.com/zillow-is-losing-millions-on-selling-homes-ceo-isn-t/article_3c33debd-fb28-53e3-b95a-23b8f679fcef.htmlSomeone is going to win Zillow or the Market - We shall see....Why Steve Eisman, Famed for Betting Against Sub-Prime Mortgages, Is Betting Against Zillowhttps://timandjulieharris.com/2019/08/29/why-steve-eisman-famed-for-betting-against-sub-prime-mortgages-is-betting-against-zillow.html

I enjoy working as an agent as it makes me a better investor and it is very gratifying to share knowledge..New construction is a different animal and it is a LOT of work and much more red tape than I thought.

Do you have any skills, such as videography, photography, construction skills etc.. that you could offer to help with?