Why Tech Layoffs Create the Best Land Investors

Why Tech Layoffs Create the Best Land Investors 

By Jack Butala 

When tech layoffs hit the headlines, most people feel one of two things: fear or sympathy. Fear because it could happen to them. Sympathy because they know someone who just lost a job. 

I’ve felt both. We’ve both been close enough to layoffs to understand the punch in the gut it creates—especially when you did “everything right,” worked hard, and still ended up on the wrong side of someone else’s decision. 

But there’s a third reaction that comes from experience: clarity. 

Because layoffs—especially in tech—tend to produce some of the best land investors I’ve ever seen. Not because being laid off is fun, and not because I’m trying to make light of it. It’s because the skill set that makes someone successful in tech maps almost perfectly to the skill set required to build a profitable land business. 

And on top of that, layoffs and economic tightening create a second-order effect that matters even more for investors: a huge amount of property starts coming back to market—not just from laid-off workers, but from everyone whose financial life is getting squeezed. 

This is not our first cycle. We’ve watched this happen before. When the economy tightens, the data changes, inventory shifts, and seller motivation ramps up. If you know how to spot it and you’re willing to act, it becomes one of the most opportunity-rich moments in real estate. 

So let’s talk about why tech people thrive here, why “AI scoring” and other “easy button” list services can be a trap, and then I’ll give you three practical ways to position yourself to take advantage of what’s coming next. 

Why tech professionals become great land investors 

Tech people get the model. They naturally understand systems, inputs and outputs, probability, iteration, and scale. They’re used to operating inside data, making decisions from metrics, and optimizing a process until it works. 

That is land investing. 

Our entire approach is data-driven. We identify markets where the numbers work, we send specifically priced offers, and we create deal flow. There’s a process, and once you understand the process, it becomes repeatable. It’s not “luck.” It’s a system. 

Most tech professionals already have a huge advantage in that environment because the learning curve is shorter. They aren’t intimidated by spreadsheets, databases, exports, or mapping tools. They’re used to learning platforms, adapting to new versions, and staying current. Technology never stops, and tech people are wired for that reality. 

There’s another element too—tech folks often hit a moment where they realize the uncomfortable truth: even a high salary is still a single point of failure. You can have a great income and zero control. One restructuring, one budget cut, one “pivot,” and it’s gone. That realization is painful, but it’s also a powerful trigger for entrepreneurship—especially when you find a business model that feels logical instead of chaotic. 

And land investing is logical. 

It’s also one of the cleanest ways to replace a salary without needing to invent a product, build a brand from scratch, or manage a massive team. You can start small. You can build a pipeline. You can do one deal a month. And if you “mess it all up” and only do five deals that year at $20K profit each, that’s $100,000. 

That’s why tech layoffs—when they happen—often create some of the most focused, determined, and successful investors in our community. 

The trap: outsourcing your thinking to “AI scoring” services 

Now let’s address something that’s showing up more and more: apps and services claiming they can “score” your mailing list based on the likelihood of response rate and acceptance rate. 

It’s usually pitched like this: upload your list, pay a fee, and the tool will tell you which owners are “most likely” to respond positively. Sometimes the logic is based on proximity to the property, or whether the owner is out of state, or other surface-level characteristics. 

I’m going to be blunt: this is not AI. It’s database mining—and the logic is often flawed. 

Here’s why. 

The vast majority of sellers who accept our offers do it because of some version of a life event. Something changed. A spouse died. They got laid off. They inherited property. They’re behind on bills. They’re tired of paying taxes on land they’ll never use. They’ve had enough. 

How is an app supposed to know what’s going on in someone’s life? How would a scoring system know what’s happening in their head? 

It can’t. 

And the worst part is what happens when you let a tool talk you into making your mailer smaller. You start believing you’re being “efficient,” when in reality you’re cutting out potential sellers and shrinking your opportunity. 

We say it all the time for a reason: make your mailer bigger, not smaller. 

If you price correctly, send enough volume, and target the right markets, your results will show up. You don’t need a “score.” You need a system. 

If a new tool genuinely makes your life easier and the logic makes sense—great. Run it by your community. Stress test it. But don’t outsource your fundamentals to an app built by someone who’s never done 10,000 offers, never taken real seller calls, and never lived through multiple cycles of this business. 

Why a wave of property will be for sale (and why it matters) 

When layoffs and economic tightening ramp up, property gets liquidated. Not only by the people who lose jobs, but by everyone who’s feeling pressure. 

You see it in the data—more listings, longer days on market, softer pricing. But you also see it in human behavior. People start looking around their lives and asking, “What can we sell?” 

Sometimes that’s a boat. Sometimes it’s a car. Sometimes it’s a second home. And sometimes it’s land—because land is often the easiest “extra” asset to convert into cash quickly. 

This is why downturns can be incredible for investors. Not because you want bad things for people. But because markets create opportunity when motivation rises and inventory increases. 

If you’re positioned correctly, you can acquire assets at better prices and build a strong portfolio faster than you ever could during a hot market. 

3 ways to take advantage of the next wave of property for sale 

Here are three practical ways to position yourself for what’s coming. 

1) Treat it like a buyer’s market and get aggressive about acquisition 

When more inventory hits the market, sellers become more flexible. Prices soften. “Make me move” turns into “I need this gone.” 

This is where you win by doing what we’ve always done—buying well below retail, solving a seller’s problem, and reselling at a price that makes your end buyer feel like they got a deal too. 

But you can’t do that if you’re timid. A buyer’s market rewards the investor who is consistent and confident. Your job is to keep sending offers, keep taking calls, keep negotiating, and keep building your pipeline. 

2) Let the need for capital guide your targeting 

When the economy tightens, the underlying driver is simple: people need cash. 

That need shows up as higher consumer debt, higher credit card balances, more “forced” decisions, and more willingness to sell assets that used to feel optional. 

So one of the most profitable things you can do is align your marketing with that reality. Target areas where land ownership is common and where people are more likely to be holding property they don’t actively use. Send offers that are priced fairly but still leave you room to profit. And be ready to move quickly when someone says yes. 

This is where having access to funding matters too—because the investor who can close fast with certainty becomes extremely attractive in a market where sellers are nervous. 

3) Expand your product type when the deals show up 

When opportunity increases, it’s often a signal to expand—carefully. 

If you’ve been focused on land, you might start seeing more house deals become viable. If you’ve been strictly flipping, you might consider selective long-term holds when pricing becomes attractive enough. 

This isn’t about abandoning your model. It’s about recognizing that cycles change, and the smartest investors evolve with them. We’ve gotten comfortable “eating our words” over the years because the market forces adaptation. When the environment changes, rigid investors get squeezed. Flexible investors survive. 

And if you’re a tech person, this is where your mindset can really shine: you’re already built for iteration. 

One more thing: keep your goals practical and let the math calm you down 

I’ve noticed something interesting recently: a lot of newer investors have smaller goals than they used to. 

Instead of “I want $2M this year,” it’s “I want $100K,” or “I want $500K,” or “I want to replace my salary.” 

That’s not a bad thing. It can actually be healthier. 

Because the math is simple and calming when you let it be. One deal a month at $20K is $240K a year. Miss half of it and you still replace a salary. Do five deals and you’re at $100K. 

The danger isn’t having smaller goals. The danger is overthinking the process until you never act. 

The bottom line 

Tech layoffs are painful. But they can also be the start of something better—something you control. 

If you’ve got a tech brain, the land business model will make sense to you quickly. It’s data-driven. It’s repeatable. It rewards consistency. And in a cycle where more people are going to be liquidating assets and more property will be available, the investor who knows how to price, negotiate, and execute will have a massive advantage. 

You don’t need a magic app to predict seller behavior. You need a strong pipeline, good pricing, and the willingness to work the process. 

That’s how you build a land business that lasts—through every cycle.