This is episode number 2157. Jill and I are talking about how to stay profitable in a slower land market. What a timely topic for us to discuss because we are in a slower land market that’s going to get even more slow for the rest of the year.

Do you mean because there’s just so much available?

Why Learning From The Right Sources Matters

Slow meaning sales. Amazing if you want it to be for acquisitions. We’ll deconstruct that here in a minute. I don’t want to sound cocky and I have all the answers. This is my third time in a slow market. One of those times would’ve been the last had it not been for Jill. All this week, this week, Jill and I are talking about developing and improving your land business. Each day on the show, we answer our question from our Land Academy Member Discord Forum and take a deep dive into land related topics by popular request.

Trent wrote, “Hi, House Academy. What other resources should I be utilizing to learn how to buy and sell land? I’m very new and I want to learn and proceed as quickly as possible.” What other resources?

This is a great question. I think that you should be utilizing any and all resources that you can get your hands on. I think in the end, buying and selling land, those types of resources, all you need is Land Academy. You can go out and get other people’s opinions and other people’s experiences, and you should do that if you want.

There’s no chance that they have the experience that Jill and I have, this is just about buying and selling land and houses. No chance they have more experience than we do. There’s a 98% chance that they were once a member of Land Academy. They’re just regurgitating our information with their type of snarky, sarcastic very 2025-ish attitude.

I agree with going out though and being in other groups to watch these other transactions and hear about other things because you’ll pick up on stuff like, “That person accidentally bought a piece of land that had a dump on it and this is what happened to them. I’ll make sure I won’t do that,” stuff like that. Here’s why. That kind of resource is awesome. I totally believe It.

Retweet Culture And Content Ownership Issues

I remember the first time, this is a bunch of years ago, where I heard the word retweet, where somebody would post something and then you, as a viewer, would do nothing except click a button that says, “I’m reposting this entire thing that this amazing person created, reposting it and making it look like mine.” I remember thinking, “How does this sound? How does this retweeting end?” What if I wrote a book and somebody just reposted it and put their name on it?

It’s called plagiarism.

That’s what’s happening. It’s acceptable now. It’s been happening forever in a real small way. There’s a book rewrites and all kinds of stuff and let’s call it inspirational copies of songs, movies and everything, but blatantly just retweeting it as if to say, “I agree with this.” Think about that for a second. It’s commonplace. That’s what’s happening with Land Academy. All over the internet, people are retweeting Land Academy and making it sound like it’s their own.

Choosing The Best Resources For You

They’re happy with that because I guess they don’t have anything else to do. What other resources? I would look at all the top 5 or 8 or 10 business books that have been written over the last few decades and pick and choose the ones that you really believe in or that sing to you. That’s the whole key. Everyone has areas for improvement. It’s your job to look in the mirror and say, “I could be really do better at this.”

That’s a good point. If you thought about Trent, “I’m not as good as Excel. Okay, good. I’m going to take some Excel classes,” or, “I’m not as good on the phone. I’m going to read up and listen to some of Jill’s calls.” Focus on the areas that you know that you need to brush up on. You know what you’re good at and what you’re not good at. If you don’t know, get someone like Jack and he’ll tell you. I’ll never forget the first time you said, “Jill, we’ve got to talk. You suck at that. I know you like it, but you suck.”

What was it?

I don’t know.

Being in other groups and watching others’ transactions helps you learn from their experiences. It’s a valuable way to avoid making the same mistakes. Share on X

I said that?

Yes, you have on more than one occasion. You really nicely said, “You suck at that.”

Did I phrase it that way?

Yeah, pretty much.

That’s not cool.

It’s okay. I’m over it now.

Were you upset?

A little bit. It was a little bit of a hit, but I’m like, “I guess that guy’s right.” He’s like, “You may think you know how to do that, but trust me, you don’t.”

I never want to hear what I do well, ever. I don’t want everyone to say, “You’re good at that, Steve.”

I love that.

I hate it. I want to hear the opposite. I want somebody to say, “I understand, Steve, what you’re trying to get at here, but maybe there’s a better way to go at it. Just maybe tone it down a little.”

I have another one. This is not to throw you under the bus, but it’s funny. Jack only plays this card, I’m going to say once or twice a year and I appreciate it when it comes out because he doesn’t abuse it. He saves it up and it’s this. We’re going somewhere special and I’m all into it. I walk out of the bedroom and Jack says, “That’s not your best look.” I’m like, “What is it and what do I need to donate?” That’s what happens.

I’m blushing right now. That’s not what I want.

The key to staying profitable in a slower land market is to diversify what you're buying. Share on X

I know. You don’t abuse it. I’m going to go with I like it because I would not know. I went all into it. I’m like, “This is a new thing and I’m going all in.” He is like, “Yeah, no, don’t do that anymore.”

Is that what it is, you’re trying something new?

Probably. Obviously.

Why would you try something new when it’s all perfect already?

Things change. It’s called fashion, babe. Everything changes. I’m not going to walk out with makeup on looking like Chapell Roan. I like her. I’m getting into it now, but I’m not going to wear that makeup everywhere. For you, that would be Lady Gaga. There we go.

Did she change her name?

No.

That’s just in your face, over the top.

Yes. If I walked out like that, then yeah. I don’t make changes quite that abrupt. I’m like, “Yeah, this is a new fad. I’m going to wear this,” and then you’re like, “Yeah, don’t do that.”

It’s a new fad.

Some work, some don’t.

There’s the root of the problem. It’s a new fad.

Moving on.

We should talk about new fads.

If you see some risk in it, don’t buy it. Share on X

How To Stay Profitable In A Slower Land Market

Let’s go with how to stay profitable. This episode’s topic, how to stay profitable in a slower land market. Not a slower fashion industry. A slower land market. Go.

Why is the market slower? It’s because there is so much land on the market that it has slowed itself down that because it’s a buyer’s market. This happens in cycles every 10 or 11 years or so. This cycle’s a lot longer because of COVID. We’re coming on what’s what is called an overbuilt market from a housing and a commercial real estate standpoint. The buyers have the pick of whatever they want.

Sellers are held hostage by this. The way to stay profitable by doing this is to buy property, not just land. The key to staying profitable in the slower man market is diversify what you’re buying. Now is one of the greatest times I’ve seen in at least ten years to buy houses. You can buy land at 8% to 10% of its actual value.

You’re going to have a tough time selling it. There’s too much on the market. That’s what the red, green, yellow test is supposed to tell you. It does tell you that. If you pull up the red green yellow test and there’s more than 2% of the entire zip code of properties that are listed for sale, there’s a very small chance that you’re going to be able to resell property at any price that you want unless it’s so amazing that that becomes your mission in life, to buy only so amazing properties.

Jill and I are funding two deals right now. One is an SFR where we and the partner will make probably $100,000 each. That’s so amazing for us. We’re doing another large acreage deal in the Midwest that will each make at least $100,000 to $200,000. That’s how you stay profitable in a slower market. You do less deals and you very seriously diversify the product type that you’re buying. I would not buy infill lots right now. The housing market is grossly overbuilt. We’re going to see that. We’re going to see severe repercussions for overbuilt market.

We already are. We’re seeing it on our member calls. People are buying land from name brand builders. I’m like, “What?” Great prices.

Yeah, and like 2% mortgages. Jill said in the episode before this, “If you see some risk in it, don’t buy it.” Now’s the time to make $100,000 or $200,000 per property, not just make $10,000 or $15,000 on a piece of land.

You already nailed it when you said it’s a buyer’s market. What you have to do is put yourself in the right position every time. If now’s the time to buy, now’s the time to buy. You better believe I’m buying cheaper and better properties. I just don’t do it. I won’t take any risk at all. What if I hold onto it? So what? I bought it so cheap, it doesn’t matter. If I can’t afford it, I’ll get the right partner that he gets it with me and sees it too. We’re like, “We might hold onto this for nine months. Who cares?”

Using Data To Identify Profitable Land Deals

Here’s what I want you to do to convince yourself of what we’re talking about here. I want you to go on and you’re not pull up Redfin or Zillow or whatever you use. I want you to pick a zip code or even a county. A county would be better or a zip code. I want you to put in land and then just do the same exercise with houses and later after you do land.

When you sort for cheapest to highest, hopefully that’s a largely populated zip code or county, from 5 to 10 acres. You’re going to see about 8, maybe 10 properties that are on there. I want you to include pending. The lowest price properties almost always will be pending. You’ll see properties, for example, that are $100,000 to $250,000 pending.

At some point, it’s going to stop, let’s say $200,000 for sake of argument. $200,000, $300,000, $400,000, $500,000. All of them have allotted days on market. They might have some type of flaws. If there’s a reason they’re not buying them, maybe it’s access. Maybe the posting’s really bad. Who knows? The cheap ones are under contract. The same thing with houses. Those types of properties at that price are what you want to buy.

You will immediately sell them and you’ll survive and thrive in a slower market like this. It has to be an amazing property. Crazy cheap. The only way that I know how to do to achieve that is to send out a ton of mail and to be an amazing person on the phone every time you pick up the phone. That’s survival. Join us in the next episode where Jill and I talk about the mindset shift you need to succeed in land investing. That’s what we’ve been talking about all week this week. You are not alone in your real estate ambition. We are Jack and Jill. Information and inspiration to buy undervalued property.