Land Development Secrets: How to Get Entitlements, Protect Your Downside, and Sell to National Builders with guest, Brandon Cobb

Brandon Cobb is a former medical device sales pro turned land developer who scaled from flipping 30–40 houses a year into building and developing entire communities, primarily around Nashville, Tennessee. In this episode, Brandon pulls back the curtain on what really makes land development work (and what can destroy you), including the entitlement process, dealing with cities, structuring deals with national builders, and how he obsessively builds downside protection into every project.

What you'll learn about in this episode

• How Brandon went from getting fired from his "dream job" to becoming a full-time real estate entrepreneur
• The million-dollar mistake Brandon made in land development and the "golden rule" that would've prevented it
• Why you should never buy land before approvals are in place (and the one exception where it can make sense)
• A real example of a $1.4M win: getting approvals first, installing infrastructure, and selling developed lots to a national builder
• Why timelines vary wildly by county and why you should plan for delays (Murphy always shows up)
• The role of attorneys, engineers, and a reliable development team and how referrals create "continuity" that speeds approvals
• How to determine the best use of land before you start analyzing a deal
• The due diligence checklist difference between houses vs. raw land (and why exit strategies matter more on land)
• Current ballpark development costs per lot (excluding land cost), and what makes costs jump fast (rock, topography, dirt, trees)
• What "entry-level housing" looks like in today's market and why demand is so strong (affordable monthly payment target)
• Why Brandon prefers selling to national home builders (capital strength, volume pricing, speed, and predictability)
• How builder deposits can fund development and reduce interest costs—plus how Brandon targets downside protection in his numbers
• The concept of "force appreciation" in three phases: entitlement, horizontal development, and building/renting as a backstop
• Why Ron says: avoid personally guaranteeing debt and stay out of banks whenever possible

Resources

• RonLeGrand.com — Additional training, tools, and information.
• Get Ron's $599 Wholesaling course for FREE when you join his Gold Club for ONLY $99 a month! –www.TheMentorPodcast.com/GC183
• https://LearnLandDevelopment.com
• https://hbgcapital.net/waitlist
• https://RonLeGrand.com/Plan to complete your planning session application online
• https://RonLeGrand.com/Brandon