Contractor looking for investor

[Shane Ryan]

Hello all. Looking for tips and/or advice.  I'm not an investor as of now but looking to be in the future. Had a friend become a pretty successful investor (which is how I heard about this site.) years ago but I never really got the bug like he did. 

So here's my problem. (if you want to call it that). I run an excavating/landclearing business here in East Tennessee. I do everything from the road to the concrete slab (minus drilling wells). Clearing the land, leveling the pad for a house,  hauling the rock and building the driveway, trenching for water and power, septic systems,  footers and concrete slabs. Pretty much everything that would need done for someone to come in and build. 

I was kicking ideas around with my wife the other night and thought about the little time I've spent on biggerpockets, listening to my investor buddy and dabbling in the idea of investing myself. With my skillset. My ability to get virgin land ready for a buyer. How would I go about partnering up with investors or land owners. My thoughts are, what I do is a fairly expensive part of developing property. If I could come in with my services at no up front cost to an investor or landowner it would help their side tremendously.  They wouldn't have to put out anymore money than necessary. Keeping their finances from being tied up for long periods of time. In return I'd get paid for the work I performed and a percentage of the profit when the property sold. I THINK. This idea is just an idea at the moment. I haven't really played all the details out. Just wanted to jump on here and see if any of you guys have done a deal like this. If you haven't, is this something that could be of interest to you or am I just spinning my wheels on an idea that appeals to nobody. 

Little more detail of my area. With what I do. In the 10 years I've been doing it. I now know these mountain as good or better than people that have lived and grown up here over the last 60 years. I run about 10 driveways a day covering about 400 Sq miles. I've seen property that sold for 40k 2 years ago jump up 200k in the last year. I've cleared and worked land that looked like garbage from the road that was purchased for a few thousand an acre turn into 10k an acre.(as investors, most of yall know. PEOPLE HAVE NO VISION. If they can't see it, they don't think it's exist). 

We have an Amazon type facility coming to our area. Should be done next year. The housing market here is sparse. Rentals are almost impossible to find. And we are adding 3000 jobs to the area so I can only image the property values will continue to climb as the demand will continue to weigh against the supply. 

Feel free to give your thoughts. Good or bad. If I haven't painted a picture you can understand, ask the questions I left open and I'll do my best to answer them. Thank you guys in advance.

[Andrew Bang]

You touched on alot of points and have some common ideas that most people have when they are starting off.  I'll shut down a few: Living an area for X years and knowing the back roads doesn't mean you can flip a home for more than the next investor.  Clearing land/leveling a lot costs are small compared to the whole build so it won't be enticing for a builder to split his profits, Amazon plants/fulfillment centers are popping up everywhere, won't have any affect on the market. In everything you wrote , you had one sentence that stood out. 

"I've cleared and worked land that looked like garbage from the road that was purchased for a few thousand an acre turn into 10k an acre."

There's your answer.   Copy what that investor did.  Your strength is clearing/leveling land and giving another investor/home owner a turn key lot ready to build.  Find an acre for a few thousand similar to what you already saw and turn it into 10k an acre.   Low barrier of entry at that price, you have the skills/knowledge to clear it, find a realtor to sell it.