In 2013, I started my land flipping journey with the Land Profit Generator program. Even though I took a few years off for my education and had MANY disappointments and failures along the way, including being wiped out financially due to some medical issues and having to rebuild, basically from scratch, I have learned a lot in my journey not only from Jack, but also from Seth Williams, Steve Butalla, Jill Dewitt, Adam Southey and many other names.
While I have to disclose that I became an affiliate of Jack's program in 2019, this post is not specifically about his program. It is about land flipping in general, my experiences and some things I have learned along the way.
The first thing that I learned, I admit I had this misconception when I started, is that anything worth doing is going to be a LOT of work. I remember, when I first started in land investing, that it was going to be easy was wishful thinking and delusion on my part. I remember getting my first 100-200 letters in the mail and thinking that I would immediately become super successful. Boy was I wrong. In talking to others, not only in the field of land flipping, but in other real estate niches, this is a common misconception and delusion. I can't and Jack would never and has never said that you that you are going to start in this business and get rich in a week by buying his program and his coaching and excerpting absolutely no effort or a tiny amount of effort on your end. I'm sorry, life simply isn't like this. Anything worth doing, anything worth achieving is going to require a HUGE amount of blood, sweat and tears. That is JUST the way it is. And whatever program you decide to buy, whatever land guru you decide to follow, heck, whatever real estate niche you decide to go into, it is going to be the SAME story.
The second thing I learned is that the home run deals you hear about are NOT a regular thing. Every deal you do you aren't going to hit the proverbial lottery. It just isn't real. Too many people, look at real gurus, gurus who REALLY know what they are doing, they look at land investors that REALLY know what they are doing, they see some of their top deals and think that this kind of deal comes along every day. Every day with barely any effort. Nothing could be further from the truth. We do the every day deals, month in and month out and whatever real estate niche you choose, recognizing that it is going to require a lot of push and effort to actually get where you want to be. These single hit deals are what keep us in business and allow us to be around long enough to hit the occasional home runs. I remember one time buying a buildable 40 acre property, with paved road access for $4,200 and selling it for way more than that. But that kind of deal isn't an everyday or even every month occurrence.
What I have found, in terms of deals, is the home run crazy deals, will hit your plate every so often, if you are in the game. The secret is you need to STAY in the game. You need to recognize that the home runs don't come every day and the secret to this business is just hitting the singles regularly. Making enough money, through the singles, to continue to be afloat, to continue your business. Then as you do these deals you will eventually, IF you persist, hit one or more home runs.
The third thing I have learned is the mystery of rural land being somehow "worthless." I see this parroted around by some investors from time to time. Just because YOU may not like the area or the land, does not make it "worthless." One of the most important things, in regards to selling, is just being upfront and honest with any prospective buyers about the land you are selling. If it is rural and two hours away from a major city, you just say that. If it is, for example, 2 miles off a dirt road, well you say that in the ad. Someone will come along and see this land and say, hey, this is the perfect piece of land.
The fourth thing I have learned, is land investing is almost like taking off a plane. A LOT of effort has to be excerpted to get it off the ground. But as you work and become more familiar with this business, things get easier and easier. I can't say that me myself, have reached "cruising altitude" and am on the beaches of Bali. but I can say that things have become easier over the years and when you have done over 100 transactions, the next one becomes satisfying but less and less of a big deal. Things become easier and easier. Things that took me days and days to figure out, only take me a matter of minutes. But this would have only happened if I took what I learned from gurus, read a lot more, picked the brains of other investors and got real life experience.
So in concluding, if you have any interest in land investing, I encourage you to take advantage of the free resources here in Bigger Pockets, listen to podcasts and once you have FIRMLY decided you want to do this, come hell or high water, buy a land flipping program that you feel works best for you. And then be prepared to learn more and to REALLY push. If you will you will make it. If you don't you won't.
