We pay a few hundred dollars for a professional quality pitchbook with the financials and that has been money well spent.

You also need to be able to rely on project management skills to manage the project to stay on track.

Readers are advised to seek professional advice.

Readers should seek professional advice.

Readers should seek professional advice.

I'm in a different area, but I just paid a plumber ~$200 an hour to do some work....clearly I am in the wrong profession, but I know equipment and skills are needed. 

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

@Trenton MillerHey Trenton,Land valuation is the most important skill you will need to develop, and honestly, the only way to be better at it and not just take someone else's word for it is to truly understand zoning.

Secondly is to outsource everything to a professional so you are basically acting as the developer/project manager.

Very inspiring to see someone with such poor social skills achieve their goals so quickly!