It's in a newly developing area with houses being built and other lots selling nearby.

Managing 17 shopping centers and selecting sites for new developments is no small feat—kudos to you!

At a minimum, having viable plans in place for development will make these lots more marketable and valuable to potential builders when we have conversations. 

And then you can use that information to start to develop your own personal due diligence method: Crowdstreet.com, 1031 Crowdfunding, Akr7, Finresi etc.

I think there needs to be a change in leadership and a pro-development or up-zoning attitude.

Also, keeping an eye on zoning changes or upcoming developments can help you get ahead of the curve.Would love to hear more about your experiences too—what areas are you currently focusing on?

While sophistication of your equity partners (private money lenders) will vary between residential and commercial, the principle of raising private capital is the same.You need to develop your own system which allows a constant stream of PML even when you don't need the funds and/or don't have an active deal under contract.For example; I raise private capital by offering free educational workshops for people with self-directed IRAs.

Getting Fair deals on labor and repairs comes from developing win/win relationships with contractors.

It explains the team that you should develop to have a strong foundation under you while investing remotely.https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/core-four-real-estate-team

With so many companies like Intel, Meta, Amazon, etc. moving and developing here, the population and job market are growing so rental demand and appreciation potential are strong.