not true. we build a stacked triplex. 50k land, 300k hard cost, 10k soft cost, appraises 500k, rents for 5k a month. total return of capital within 12 months. we build at 20-25% equity because it's direct to developer and general contractor. we are vertically integrated.

The floors need work, it has older hardwood flooring that has several soft spots. 

The difference is that your duplex, you can just hold for 30 years on that nice fixed rate mortgage if the market is soft next year.

So they only have to factor the build cost and other soft cost.The problem at hand with a new build is finding the land, the cost of the land, clearing/prepping the land and bringing utilities in.

Soft costs, city and impact fees, .

To make things more complicated, there was already some cosmetic damage on this driveway from my contractor accidentally running a pressurewasher on the curing concrete and leaving spinning brush circles in one corner. 

I shouldn't laugh, my mom did the same and we thought we were uptown when we covered that awful hickory hardwood with soft, beautiful, gold, thick shag carpet. 

Do you head to the big-box retailers, or do you have a soft spot for your local hardware store? 

This lot has a shop type building on it that is very overgrown with brush and vines, so much that’s it difficult to gain access to the building.

Also, you should be focused on constuction lenders who offer best leverage (usually those who will capitalize interest reserve &  finance a portion of the soft costs), lower floors on the rate since most banks tie their construction debt pricing to the fed rate, perhaps offer lower or no pre-payment penalty if the property reaches the permanent financing phase of the loan product before you are able to refinance and low or no required depository relationship outside of the actual operating ccount.