Reverse engineer those goals and figure what you need to do next in order to reach those financial goals.  

For example, a civil engineer with extensive experience in land development could add value by taking a raw tract thru the entire entitlement process, and then selling it to a Builder.

Here are some of the major things you'll need:-Money (Equity) or the ability to raise it as a sponsor-Debt-Proper deal flow with buy-side contracts structured to minimize entitlement risk-Civil engineers familiar with the locale you'll be developing in-Architects for vertical construction if you do this piece-Financial modeling skills-Quality builders with good reputations (this one is KEY) and properly structured contracts with them-Quality brokers to exit the projects with input into what will sellThis really translates to:-Capital and access to capital-A track record to secure loans-The ability to execute with professional resources-The ability to source, underwrite, and exit projectsThere are hundreds of other details as well, but those are the major things you need.  

My name is James Kelly and I'm currently studying civil engineering at Cal Poly school of engineering in San Luis Obispo.

Bablu, I am also building a 2000 sqft home now in santa clara and permits and fees and engineering services will be $25k+ so $300k for a 2000 sqft house in the south bay is unrealistic UNLESS you work full time on the project and have a lot of the skills needed to get the job done.  

@Bernard H.As a software engineer, I can assure you that these kinds of projects can easily get out of hand.

Downpayment from a paypal software engineer and a ceo of a small Chinese  pharmaceutical company.

Which is why you'll see Carrot clients all over the country dominating the search engine results and pulling in more online leads than any other platform by far. 

Hence, the low acquisition price.Construction defects law:  Hardly any condos have been built for some years now because of the problems with foundations and shifting soils meant builders were liable for bad engineering.  

First you need to find out about zoning (what you can and how much you can build, then you will need a soils report, engineering and a set approved plans.