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Owned by Dave

Leadership in Land

180 members • Free

Leadership in Land is a community of land investors who value the power of shared knowledge.

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Land Maverick Society

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Land Closers Academy

1.4k members • Free

170 contributions to Leadership in Land
Old School Rules
hi - Looking for some pushback here. We've been funding deals for almost 5 years. So, we've seen 1000+ properties and funded 400+. We run a Land Geeks style business (with a great manager/CEO) that hums along with 100 active notes and properties on market. So, we're in the business. We are NOT in the mass mailing, texting, calling business though. My focus here is about underwriting. I'm looking at the way most of us underwrite deals. Like from the laptop I'm typing on here. Land.ID, Pebble, Property Radar, PRYCD, Land Insights, Land Investing Online, a big AirTable system, and other tools in our work. It's not the way I learned to buy and sell real estate. I did that by walking dirt or buildings, talking to County Health Departments, well drillers, looking at traffic patterns, distance to services. I bought properties that others wanted, had real attributes. I didn't comp using a computer with an algorithm that calculate price per acre. I learned to appraise based on taking a base calculation and working through a list of subtractions like noisy corner or settling foundations. The kinds of things that don't show up in a computer profile. So, if I want to buy "quality", how do I find those JV partners? None of the schools I've seen focus on that. Usually it's just eliminating the basics, slope, wet, access. I want to buy dirt that I know someone will LOVE it and achieve their dreams. Not just commodity flipping. Feels like I'm going to start sounding like the old curmudgeon talking about the "good old days". Tell me what I'm missing? I'm almost 70 and 1/2 my life I've been a small real estate investor. We turned over $20 million since we started 4 years ago. I've held a broker license, ran a property management business during the GFC.
1 like • 15h
@Steven Hodgdon thanks so much for sharing and your transparency! when you say finding JV partners, do you mean land investors who you fund deals for? if that's the case, it really seems like you'd want to partner with folks who have a much smaller market that they specialize in--- 1 or 2 states or 20 counties. where maybe they have 1 realtor or 2 or 3 realtors they work with and they really know these markets in and out. part of the question to ask which is really hard to grapple with, can you make the model attractive to attract quality operators who are that specialized and proven? i definitely recognize it's very tough from both an operator perspective (the costs of acquisition rising) and from a funder perspective (more bad deals than before). and you're balancing potential profitability and often dealing with newer investors who don't know quite what they are talking about. heck, we're 9 years in and making plenty of mistakes still today. for us personally, i'd love a funder who makes available both hard money (debt) and equity funding and i can pick and choose depending on the situation. at the end of the day, i'm going to choose the most reliable, cheapest, and easiest cost of capital that's right for our business and i will want to use both debt and equity. hope that helps and gives you plenty to think about!
What’s new for the 2026 Land Unconference?
It's not a sit-and-listen conference. Land UnConference is where land investors come together to talk, share, and solve real problems in their business. It’s simple...learn from others who are doing it too. Mark your calendar: šŸ“ July 17th, 2026 | Bloomington, MN Reserve your seat: www.landunconference.com For 2026, we’re doubling down on what actually helps you grow: → Marketing in a tighter market → Finding better deals in a changing market → Owner financing and note strategy → Dispo and Facebook Marketplace → Subdivides and minor splits → Messy title and heir situations → Hiring and leading a remote team → AI tools for land investors → Raising private money → Deal analysis and pricing → Building a business that runs without you If you were in that room… what would you want to figure out first? Register here today → www.landunconference.com
What’s new for the 2026 Land Unconference?
0 likes • 15h
we are closing down registration in the next month- so if you want to secure your spot, now is the time!
Leading during boring and Repetitive season
Most people don’t quit when things are hard… They quit when things get boring. No big wins. No excitement. Just the same work every day. In land investing, this is where growth actually happens: • Sending offers • Following up • Reviewing deals • Training your team It feels repetitive… but it’s working. — Strong leaders don’t chase motivation. They stick to the process. Because boring = scalable. If things feel slow right now… You’re probably closer than you think. Keep going.
1 like • 15h
@Kay Walker thank you!
2 likes • 15h
@Ryan Wilkins oh yeah no doubt! especially when someone is starting out, you're just itching to see proof of concept and when it doesn't come and doesn't come, it's very discouraging. i heard just yesterday from a mailhouse that people used to give it a shot over 12 mos and that cycle is much shorter now, more like 2 to 3 mos. so churn in new people is higher than before i believe that means that those of us that do stick around will have larger and larger businesses are there becomes more consolidation which makes the moat even bigger
What leadership behavior most helps teams adapt to rapid digital transformation?
What leadership behavior most helps teams adapt to rapid digital transformation? Or do you have another? Comment down below.
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0 likes • 6d
One of the things we probably should document how we do it and haven't shared with the community yet (I don't think) is our process for dealing with end of day (EOD) reports. Every day staff is to submit an EOD, including a short journal of the day, wins, where they want help, how they've used AI, etc. This is done via a form in Airtable. We then feed that EOD into Make.com which puts a draft of an e-mail response to them in my e-mails. To help it with drafting the e-mail, we have a prompt that has knowledge about our core values and that we like the leadership style of John Maxwell and Simon Sinek. I then have the headache reduced of having to figure out how to respond, but I do customize most of them still with an extra question or thought or encouragement or response to their question. It gives accountability, but also great interaction and helps me keep my finger on the pulse of what's happening and how people are struggling since the vast majority of staff are virtual. Plus, that I also have responsibility to them and that since they are required to fill out EOD, essentially I am obligated to respond.
1 like • 2d
@Kay Walker absolutely! if you want help setting up something like this, happy to hop on a call and walk you through how we do it
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Dave Denniston
5
141points to level up
@dave-denniston-3149
Land Investor/ Tax Lien Investor/ Financial Planning CEO/ Chief Nerd Officer

Active 15h ago
Joined Sep 20, 2024
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