| I've been investing in real estate since the early '80s. | | | | price, it would be hard to find a better or safer |
| I've done rentals, rehabs, some wholesaling, and some | | | | investment for your money. Some of the wealthiest |
| lease options. I've done rent-to-owns and raised and | | | | throughout history have used Landbanking to start or |
| repaid over a half million dollars in private capital to fuel | | | | grow their wealth. Today, Donald Trump owns one of |
| my efforts. | | | | the last large undeveloped land parcels in Manhattan - |
| And I've learned some valuable lessons along the | | | | 100 acres along the Hudson River between 59th and |
| way... | | | | 72nd streets. Bob Hope owned thousands of acres |
| I've learned that real estate investing is a lot of work, | | | | near Palm Springs, Phoenix and Malibu and 10,000 |
| with no shortage of pitfalls, and that rentals aren't | | | | acres in San Fernando valley when it was little more |
| nearly as passive as I thought they'd be. In short, real | | | | than orange groves. Howard Hughes also held large |
| estate investing can be a real mine field and navigating | | | | amounts of land in or near Los Angeles and Las |
| through it takes considerable time, knowledge and | | | | Vegas. |
| resources. | | | | If you think those opportunities are gone, think again. |
| At least I thought it did. | | | | Until the US population starts to decrease, or the |
| In 2006 I was researching pre-construction condos and | | | | amount of land starts to increase (hope you're not |
| condo conversions when I stumbled onto LandBanking. | | | | holding your breath for either of those), the law of |
| Landbanking? I thought I knew all about real estate -- | | | | supply and demand will continue to push land prices |
| but I'd never heard of this before. So my antennae | | | | ever higher. With few exceptions, most metropolitan |
| went up and I began learning all I could about | | | | areas in the country have been growing. And that |
| LandBanking. | | | | means the land around them is becoming more |
| What is it? Well, it has nothing to do with safe-deposit | | | | valuable. |
| boxes full of sod. And, it isn't new, though the term | | | | If you like the idea and the potential of LandBanking, |
| may be. In fact, the basic LandBanking strategy is as | | | | but lack the time or financial resources, you can still |
| old as civilization and private property rights. It's as | | | | participate by partnering with a professional. This is |
| proven a strategy as any real estate strategy can be. | | | | where the hassle-free part comes in. There are |
| In a nutshell, the strategy is to locate land in the path of | | | | companies in the US that specialize in acquiring tracts |
| near future development, buy it, then wait for | | | | of land for LandBanking and share the opportunity with |
| development to approach and developers to offer you | | | | would-be LandBankers who lack the time and financial |
| a whole lot more for the land than you paid for it. | | | | resources to go it alone. |
| If the metropolitan area where you live has been | | | | Instead of needing countless hours and millions of |
| growing, I'm sure you've seen this in practice. Farmers | | | | dollars to LandBank independently, you can become a |
| typically will sell some or all of their fields to developers | | | | LandBanker with a couple hours of due diligence and a |
| who will then build commercial or residential units on the | | | | few thousand dollars. Not much more time or effort |
| land. | | | | than investing in a mutual fund. No searching out quality |
| So what makes this the best real estate investment | | | | land (that's already done), no negotiating (already done), |
| strategy? Three things - the tremendous appreciation | | | | no tedious and complicated closings (a few simple and |
| potential, the absence of all the hassles and | | | | straightforward documents), no tenants, no |
| headaches normally associated with real estate | | | | contractors. In short, no headaches and no hassles - |
| investing and the ability to go it alone or partner with | | | | just the ability to passively and affordably become a |
| experienced professionals. | | | | LandBanker and claim your share of LandBanking |
| If you have the interest, time and financial resources to | | | | wealth. |
| find these valuable land parcels and negotiate their | | | | |