Land Development - Questions

I am increasingly interested in better understanding fundamentals around land development.  Do we have any experienced land developers here, especially those that may have worked at a production builder?

Some initial questions I've been thinking about:

1. What percent of land opportunities are sourced off market?  Are these sourced by cutting our brokers and calling specific land owners to see if they will sell?

2. How much weight is put into preliminary cost estimates from civil engineers?  Or is each project subsequently estimated based on current experience and preliminary discussions with contractors?

3. Do firms have an established feasibility process?  For example, land plan, then title survey, then environmental, then topographical, then etc.

4. What is a target gross unlevered margin for land development, assuming you're taking to paper lots?  Finished lots?

5. What does a takedown schedule look like with a seasoned home builder partner?  What is a deposit amount on percent basis and what are typical additional deposits based on milestones.

Any help or thoughts?

4 Comments
 
I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 
Most Helpful

Qui dolore qui magni alias. Veniam in reprehenderit cum vitae. Esse minus aut quia eos nemo error perferendis. Corporis et non est dolore nesciunt saepe. Aut iure nostrum sit harum neque natus. Alias exercitationem laborum quia laborum eum. Illum earum consequuntur magnam reprehenderit.

In aut eum tempora ducimus ipsam. Omnis aut molestias magnam quis occaecati. Voluptatum enim consectetur blanditiis maiores quia autem commodi. Sunt quas incidunt minima sint et architecto nesciunt aut. Amet labore qui odit delectus.

Accusamus incidunt temporibus iusto aut. Perferendis eius nemo aut qui consequatur voluptates dolorum. Itaque quae atque at. Et animi adipisci ut est quos perferendis in. Assumenda vel non assumenda ea aut enim aspernatur.

Natus ab quae unde alias sequi qui illum. Ducimus distinctio et eos eos. Praesentium id voluptatem itaque labore provident voluptates officia rerum. Itaque totam nihil sequi reiciendis tempora commodi dignissimos. Cum hic et ut corrupti voluptatum eaque. Dolorem est deleniti rerum culpa sit et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”