He Found the Land Deal Everyone Else Missed

Andrew Frezza transitioned from owning a CrossFit gym for 11 years (2012-2023) to land investing, influenced by his father's 40-year real estate career spanning mobile home parks and commercial real estate. After COVID impacted the gym industry and with three young children, Andrew worked with his dad on commercial real estate in Asheville, North Carolina, including a major 1031 exchange from mobile home parks to 10 commercial properties.

One year ago, Andrew launched his land investing business with direct mail marketing (4,000 mailers monthly) and quickly found early success. His first major deal was a 10-acre cleared farmland property purchased for $250K, subdivided into five 2-acre parcels, and sold for approximately $560K total—yielding $140K profit after a 50/50 split with funder Sean Cohn and expenses. This early win provided significant proof of concept and confidence in the subdivide niche.

Initially, Andrew scaled aggressively to 10,000 monthly mailers while adding texting and hiring a VA, but his marketing spend became bloated. Several deals fell through due to poor soil reports or title issues, costing him thousands in wasted due diligence. He realized he was spending money on properties without fully analyzing comps and profit margins upfront. After consulting with coach Andrew Short, he pivoted to focus almost exclusively on on-market properties and realtor relationships, dramatically reducing his $50K+ monthly marketing budget to nearly zero.

His recent major deal exemplifies this new strategy: a 156-acre distressed property in Troy, North Carolina with river frontage, initially listed at $720K. Andrew discovered a 50,000 square-foot dilapidated rug mill on the property with a $250K demolition quote, but negotiated the purchase price down to $650K after finding a $80K demolition solution. Based on comps of similar properties selling for $10-15K per acre and his conservative base case of $8,500/acre, he projects 10+ parcels generating $300-400K total profit. He's funding this deal with his father at 12-14% interest, closing today.

After 12 months, Andrew has completed five deals full cycle totaling just over $200K gross profit (excluding marketing and operating expenses), putting him near break-even when all costs are factored in. His pipeline includes additional subdivide deals and the major North Carolina property, with projected additional profits of $100-200K from other properties currently listed or coming to market.

Andrew attributes his confidence to probability-based thinking from poker and stock market experience, rigorous comping (often 3-5 times per area), and understanding risk-reward ratios. He heavily utilizes Claude AI to scrub daily Southeast listings, price properties, and create investor presentations. His wife assists 1-2 hours daily with disposition while Andrew focuses on acquisition. He's also exploring Facebook groups and targeted buyer lists for disposition strategies.

Looking forward, Andrew plans to pause direct mail indefinitely and dedicate 80% of effort to on-market properties and realtor relationships, believing this approach aligns with his skillset and available funding resources. He aims for seven figures in net profit within 12-24 months. For newcomers, Andrew advises against casual dabbling, recommending those with existing income and time constraints start with on-market minor subdivides and realtor relationships to build comping skills and experience with minimal upfront costs.