Subdivide Offers, Seller Negotiations & Direct Mail
A real estate investing podcast Q&A covers contract negotiations with multiple buyers and subdividing strategies. The discussion emphasizes offering market-value prices rather than deep discounts, keeping marketing materials concise and direct, and understanding the importance of proper project management when subdividing land.
Summary
The episode opens with Dylan asking about managing multiple offers on the same property in South Carolina—specifically how to handle a cash buyer while another buyer is in the loan process. The hosts advise Dylan to push the legitimate buyer forward rather than signing dual contracts, but suggest he can accept a backup offer on paper with an extended expiration date without having the first buyer sign additional documentation.
The main portion of the podcast features Andrew, who runs a high-level subdivide and entitlements mastermind group. After five weeks, his group is seeing several million dollars in profit potential with multiple agreements being ratified on minor subdivisions and entitlement opportunities. Andrew emphasizes that the critical mistake operators make is approaching subdivide deals at 50% of as-is value using traditional discounting strategies, when subdividing actually allows sellers to be offered market value or near-market value because the profit comes from breaking the land into smaller, higher-value parcels.
Andrew and Nick discuss direct mail marketing strategy extensively, arguing that most investors waste space with messaging about their values, background, or what they'll do with the property. Instead, they stress that sellers only care about the purchase price. Their most effective approach is placing the price range prominently at the top of letters or postcards, keeping copy minimal and professional. Nick reports using a QR code that directs to a 40-second video of himself, which has been scanned over 700 times in two and a half years. Both stress that this professional, non-salesy approach combined with market-rate pricing produces exceptional ROI—Andrew reports converting an easy six-figure deal for every 2,000 mailers sent, with returns of 60-70X or more on marketing spend.
When sellers express concerns about how developers will use the property (such as limiting density), Andrew explains that successful operators have direct conversations about the seller's objectives, run out full underwriting showing both the optimal development scenario and the seller's preferred scenario with adjusted pricing, and typically land somewhere in the middle. The key is transparency about profit margins rather than hiding projections.
Andrew addresses whether newcomers should start with subdividing or traditional flipping at steep discounts. He argues that while both paths are viable, subdividing requires either coaching/education or partnership with experienced operators because it amplifies risks—instead of managing one property, you're managing 20-40 lots simultaneously. He cautions that mistakes on high-value properties ($500,000+) can cripple an investor for years, so giving up equity to experienced partners on early deals is often wise to ensure proper de-risking and education.
About this episode
<p><strong>Want to quit your job and build a real land investing business?</strong></p><p><strong>👉</strong><a href="https://landportal.com/subscriptions?a_aid=LandInvestingOnline&a_bid=9e9b000b" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Land Portal</strong></a> gives you access to the fastest-growing land software <em>plus</em> <a href="https://landportal.com/subscriptions?a_aid=LandInvestingOnline&a_bid=9e9b000b" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Land Portal University</strong></a>, where we walk you step-by-step through getting your first land deal.</p><p>🎯 Looking for <strong>1-on-1 Land Flipping or Subdividing coaching</strong>? Schedule a <a href="https://landinvestingonline.com/pages/consultation" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>FREE strategy call</strong></a> here.</p><p><br /></p><p>================================</p><p>In this episode, Ron does a Q&A with their community to answer the hottest questions in the land investing industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>Want to be a part of the conversation? Join our <a href="http://landinvestingonline.com/discord" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>discord calls</strong></a><strong> </strong>every Friday at 12:30 EST, to get your questions answered and meet other land investors!</p><p><br /></p><p>🎙️<strong>Checkout these podcasts mentioned in this episode:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4LZCJ4vZRjJt30d5rrWHok?si=874959d10b0445ee" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>This Land Strategy Turns $8K Into $50K Deals</strong></a></li><li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4r3YtWATtpmFTX4LLRo9cK?si=761f654b6ed34828" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>He Bought $10M of Land Using This Strategy</strong></a></li></ul><p><br /></p><p>================================</p><p>SOCIAL</p><p><strong>Ron's Instagram </strong>📸:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ronapke/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> <strong>https://www.instagram.com/ronapke/</strong></a></p><p><strong>Dan's Instagram </strong>📸:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/danielapke/?hl=en" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> <strong>https://www.instagram.com/danielapke/</strong></a></p><p><br /></p>
Key Insights
- Andrew argues that subdivide operators commonly underprice deals at 50% of as-is value when the business model actually allows offering near-market prices because the profit comes from the subdivision process itself, not from buying at steep discounts.
- Nick and Andrew claim that direct mail marketing focused on seller values, background stories, and future property uses is ineffective because sellers only care about purchase price; they recommend placing the numerical offer in larger font at the top and keeping total copy minimal enough to fit on a postcard or even a hand.
- Andrew asserts that the subdividing business model produces exceptional returns (60-70X ROAS in some cases) by spending under $20,000 monthly on direct mail and converting an easy six-figure deal per 2,000 mailers sent, which substantially outperforms traditional land flipping models.
- Andrew contends that when sellers want input on development density or property use, successful operators show complete underwriting for both the optimal scenario and the seller's preferred scenario with adjusted pricing, which works 99% of the time because sellers understand the cost and risk involved in development.
- Andrew argues that newcomers to subdividing face amplified risks compared to traditional flipping because they manage dozens of lots simultaneously rather than single properties, making education or partnership with experienced operators more critical to avoid mistakes that could cripple them financially on high-value deals.
Topics
Transcript
All right, everybody, welcome back to the Real Estate Investing Podcast. In this episode, it is going to be a live Q&A with myself, Daniel, and our community. There's some amazing questions in this, so enjoy the episode. Dylan, how are you doing? Good. How are you doing? Doing well. So quick question. I'm selling a property right now. I have one contract signed and he's working through getting a loan. But I had another buyer approach me that has cash that wants to buy the same property. This is in South Carolina. And my attorney was telling me, like, I could get them to sign an agreement, but I've got to do this whole contingency thing. Like I could…
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