FAQ
1) Is this a live course?
No. This is an online course that you can start when you want and take at your own speed. It is 15+ hours of video, but don’t let that intimidate you. 3 to 4 hours will get you up to speed to the point where you can go out and start looking for your own projects. Then come back to specific lessons in the course when you need to. The course is laid out in a linear fashion and follows the actual steps of development. Get the information you need, as you progress through your own deal.
We even have a ‘5 Week Quick Start’ 5 weeks to find your first property and make an offer.
2) Is there a time limit where access to the course stops?
No. You have lifetime access to the Facebook Group, Course portal, and regular Q&A zoom sessions.
3) How exactly will the course help in my transformation?
We truly believe that Real Estate Development is the next big thing in Real Estate Investing and want you to be a part of this exciting world. We teach the Micro-strategies of Property Development that allow investors of all sizes to succeed. After learning the various Micro-strategies, we want you to focus on one or two that mean the most to you. We want you to have FUN while you make money, (a crazy concept huh!) and we want your personality to match your strategy.
After some initial education (there are some things you need to know that you don’t learn in the Flip and Rental world), we get you going on the F.A.S.T. Strategy for Wealth Creation. F.A.S.T. stands for:
(F)ind The Opportunity: Make sure you are investing in the best Municipalities and Neighborhoods. What do they want or need? What are the different ways to increase the value of land? Target your searches for specific opportunities depending on your Micro-strategies of choice. Learn to be proactive with Zoning Maps and Community redevelopment plans. Build your team. Discover how to analyze a property.
(A)cquire The Property: Discover 11 different ways that you can control the property without buying it during the application phase. This can save you huge money. For example, can you partner with the seller instead of needing a money partner?
(S)secure Financing: Learn how financing development projects is different from what you may be used to in Flips and Rentals. We have an interview with a Mortgage Broker who specializes in Land Development and New Construction. What do the banks look for? How do you put together an investor package that attracts investors? How do you structure deals? Use our pre-made Excel Spreadsheets to put your initial ‘Back of Napkin’ budgets together, then learn how your team of experts will flesh out those estimates.
(T)urn That Property into Profits: This is the fun part, the design and execution of your dream. Whether you want to a) simply make a quick profit by changing the zoning or density of a property, or b) dig in the mud and get the land ready for a builder, or c) construct the final vision yourself, this course will teach you how to do that. The sense of pride you feel when you finish a project is infinitely better than renovating an old building.
Whether you are Feeling Bored, Tired, Frustrated or Stuck with the traditional Flip & Rental world, Real Estate Development can be the bridge to take you from where you are now to where you want to be.
4) Does this course work all-over North America?
Yes, the teachings of the course are applicable all over North America. While we can’t guarantee that your local area is Pro-development, we teach how development works, in general, and that is applicable in both the United States and Canada. Then, for each specific project, your local team (planner / civil engineer / architect) will tell you about the specific rules in your area.
Local development is the responsibility of the local government, not a State / Provincial or Federal issue. For example, local municipalities decide on their long-term growth, how zoning / density / usage are planned, what the process to change the rules are, and decide where residential, industrial, or commercial zones will be established. That is consistent throughout.
Because being in the right area can be important to your success, we focus a lot on how to pick the right municipality and community. What does each area want or need? How do you work with them instead of against them to quicken your application time and increase your chances of success?
5) How much money do I need to get into Real Estate Development?
It depends. How is that for a great non-answer?
Development is broken up into 3 types of costs – Land Cost, Soft Costs (Paper type things like permits, fees, blueprints, environmental reports etc.), and Hard Costs (money spent on site in the actual construction). So, you can begin to see how the cost will differ by size of project and location.
The great thing is, in the course, we show you that you don’t have to take a project right to completion to get paid. Just ‘Move the Needle.’ You have many different exit strategies along the way. These exit points allow you to profit with significantly lesser amounts of money. For example, you can simply change the zoning or density on a property, increase its value, and then sell that to a builder for a profit. This is called Upzoning or getting Entitlement. We teach these Micro-strategies that are a game changer for smaller investors.
We also teach 11 different ways to control the original lot without buying it during the application process. This also significantly, reduces the cost of entry. If you can partner with the seller on a Paperwork only deal, for instance, you would only need the cost of city fees and some engineering, as you wouldn’t have to purchase the land or have any hard costs.
We also teach a) how to get in a little bit at a time to lower your cost of entry and reduce risk, b) how to work with your local municipality to increase your chances of success, and c) how to partner with builders. Lots of tips and tactics to help in your transformation.
6) Why should I buy your course? I have a friend who is already in development.
You shouldn’t buy this course (or any other development course) if all they teach you is the steps involved in development. You can get that for free by talking to the planning department at city hall or meeting with a civil engineer. i.e., You will need to fill out these forms, submit 3 copies of a site plan, get an Environmental report done… The technical part is relatively easy.
You should buy a course that shows you how to transform your life by creating a repeatable system, so that you can do this over and over again for the rest of your life. That shows you how to think like an Investor. That teaches how to find investment-grade projects? How to acquire them in the most efficient manner? How to fund your projects? How to structure them? How to build a team? How to put a budget together? How to change the zoning / density / or usage of a property to your benefit? What are the different ways of increasing the value of land? What is Highest and Best Use and how can we profit from that?
The other value of this course is:
The 5-week Quick Start. This is 5 weekly call with Darcy himself to equip you with the skills, mindset and direct guidance you need to get up and running quickly. Discover what you need to know, what to focus on to profit in this exciting new world & gain that personal mentorship from an industry expert.
The community. Other students who think like you, that are interested in this same type of investing, that are learning from each other, and that are investing together.
Weekly Q&A group sessions. 95% of your questions will be answered by the course itself, the other 5% is more specific to you and will get answered in these bi-weekly sessions.
If you are tired, bored, frustrated or feeling stuck with the traditional flip and rental model this course can literally transform your life. THAT is why you would buy this course. Real Estate Development is really about transforming YOU. You don’t take a writing course to learn where to put the commas; you take a writing course to learn how write a book that is going to get published – so you can have the experience of being a successful writer.
7) What are the 5 most common mistakes people make in Real Estate Development?
a. Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew. You can break development projects into a) the paperwork process of getting applications and permits approved, b) land preparation (out with the old and in with the new) and c) construction of a building. On larger projects each of those is a task in itself. Pick one of those 3 and just do that, to start. There is a reason why development companies develop, and builders build.
b. Taking Too Long to Finish: Interest rates change, governments change, government policies change… Reduce your risk by getting in and out of your projects as quickly as possible. Long, multi-year, multi-phase developments are much riskier. There is nothing wrong with hitting a single and making a profit just by doing some of the Paperwork Micro-strategies instead of trying to hit a home run every time.
c. Don’t Paddle Upstream: Work with the local Municipality and Community instead of against them. What do they want or need? This will significantly lower the time it takes to get approval for your projects. If you are dead set on building a 10-unit apartment building, for instance, then you have to be flexible on where you are building. If you are dead set on building in this particular community then you have to be flexible on what you can build.
d. Have Enough Cash to Finish: Make sure a professional does your final budget to make sure you are well financed and can finish your project without running out of money. Sometimes you will have arranged most of the money and will be tempted to start, thinking, “I will be able to get the rest later. Let’s just get going now.” Don’t do it. There is nothing worse than being 80% done a project and you have to go back to your lender hat in hand.
e. Not Getting Started at All: Continually living in a world of doubt or ‘Analysis Paralysis.’ Psyching yourself out by thinking that development is just for the ‘Big Guys.’ That it takes construction experience or is too expensive, that it takes too long or that it doesn’t work where I live. We can assure you that none of that has to be true. With our Micro-strategies and other teachings in the course we can show you how you can get going to your financial future.
8) Are your existing students active? Getting wins?
Definitely. This is a fantastic course and an even better student group. You simply need to access our ‘Students Taking Action’ videos to know that the student group are Action Takers and are even investing together. Click here to see those videos.
9) How much access do we get to Darcy?
Tons! We have a closed Facebook group for just the students of the course. Ask questions there. Other students will respond, but Darcy monitors all the activity as well. PLUS, every week we have a zoom Q&A call with Darcy where you can ask him your specific questions directly. After sale support is REALLY important and we will do everything we can to help you to succeed.