1.
The Secret To Picking
The Best Sites
Learn how to avoid getting
bitten by the land shark!

2.
Meet Your Speakers
Eric Brown
Artisan Homes
Paradise Valley, AZ
eric@artisanhomes.net
Adam Kantor
KEPHART
Denver, CO
adamk@kephart.com

3.
How Do I Evaluate The
Viability Of A Site?

4.
1. Where is the area on a desirability curve
2. Current zoning / Potential zoning
3. Price per unit and price per square foot for land
4. Condition of neighboring properties
5. Potential opposition to project
10 Things To Consider

5.
6. Seller cooperation
7. General plan for area, ease of processing through city
8. Probability of getting financing and investors to buy in
9. General market risk factors and competition
10. Probable buyer profile and product design that fits.
10 Things To Consider

6.
How Do I Determine What
To Build?

7.
Things To Consider
• Use product “off the shelf” or new design.
• Are you a trend setter or trend follower.
• Hitting the sweet spot of price, design, and value
• Time until first closing – carrying costs kill profit
• Good livable designs always sell. Don’t compromise.

8.
A
1,365 sf
2 story
1 car
17’
B
1,460 sf
3 story
2 car
18’
C
1,552 sf
3 story
2 car
20’
1,557 sf
2 story
1 car
23’
D

9.
B
B
B CC
A
D
75’
145’
7.5’
A
B
C
2 story
1 car
17’
3 story
2 car
18’
3 story
2 car
20’
2 story
1 car
23’
D

10.
A
B
C
2 story
1 car
17’
3 story
2 car
18’
3 story
2 car
20’
2 story
1 car
23’
D
AA
D DC
C
C C
C
125’
125’
7.5’

11.
What Are The Biggest Lessons
You’ve Learned?

12.
• Attached product must be right. Hard or impossible to change product or
floorplans mid-stream.
• Consider what options a buyer or renter has compared to your product.
• One dumb builder can hurt your potential for success.
• Multi-family building requires much more cash before closings begin.
• Get in and get out as fast as possible.
• Timing and proforma modeling- expect the worst case and hope for the best.
Biggest Lessons

13.
Know Lifestyle

14.
Final Thoughts To Share

15.
• Become as much of a local in the area as possible.
• Get local leaders and influencers on your side.
• Understand your buyer or renter’s lifestyle and design to it, not yours.
• Mixed-use development need three times the thought of a single use.
• Staging sites and traffic diversions can be difficult and expensive.
• Graffiti/theft can be a big problem.
• Focus like a laser but be prepared for last minute changes.
• Delays always happen and costs always overrun.
Final Thoughts – For Infill locations

16.
Questions?
Eric Brown
Artisan Homes
Paradise Valley, AZ
eric@artisanhomes.net
Adam Kantor
KEPHART
Denver, CO
adamk@kephart.com