Not A Builder? Not A Problem. What Property Developers Actually Do | EP 276

A lot of people think property developers are builders. Most are not. Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton unpack what a developer actually does, week to week, and why you do not need a construction background, a trade or a degree to do it. Bob describes a developer's job in one sentence, walks through …

Cheap Decisions, Expensive Consequences: Cutting Corners in Property Development | EP 275

Everyone wants to save money on a development, but there is a big difference between being smart with your money and penny pinching. Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton work through where property developers can sensibly save, and where cutting corners ends up costing far more. Bob covers choosing betw…

You Don't Need to Be Ready to Start Property Development (Here's What You Do Need) | EP 274

Most people who want to do property development are waiting for something: enough money, enough knowledge, the right market, the right site, enough confidence. Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton unpack what ready really looks like, and why you are probably closer than you think. Bob explains why he wa…

Are you the weak link in your Property Development? Decisions, Setbacks and Confidence | EP 273

Property development is a process, but woven through it are the skills that make the process happen: making decisions when nothing is certain, leading a team of experts, knowing your own triggers, and building the confidence to act. Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton pick up where last week's people-s…

The Best People Skills In Property Development | Ep: 272

Property development is a people game. Negotiation, conflict, getting people on site, keeping a builder onside. None of it appears in the feasibility, and Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton argue it decides outcomes just as often as the numbers do. Prompted by a new mentoring student who gets excited …

Are You Walking Away From Deals You Could Actually Do? (Joint Ventures Explained) | EP 271

In this episode Bob and Hilary unpack Joint Ventures. Bob goes back to his first two projects, both joint ventures. The first was a vendor finance deal with a landowner named Tony, who told him "money's the easiest part" and then showed him how to do a four-lot subdivision with a second mortgage…

Can ChatGPT do your Property Development Feasibility? (We tested it live!) | EP 270

Can AI do a property development feasibility for you? Hilary Saxton and Aaron Ralph put the newest ChatGPT model to the test, live on screen. They hand it a real duplex site they have already developed with some of their students and sold and ask it to work out whether the deal stacks up. The actua…

Our 3 Day Property Development & Joint Ventures Workshop: Who It's For and What You'll Learn

Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton unpack this year's Property Development and Joint Ventures Workshop, three full days on the Gold Coast from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October, plus a two hour online kickoff session on Thursday 1 October. This year's workshop covers the complete A to Z of property develo…

Where New Developers Get Stuck- The 5 Big Ones (EP: 269)

Every new property developer hits the same sticking points. Not hundreds of them, five big ones. And once you can see them clearly, they stop being reasons to wait. In this episode Bob Andersen and Hilary Saxton unpack the five questions that stall new developers: 1. How much equity you actually n…

Why the Best JV Partner Is Not a Stranger With Money (EP: 268)

Joint Ventures are everywhere in property development, and most of our students do them. But here is the part that catches people out. The most expensive thing in a Joint Venture is not the money, it is a partner who does not understand property development. In this episode Bob Andersen and Hilary…