Some of the best land investment opportunities may never appear on a public listing. But finding off-market land deals is only the beginning. Investors also need to understand what a property is worth, whether it can support their intended use, and which hidden challenges could turn a promising acquisition into an expensive mistake.
In this episode, Aviva Sonenreich sits down with Carter Malloy, founder and CEO of Acres.com, to discuss how to find and evaluate off-market land deals using property data, market research, and practical due diligence. Carter explains how investors, developers, and commercial real estate brokers can identify potential acquisitions, research property ownership, analyze zoning and utility access, and evaluate land before making an offer. They also explore how AI is changing land acquisition, why off-market properties aren’t necessarily better investments, and how accurate comparable sales and local expertise help investors make more informed decisions.
Key Topics Discussed
- How to Find Off-Market Land Deals: How investors and brokers can identify properties that aren’t actively listed for sale using ownership information, market intelligence, and targeted property searches.
- Off-Market vs. On-Market Land Investments: Why Carter believes investors should evaluate opportunities based on their fundamentals rather than assuming off-market properties automatically offer better deals.
- How to Evaluate Land Before Buying: Why zoning, utility availability, topography, flood zones, easements, and physical property conditions are essential considerations during land acquisition.
- Using AI and Property Data to Find Land Opportunities: How land intelligence platforms such as Acres.com help investors filter properties by acquisition criteria, identify potential challenges, and spend less time evaluating unsuitable deals.
- Understanding Land Values and Comparable Sales: Why accurate local sales data matters when determining what land is worth and how relying on inappropriate comparable properties can lead to unrealistic valuations.
- Identifying Land Development Opportunities: How understanding a market’s physical path of growth, zoning regulations, potential rezoning, and local development activity can reveal opportunities other buyers may overlook.
- Avoiding Costly Land Investment Mistakes: Why investors should investigate environmental concerns, access limitations, infrastructure restrictions, and other potential obstacles before becoming emotionally committed to a property.
- Why Local Expertise Still Matters in Land Investing: How property inspections, relationships with landowners, professional judgment, and firsthand market knowledge complement technology during the acquisition process.
About the Guest
Carter Malloy is the founder and CEO of Acres.com, a land intelligence platform that helps real estate investors, developers, brokers, and other professionals research properties and evaluate land opportunities. Drawing on his background in land investing, Carter focuses on improving access to property information, simplifying land acquisition research, and using mapping technology, data, and AI to support better real estate decisions.
About the Host
Aviva Sonenreich is the Managing Broker and Owner of the Warehouse Hotline, a Denver commercial real estate brokerage specializing exclusively in industrial properties. She leads the firm’s brokerage operations, negotiates industrial sales and leasing transactions, advises clients on acquisition and disposition strategies, and oversees the company’s marketing and business development efforts. Through Commercial Real Estate Secrets, she interviews leading investors, brokers, developers, and industry experts to provide actionable insights on commercial real estate investing, brokerage, leasing, development, and market trends.
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