Due Diligence Basics\n\nAn overview of the checks every site needs before you commit: access, utilities, topography, environmental flags, and title.

Going Deeper (Intermediate)

Due diligence (DD) is verifying everything before you're committed — title, survey, environmental, geotech, utilities, zoning, and market — performed during a feasibility/contingency period when you can still walk and recover your deposit.

Advanced / Pro-Level

Run a disciplined DD checklist:

• Legal: title, survey, easements, CC&Rs.
• Physical: geotech, environmental (Phase I), topo, wetlands.
• Regulatory: zoning and entitlement feasibility.
• Service: utility availability and capacity.
• Market: demand, pricing, absorption. Negotiate a feasibility period with a refundable deposit so you can kill bad deals cheaply — "the best deal is often the one you don't do." Build the DD timeline right into the purchase agreement.

Practice Challenge

Why is a feasibility period with a refundable deposit one of the most valuable terms a developer can negotiate? (Answer: it lets you investigate (title, environmental, geotech, entitlement, market) and walk away with your money if a deal-killer appears — you spend a little to avoid a catastrophic commitment; killing bad deals cheaply is core to survival.)

In Practice

A site looks perfect until due diligence reveals no sewer access for a mile — a deal-killer found just in time. Due diligence finds the costs and dealbreakers before you own them.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping or rushing due diligence
• Owning the problem before finding it
• Not checking access and utilities

Takeaway: Find the dealbreakers and the real costs before you own the problem.