The Big Picture Blueprint: Navigating Land, Real Estate, and Business Success

Dan Haberkost & Mason McDonald
  • 4.7 (12)
  • INVESTING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Join Mason McDonald and Dan Haberkost, two full-time real estate investors that have unlocked financial and geographical independence, as they break down specific tactics and strategies to help you grow your business & increase profitability. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned business owner, an employee eyeing passive investment, or simply trying to escape the rat race, you'll walk away with tactical tips and tricks that you can apply immediately. By interviewing top minds in a multitude of industries & niches, Mason and Dan will provide you a roadmap to wealth creation, business success, and an improved lifestyle. Tune in for your blueprint to success!

  1. 4D AGO

    Rural Land Development; Pitfalls and Tactics

    In this episode, Dan and Mason get real about what rural land development actually looks like when you’re doing it right now, not just talking about the upside. They share the problems showing up inside live deals, and why “one small detail” in due diligence can wipe out an otherwise perfect project. They walk through the big repeat offenders, access and roads. State highways, driveway permits, line of sight, drainage dips, and county rules can turn a great parcel into a dead deal fast. They also call out the stuff you only catch in person, easements that don’t match the actual road, neighbors who block or fight access, and why walking the property is still one of the highest ROI moves you can make. From there, they zoom out to the decisions that separate a clean project from a painful one. Lot count versus road cost, what buyers in that area actually want, and how demand shifts when you offer terms instead of relying on cash comps. They share simple ways to sanity-check demand, leaning on local experts, test marketing during due diligence, and even pulling county buyer data to see where the real buyers come from. They wrap with the other deal-killers they keep on a checklist, water reality versus “water rights hype,” electric that looks usable but isn’t, soils and septic limits, and title issues like conservation easements and leases. The takeaway is clear: rural development isn’t hard because it’s complicated, it’s hard because it punishes assumptions. Tune in if you want the honest version of land development, the one where the win goes to whoever verifies first. === Key Topics: -Rural land planning for exempt subdivisions -Road frontage, highway access permits, and driveway feasibility -Easements that don’t match the real-world access and neighbor conflicts -Buyer demand, lot size strategy, and selling with terms financing -Due diligence deal killers like water, electric, soils, title restrictions, and conservation easements === If you’re selling land and still relying on Facebook messages, you’re making it harder than it needs to be. Acrefy helps land investors create clean, professional dispo websites where buyers can see everything in one place. It saves time, looks legit, and helps you close faster. 👉 Get your land dispo website with Acrefy here: https://acrefy.co/blueprint === 🚨 Ready to Learn How to Flip Land? 🚨 Hey there! Dan and Mason have something exciting for you: 🎉 Join our FREE Ground Up Land Community! 🎉 Here’s what you’ll get: ✅ Expert tips on flipping land ✅ Connect with other land investors ✅ Ask questions & get real feedback ✅ Weekly calls with Dan & Mason – totally free! Don’t wait—take the first step toward land investing success. 👉 Join for FREE at https://www.skool.com/grounduplandcommunity === Connect With Us: https://linktr.ee/thebigpictureblueprint

    47 min
  2. A Day in the Life of a Land Investor

    FEB 9

    A Day in the Life of a Land Investor

    In this new episode, Dan and Mason walk through what a real “day in the life” looks like when you’re doing land full time, not the highlight reel. They share what they’re actively working on right now, what’s gone wrong inside live deals, and why the start of 2026 already feels different, with buyer sentiment picking up, more showings coming in, and more property moving across their pipeline. They break down how their days actually start, from checking on market listings early so they can be first to make offers, to staying in constant motion between larger tracts, team check ins, and deal specific punch lists. They also get practical about what drives revenue week to week, following up with buyer leads, staying responsive to Facebook inquiries, keeping seller leads organized without burning bridges, and treating CRM hygiene like a non-negotiable. You’ll hear how they manage the “hurry up and wait” parts of due diligence on big acreage, how they schedule the right experts early, and why watching price drops and tracking properties in a CRM can turn an on market listing into a real discount, especially on higher priced land. Tune in to hear how they balance deal flow, team leadership, and personal life, and why being intentional with your time, your follow up, and your offer process is what keeps everything moving. === Key Topics: -A real day in the life of a full time land investor -How on market deals still create major buying opportunities -Daily actions that directly drive revenue -Managing deals pipelines and long due diligence timelines -Protecting time and avoiding work that does not produce income === If you’re selling land and still relying on Facebook messages, you’re making it harder than it needs to be. Acrefy helps land investors create clean, professional dispo websites where buyers can see everything in one place. It saves time, looks legit, and helps you close faster. 👉 Get your land dispo website with Acrefy here: https://acrefy.co/blueprint === 🚨 Ready to Learn How to Flip Land? 🚨 Hey there! Dan and Mason have something exciting for you: 🎉 Join our FREE Ground Up Land Community! 🎉 Here’s what you’ll get: ✅ Expert tips on flipping land ✅ Connect with other land investors ✅ Ask questions & get real feedback ✅ Weekly calls with Dan & Mason – totally free! Don’t wait—take the first step toward land investing success. 👉 Join for FREE at https://www.skool.com/grounduplandcommunity === Connect With Us: https://linktr.ee/thebigpictureblueprint

    36 min
  3. The Hardest Part About Land Investing

    FEB 2

    The Hardest Part About Land Investing

    In this new episode, Mason and Dan dig into one of the hardest parts of land investing, making decisions when you don’t have perfect data. They talk about the uncertainty that shows up with bigger tracts and rural subdivides, where there aren’t clean comps, every parcel is unique, and even “great deals” can feel shaky at the moment. Instead of getting stuck in analysis paralysis, they break down how they aim for a “70 percent confident” decision point, enough to act, while still leaving room to verify the details during due diligence. They also share practical ways to build confidence when the market feels unclear. They discuss using demand signals like listing traction, watching how fast good properties move, checking county assessor sales records, leaning on strong local broker relationships, and doing simple demand tests through platforms like Facebook Marketplace or lightweight ad tests. They explain why you can’t just rely on spreadsheets, you have to look closely at why a comp sold low or high, like wetlands, bad access, easements, or even solar and data center factors that can distort prices. Tune in to hear why making offers is often the real unlock, how to set simple rules that keep you disciplined, and how “nice, usable land” can protect you when the numbers still feel uncertain. === Key Topics: -Why waiting for perfect data kills good deals -The 70 percent rule that gets deals moving -How overthinking silently costs you money -Simple ways to test demand before you buy -The real numbers every land investor must know === If you’re selling land and still relying on Facebook messages, you’re making it harder than it needs to be. Acrefy helps land investors create clean, professional dispo websites where buyers can see everything in one place. It saves time, looks legit, and helps you close faster.  👉 Get your land dispo website with Acrefy here: https://acrefy.co/blueprint === 🚨 Ready to Learn How to Flip Land? 🚨 Hey there! Dan and Mason have something exciting for you: 🎉 Join our FREE Ground Up Land Community! 🎉 Here’s what you’ll get: ✅ Expert tips on flipping land ✅ Connect with other land investors ✅ Ask questions & get real feedback ✅ Weekly calls with Dan & Mason – totally free! Don’t wait—take the first step toward land investing success. 👉 Join for FREE at https://www.skool.com/grounduplandcommunity === Connect With Us: https://linktr.ee/thebigpictureblueprint

    39 min
  4. How to Fail as a Fund Manager

    JAN 26

    How to Fail as a Fund Manager

    In this episode, Mason and Dan look back on why they started GroundUp Partners, what worked, what didn’t, and why they ultimately shut it down. They share how the idea came from a real gap in land investing, having more deals than capital, and why funding other people’s deals seemed like a natural next step. Early on, it worked. Deals got funded, returns were solid, and the model proved it could make money. They also get real about where things broke down. The fund was treated like a side project while they were running full time land businesses. They underestimated how much time investor relations, admin work, and structure would take. They talk about having the wrong investor base, unclear roles between them, added stress from regulation and legal costs, and bad market timing that slowed deal flow when it mattered most. Tune in to hear the biggest lessons they took away, why focus matters more than new ideas, what they would do differently next time, and why narrowing their scope is the smartest move going into 2026. === Key Topics: -Why the fund was created in the first place -What worked early and proved the model -Where time, roles, and focus broke down -The impact of investors, regulation, and market timing -Why narrowing focus matters more than starting something new === If you’re selling land and still relying on Facebook messages, you’re making it harder than it needs to be. Acrefy helps land investors create clean, professional dispo websites where buyers can see everything in one place. It saves time, looks legit, and helps you close faster. 👉 Get your land dispo website with Acrefy here: https://acrefy.co/blueprint === 🚨 Ready to Learn How to Flip Land? 🚨 Hey there! Dan and Mason have something exciting for you: 🎉 Join our FREE Ground Up Land Community! 🎉 Here’s what you’ll get: ✅ Expert tips on flipping land ✅ Connect with other land investors ✅ Ask questions & get real feedback ✅ Weekly calls with Dan & Mason – totally free! Don’t wait—take the first step toward land investing success. 👉 Join for FREE at https://www.skool.com/grounduplandcommunity === Connect With Us: https://linktr.ee/thebigpictureblueprint

    37 min
  5. The Simple Way to Build a $500k/Year Business with Chris Ramirez

    JAN 19

    The Simple Way to Build a $500k/Year Business with Chris Ramirez

    In this episode, we sit down with Chris Ramirez, a young land investor who went all in on real estate the moment college stopped making sense. He started in houses, tried a little bit of everything during the COVID years, then heard a land podcast and realized he could build something without tenants, repairs, or constant headaches. Three years later, he’s running a simple, repeatable land operation that’s doing real numbers, and he credits a lot of his early momentum to learning from Dan and staying locked in on the basics. We break down what actually drove his growth. He started with direct mail, spent about $1,500 on his first campaign, landed two infill lots, made around $15,000, and quit his warehouse job the next day because it proved the model worked. From there, he evolved from infill to recreational, then shifted into texting at scale because it let him control the conversation, tighten his offers, and follow up like a pro.  You’ll also hear the real side of land. Slower markets, deals that sit for months, the mistake of forcing tight spreads, and how local broker insight can save you from celebrating too early. Chris shares a recent deal that looked like a monster win until he learned the property had utility and build challenges, then had to renegotiate hard just to protect the downside. If you’re building a land business, this conversation will help you think more clearly about marketing volume, offer strategy, novations, team leverage, and how to stay steady when the market shifts and the emotions get loud. === Key Topics: -Starting young and choosing land over houses -Building momentum through direct mail and texting -Controlling inputs instead of chasing outcomes -Avoiding forced deals in slower markets -Scaling with simple systems and a small team === If you’re selling land and still relying on Facebook messages, you’re making it harder than it needs to be. Acrefy helps land investors create clean, professional dispo websites where buyers can see everything in one place. It saves time, looks legit, and helps you close faster.  👉 Get your land dispo website with Acrefy here: https://acrefy.co/blueprint === 🚨 Ready to Learn How to Flip Land? 🚨 Hey there! Dan and Mason have something exciting for you: 🎉 Join our FREE Ground Up Land Community! 🎉 Here’s what you’ll get: ✅ Expert tips on flipping land ✅ Connect with other land investors ✅ Ask questions & get real feedback ✅ Weekly calls with Dan & Mason – totally free! Don’t wait—take the first step toward land investing success. 👉 Join for FREE at https://www.skool.com/grounduplandcommunity === Connect With Us: https://linktr.ee/thebigpictureblueprint Connect With Chris Ramirez: Website: https://landportal.com/chrisflipsland/ https://chrisflipsland.com/open

    33 min
  6. Random Thoughts from Two Land Investors

    JAN 12

    Random Thoughts from Two Land Investors

    In this episode, Mason and Dan do a true “shop talk” catch-up and hit the real stuff that keeps coming up in land right now, deals, wholesalers, learning curves, and why so many people waste time by chasing markets they don’t understand. They talk about the difference between knowing land as an asset class versus knowing one specific market, and why local expertise, county calls, and basic research protect you from getting burned. They also get tactical on what actually wins deals and builds reputation. They break down how to earn access to better mentors by bringing real opportunities, why you should never pitch investors something outside their criteria, and how AI can help you ask smarter questions without pretending you know more than you do. The bigger point is simple, if you want to grow, you have to do the work, learn the rules of the market, and stop taking random actions that destroy trust. Then they shift into two levers that move the needle fast, counteroffers and terms. Mason shares how he counters almost every offer, not just on price but on the small contract details that most people miss, and why a clean, confident counter often gets accepted. Dan breaks down why selling on terms changes the math, boosts your sale price, builds a note portfolio, and can eventually fund your marketing and future acquisitions without relying on constant flips. Tune in to hear how they think about learning markets, protecting your name, countering like a pro, and using term sales to build a business that compounds. === Key Topics: -Learn the asset class and the market -Build mentors by bringing real deals -Protect your reputation with clear criteria -Counteroffers win more often than you think -Selling on terms compounds wealth === 🚨 Ready to Learn How to Flip Land? 🚨 Hey there! Dan and Mason have something exciting for you: 🎉 Join our FREE Ground Up Land Community! 🎉 Here’s what you’ll get: ✅ Expert tips on flipping land ✅ Connect with other land investors ✅ Ask questions & get real feedback ✅ Weekly calls with Dan & Mason – totally free! Don’t wait—take the first step toward land investing success. 👉 Join for FREE at https://www.skool.com/grounduplandcommunity === Connect With Us: https://linktr.ee/thebigpictureblueprint

    37 min
  7. Portfolio Deals - How to Make $250,000 + From One Deal

    JAN 5

    Portfolio Deals - How to Make $250,000 + From One Deal

    In this episode, we break down Mason’s 17 lot Colorado portfolio deal and why these “one seller, many properties” buys can be the best way to scale a land business without multiplying your headaches. We talk through what a real portfolio deal is, why sellers will discount when they can move everything at once, and how these deals let you save time, title costs, and seller management compared to chasing 17 separate purchases. We walk through how Mason actually found the deal, a simple filter for targeting owners with multiple lots, why LLC owners are often the best targets, and how speed of response can be the difference between winning and losing a portfolio. Mason shares the real numbers, how he framed a low offer without burning trust, and how the deal still made sense because the basis per lot was so low. We also get into the “good, bad, and ugly,” surprises like unknown mobile homes, lots coming back as not buildable, quiet title issues, and why buying cheap gives you flexibility when not everything is perfect. We also cover how the deal was funded with investors, how repayment terms were structured so nobody is losing sleep, and why these bigger, fewer transactions can beat the “onesie-twosie” model long term. The biggest lesson is clear, portfolio deals reward discipline, fast follow-up, and smart due diligence, especially on infill lots where one mistake can make land close to worthless. Tune in to hear the exact approach Mason used to find and win this deal, what he would do differently next time, and the practical questions you should be asking every seller so one deal can turn into many. === Key Topics: -What portfolio deals are and why they scale faster -How to find portfolio sellers using owner property count filters -Why LLC and investor owned land is a strong target -Making low offers and winning with speed and credibility -Due diligence risks and how low basis pricing hedges mistakes === 🚨 Ready to Learn How to Flip Land? 🚨 Hey there! Dan and Mason have something exciting for you: 🎉 Join our FREE Ground Up Land Community! 🎉 Here’s what you’ll get: ✅ Expert tips on flipping land ✅ Connect with other land investors ✅ Ask questions & get real feedback ✅ Weekly calls with Dan & Mason – totally free! Don’t wait—take the first step toward land investing success. 👉 Join for FREE at https://www.skool.com/grounduplandcommunity === Connect With Us: https://linktr.ee/thebigpictureblueprint

    35 min
  8. 2025 Year in Review, Outlook for 2026

    12/29/2025

    2025 Year in Review, Outlook for 2026

    In this episode, we look back at 2025 and break down the lessons that reshaped how we think about deals, teams, and growth going into 2026. We talk honestly about what worked, what didn’t, and why this past year forced a return to fundamentals. From recognizing real buying opportunities to adjusting expectations in a slower, more normal market, this conversation reflects the reality many operators faced. We dive into hard lessons around hiring and leadership, including knowing when something isn’t working and acting sooner. We discuss why sales and acquisitions require hands-on management, especially when markets cool, and why slim margin deals no longer make sense. There’s a clear shift toward fewer, bigger, higher-quality opportunities and a deeper focus on data, discipline, and long-term thinking. We also explore how demand hasn’t disappeared, it has simply changed. Certain types of land, locations, and buyers are still active, while others require patience and longer cash conversion cycles. This episode is about aligning strategy with reality, avoiding unnecessary stress, and entering 2026 focused only on what truly works. Tune in to hear how these lessons can help you avoid costly mistakes, make better decisions, and build a stronger, more intentional business moving forward. === Key Topics: -Turning targeted postcards into real inbound seller calls -Relentless follow up systems that convert missed calls into deals -Negotiating price changes without losing deal control -Due diligence for messy land deals with mobile homes and possible squatters -Neighbor outreach as the fastest, highest certainty exit strategy === 🚨 Ready to Learn How to Flip Land? 🚨 Hey there! Dan and Mason have something exciting for you: 🎉 Join our FREE Ground Up Land Community! 🎉 Here’s what you’ll get: ✅ Expert tips on flipping land ✅ Connect with other land investors ✅ Ask questions & get real feedback ✅ Weekly calls with Dan & Mason – totally free! Don’t wait—take the first step toward land investing success. 👉 Join for FREE at https://www.skool.com/grounduplandcommunity === Connect With Us: https://linktr.ee/thebigpictureblueprint

    39 min
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4.7
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Join Mason McDonald and Dan Haberkost, two full-time real estate investors that have unlocked financial and geographical independence, as they break down specific tactics and strategies to help you grow your business & increase profitability. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned business owner, an employee eyeing passive investment, or simply trying to escape the rat race, you'll walk away with tactical tips and tricks that you can apply immediately. By interviewing top minds in a multitude of industries & niches, Mason and Dan will provide you a roadmap to wealth creation, business success, and an improved lifestyle. Tune in for your blueprint to success!

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