He Built a $250K Land Business While Working Full-Time

In this episode of The Real Estate Investing Podcast, Daniel Apke interviews Joseph Stefan, a full time Border Patrol agent who has built a successful land investing business on the side in just about a year and a half.

Joseph shares how his journey actually starts with a personal goal of finding affordable land for his family, which eventually leads him to discover subdividing and land investing. After learning the business, he begins sending direct mail to Oklahoma and quickly gains momentum, landing his first deal within a few months and eventually having as many as nine properties under contract at once.

Joseph also shares the story behind a 10 acre property in Arizona that he purchases for $400,000 with plans to subdivide and build on, only to receive an offer that makes selling the entire property too good to pass up. Throughout the episode, Daniel and Joseph dig into how his strategy is evolving as he balances investing with a full time career and a growing family. Instead of trying to complete as many smaller flips as possible, Joseph is now targeting three to five larger deals, particularly subdivisions where he can create more value by breaking larger properties into smaller lots.

He also talks about lessons from difficult deals, including a property next to a cemetery that takes nearly 10 months to sell, his plans to experiment with land home packages, and how owner financing is helping him build long term income ahead of retirement. Joseph even explains how his experience playing poker inspired the way he brings multiple investors into his land deals. With a first year goal of $100,000 already essentially reached and a $250,000 goal for year two that he's on track to surpass, the conversation is a great example of how quickly a land business can evolve when you're willing to learn, adapt, and pursue bigger opportunities.

Watch the full episode to hear Joseph’s journey, the lessons behind his early deals, and how he’s moving from smaller land flips into subdivisions, land home packages, and larger opportunities.