Argus Bits

Key Findings In A Market Study? At the very beginning during the land acquisition process, the market analysis is a...

Are Condo Conversions A Good Opportunity? I recently was in a discussion about the merits of looking at condo conversions,...

Do Soils Affect Foundation Design? As the term would imply, the foundation of a home provides the basis and stability...

Wood vs Steel Framing? Especially in production housing, you do not often see steel framing in place of wood.  Reportedly,...

Who Prepares The PSA? In a land transaction, the Purchase and Sale Agreement (PSA) is the key legal document for...

Do Single Story Homes Cost More To Construct? Whenever I have run a cash flow or pro forma in past...

Does Lot Width Matter? In every market, you need to focus on the lot size to make sure it is...

What is Absorption? As noted before, our industry tends to have some terms that may seem to be a bit...

Acres - Gross vs. Net? In the process of site planning, financial analysis, and land development, one of the main...

What Is A Development Agreement? When you are trying to obtain entitlements for a project, you typically will have some...

Why Is Parking Such A Factor? More and more, particularly with infill projects, the parking requirements from the local jurisdiction...

How Do Option Contracts Work? In a previous post, we talked about option contracts as they relate to longer escrow...

Why Are Escrow Periods So Long? In most real estate transactions, escrow opens when the purchase agreement is fully executed...

What Makes Up Finance Costs? In a previous post, we talked about indirect and soft costs related to construction.  One...

What Are Indirects? Keep in mind that terminology can vary from region to region, but one of the more common...

Sizing Water and Sewer Laterals? Within new developments, the water and sewer lines are placed in trenches underneath the new...

Why Do Impact Fees Vary So Much? In a previous post, we talked about the various type of city fees...

What Is Preliminary Underwriting? We like to think of “underwriting” as the analysis and vetting of a prospective project –...

Does City Or County Approve Your Project? One of the first steps in an entitlement project is to make the...

What Are Construction Drawings? In a previous post, we talked about the entitlement process and the approvals by the political...