Due Diligence Basics\n\nAn overview of the checks every site needs before you commit: access, utilities, topography, environmental flags, and title.
Welcome
Hello, and welcome. This is Super Structures General Contractors — a national general contractor headquartered in Powhatan, Virginia — here to help you and your clients build something that lasts. We're glad you're with us, and we look forward to connecting with you.
Today we're tackling Due Diligence Basics, and it's worth your full attention. Here's the part that actually matters on the job: Find the dealbreakers and the real costs before you own the problem. Stick with me — by the end, this just clicks.
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.