Swanson Land Company is a Florida-based land investment, entitlement, and development firm entitling and developing residential and mixed-use projects across every major Florida market. The firm is actively expanding its acquisition pipeline and is led by Lara Swanson, a 20-year veteran of the Florida homebuilding industry with prior leadership roles at Mattamy Homes, Meritage Homes, and Pulte.
We are seeking a Land Acquisition Associate to drive land sourcing, underwriting, and pre-development efforts alongside the President. This is a senior-level analyst role with real ownership over financial modeling, due diligence, and project execution, built for someone ready to grow beyond analysis into project leadership. The Associate reports directly to the President, owns project documentation and budgets, and has a defined path to Director of Land Acquisitions as scope and tenure grow.
Key Responsibilities:
Market Research, Analysis, and Conceptual Planning
- Lead market research and competitive evaluations, including absorption rates and pricing/site plan comparisons.
- Use CoStar, Crexi, Metrostudy, GIS/mapping software (Mapwise), and other real estate databases to identify and evaluate potential development sites.
- Generate land leads by engaging brokers, engineers, and landowners, and by monitoring zoning changes, infrastructure projects, and public planning activity that may affect site value or timing.
- Evaluate site characteristics such as zoning compatibility, wetlands, topography, school districts, and proximity to employment centers and amenities.
- Visit competing communities to gather pricing, product specifications, site plans, and market intelligence.
- Shape conceptual visions for future communities, including market positioning, product types, site plans, specification levels, and amenity packages.
- Maintain an up-to-date inventory of known opportunities and manage pipeline tracking tools (Ascendix/Salesforce CRM).
Financial Analysis, Pro Forma Development, and Modeling
- Build and refine pro formas for potential land acquisitions: development assumptions, projected yields, agency fees, construction and site development costs, timelines, absorption rates, and land cost recommendations.
- Prepare reports, financial models, and underwriting packages for executive review.
- Own Excel-based project budgets, reconcile invoices against proposals, and review land-related accounting reports for accuracy.
- Run financial due diligence and sensitivity analysis to support viability assessments.
Due Diligence Management and Package Assembly
- Manage the full due diligence process for prospective acquisitions, engaging and directing third-party consultants across zoning/concurrency, PUD/Developer Agreements, preliminary site plans, environmental site assessments, survey and wetlands/topographic work, geotechnical investigations, and threatened & endangered species studies.
- Assemble complete due diligence packages for hand-off to the Land Development team.
- Maintain a database of comparable land transactions and land sales data to support pricing and underwriting decisions.
- Work with engineers and consultants to produce updated land maps, site plan analyses, and related deliverables.
- Prepare and verify site development budgets, tentative/final maps, and improvement drawings.
Project Leadership, Entitlement Support, and Stakeholder Management
- Own the acquisition process end-to-end, from initial site search through location approval, directing information flow between internal teams and external consultants.
- Drive forward planning and entitlement activities: site plan analysis, rezonings, plat approvals, conceptual amenity plans, consultant bid packages/scopes of work, and preliminary discussions with municipalities or agencies as directed.
- Attend meetings with landowners, brokers, and developers alongside the President.
- Partner with the Land Development team to supply the information needed for development budgets.
- Maintain organized project files, tracking lists, and mapping programs.
- Prepare presentation materials and updates for internal stakeholders and executive approvals.
- Support the President with land-related research, document preparation, and project needs as they arise.
Acquisition Support and Process Improvement
- Source investment opportunities through broker relationships, owner/developer contacts, and market monitoring, in partnership with the President.
- Help structure investments, draft letters of intent, support contract negotiations, and work with legal counsel.
- Identify and recommend process improvements to acquisition workflows.
- Travel occasionally within Florida markets for site evaluations, meetings, and due diligence.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Finance, Business, Urban Planning, or a related field preferred.
- 3–5 years of progressive experience in land acquisition, real estate analysis, due diligence, market research, or land development (residential, multifamily, or mixed-use preferred).
- Demonstrated experience preparing financial models, due diligence packages, and approval materials.
- Exposure to entitlement processes, zoning, concurrency, environmental studies, and Florida-specific land development regulations highly desirable.
- Experience managing consultants, project files/budgets, and using GIS/mapping tools strongly preferred.
- Advanced proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, complex formulas, financial modeling), Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with meticulous attention to detail.
- Skilled negotiator, able to represent the firm's interests confidently in dealings with landowners, brokers, and consultants.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment while meeting deadlines.
- Valid Florida driver's license; Florida Real Estate License preferred but not required.
Position Highlights:
- Direct working relationship with the firm's President and founder, with meaningful exposure to strategic and financial decision-making.
- A defined growth trajectory to Director of Land Acquisitions as the organization scales.
- High visibility and ownership within a lean, established team.
- Compensation: $85,000–$105,000 base, commensurate with experience, plus a performance bonus tied to deal milestones (structure to be finalized).
Swanson Land Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace.
Pay: $85,000.00 - $105,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
