🧩 Land Assembly: The “1+1+1 = 5” Development Play
Here’s the gist: take a bunch of useless, landlocked plots that can’t be developed on their own… smash them together… and suddenly you’ve got a prime development site.
The magic trick
- One tiny garden? Meh.
- Three back-to-back gardens? Now you’re cooking.
- A handful of adjoining plots that were otherwise worth peanuts? That’s suddenly prime development land.
You’re creating value out of thin air by assembling land that’s individually “meh” but collectively “whoa.”
Real-world move:
Hunt for older homes (pre-1980s) with big back gardens. Newer estates usually squeeze every inch for houses, so skip those. Ask: “What if I could combine these gardens?” Sometimes it’s just two gardens, sometimes it’s several.
How to Make This Work Without Losing Your Sanity
- Start small. Three landowners max for your first deal. Get those locked in, then expand to the neighbouring properties if you can.
- Access is king. If your land is landlocked, you need a plan to get in and out — without bulldozing houses (unless your numbers make it worth it).
- Don’t kill a house unless you must. Demolishing an existing property is expensive. Only worth it if your project will add way more value than you’re removing.
Why This Works
A bigger site is more efficient and more attractive to developers than a bunch of small ones. That’s the “1+1+1 = 5” effect. You’re basically manufacturing value by assembling pieces no one else thought to combine.
Example Play:
In one case, multiple gardens formed a big, awkwardly shaped chunk of land thanks to a bend in the road and a train line. Individually, these gardens were landlocked and nearly worthless for development.
- Owners were happy to sell because giant gardens can be more hassle than asset these days.
- One house got demolished for access — viable here because the project was big enough to justify the cost.
- The key was signing up the owners with the access first, then picking off the rest one by one. Eventually, the neighbours were calling to ask if they could join in (hello, FOMO).
Bottom line: This isn’t about buying the perfect plot. It’s about playing Tetris with imperfect ones until you create something way more valuable.
