Land Academy is an educational platform that provides resources, support, and tools for land investing. Steven Jack Butala and Jill DeWit, also known as “Jack & Jill,” founded Land Academy. It offers training videos, discounts for tools, and a career path for land investors. Jack & Jill completed over 16,000 transactions in the span of 30 years.

Investing in land is highly profitable. However, raw land is also known to be illiquid compared to traditional real estate properties. Land Academy teaches a wholesaling strategy that aims to quickly sell a land property by pricing it below market value. Finding a motivated seller who’s willing to accept a lowball offer is the biggest challenge of land flipping. 

External reviews of Land Academy are scarce. Testimonials are also limited to what their site publishes. Third party online reviews of the platform only come from other land investing coaches like Paul Jang and Seth Williams.

In this Land Academy review, you will learn about the platform’s current offers, how other land investing coaches view it, and if it’s worth diving into any of its programs as an aspiring entrepreneur. In the end, we will discuss the value of investing in land and an alternative business model to real estate investment.

Land Academy Pros and Cons

What Is Land Investing?

Land investing refers to the practice of purchasing parcels of land with the intent to earn a profit through its appreciation, lease, development, or flipping. It is property investments that involve structures. Land investing centers solely on the value and potential of raw land. Some real estate investors prefer land due to its relatively lower prices. Other advantages are its minimal maintenance needs and potential for appreciation.

Throughout Jack & Jill’s career, they practice “wholesaling” or land flipping as their primary land investment strategy. This involves finding “motivated sellers” or land property owners who are willing to sell at an extremely discounted price. They will then sell these properties below market price for a quick sale. Jack & Jill’s strategy focuses on quick cash deals rather than selling properties for a higher price through owner financing (also known as seller financing).

To find these motivated sellers, they prefer using data service providers, such as DataTree. For Jack & Jill, scrubbing county lists is time-consuming. It defeats the goal of a quick sales cycle. Like most land flipping coaches, they use direct mailing campaigns to contact these land owners. Jack & Jill specifically favors “blind offers” over neutral mails on sending mailers.

Land Academy has become a one-stop shop for land investors over the years. Aside from the courses and tools, it also offers funding services for land investors. If you find a promisingly profitable property but don't have the capital to purchase it, you can submit a funding request to Land Academy’s website. Jack & Jill’s company can fund 100% of your recommended deal. They will also compensate you based on your workload proportion.

What Is the Land Academy Membership?

Land Academy Membership is a comprehensive package for aspiring land investors. The program includes educational courses on land investing, regular support, an exclusive community, and tools access with discounts.

Here’s a breakdown of Land Academy's membership benefits:

Land Academy membership costs an initial payment of $2700 and a monthly subscription of $295.

What Are the Reviews for Land Academy?

The reviews for Land Academy are very limited. Third party reviews often come from videos made by other land investing coaches, such as Paul Jang and Seth Williams. You can only find testimonials from Land Academy members on its website and YouTube channel. However, these testimonials are not detailed enough to serve as reference.

Paul Jang’s review of Land Academy focuses on its land investing tools, such as ParcelFact and Offers2Owners. He mentioned that he used some of these tools, but there’s no need to be a Land Academy member to sign up to them. Paul also noted Land Academy’s focus on quick cash deals.

Seth Williams also reviewed Land Academy’s Cash Flow From Land, but this course is not available anymore. A lot has changed on Jack & Jill’s land investment strategy since then. So, Seth Williams’ review may not be the best reference for Land Academy’s current programs.

Is Land Academy Worth It?

Yes, Land Academy is worth it if you want to learn from Jack Butala and Jill DeWit’s over 30 years of land investing experience. It also depends on the program that you’re taking. For instance, Land Academy membership is best for those who intend to use the platform’s in-house tools. As a member, you can take advantage of discounts and free credits every month for tools like ParcelFact and Offers2Owners.

If you plan to use third-party tools, then paying for a monthly subscription on Land Academy membership may not be the best idea. You can also opt for personal coaching or a pure live program (Career Path). However, expect these to be more expensive than regular membership.

You should also keep in mind that following Land Academy’s model requires a huge amount of startup capital. For instance, running a direct mailing campaign can cost you thousands of dollars even with Land Academy’s in-house tool. Here’s a screenshot of Offers2Owners’ cost calculator:

The image above shows the mailing cost for non-members. If you’re a member, the product price is down to $0.67 per mail or $3,350 per 5000 mailers. Upgrading to first class will cost you an additional $1,650. According to Seth Williams, the acceptance rate of mailing campaigns is only around 0.1% or 1 per 1000 mails.

Even so, bomb campaigns are almost inevitable. You might not be the only one sending offers in the same county. If you’re unprepared to handle these costs, you should stay out of taking Land Academy’s programs entirely.

Who Is Steven Butala?

Who Is Jill DeWit?

Is Investing in Land Worth It?

Yes, land investing is worth it. Land is a stable asset that tends to appreciate steadily over time. It grows steadily in value and can be a valuable addition to an investment portfolio for diversification. Data from the  Federal Reserve shows that the average annual appreciation rate for land in the U.S. is around 4% to 6%. This is relatively more stable compared to other investment types.

Land also has low maintenance costs compared to other types of real estate investments. However, land as an investment may require more effort and patience. Compared to traditional real estate, it is not readily usable in most cases. So, land is generally more illiquid than houses or commercial properties.

For quicker turnarounds, investors prefer wholesaling or land flipping as an investment strategy. Aside from Land Academy, there are other alternative land investing courses that teach the same strategy. These programs include REtipster by Seth Williams, Land Profit Generator by Jack Bosch, and The Land Geek by Mark Podolsky.

How to Invest in Land?

To invest in land, you need to:

• Do market research

• Conduct marketing campaigns

• Search online listing and auctions

• Get funding

• Consult a professional realtor

The turnaround time of your land investment depends on your strategy. You can opt to add value to your acquired property, seek land entitlement, or simply wait for it to appreciate. You can also flip your land as quickly as possible if you choose to follow a wholesaling or land flipping strategy.

Is Land Flipping Legal?

Yes, land flipping is legal. It is only illegal if there is fraud or deceit committed in the transaction. You should comply with local zoning laws and environmental regulations. Sellers should also disclose all information about the land. This includes known issues or liens to maintain the legality of the transaction.

My Recommended Digital Real Estate Business Model

Land flipping is not for aspiring entrepreneurs with limited capital. The start-up costs are just too high, with direct mailing taking up most of the expenses. And direct mailing is indispensable in this model. In Jill DeWit’s words, if a land property is not selling quickly, it means “it’s not priced properly,” which also means “it's not purchased properly [it was purchased too high].” The best proven way of sending low-ball offers is direct mailing. Mass emailing will only produce more terrible results, or may have some legal issues.

This is why I recommend building digital real estate for new entrepreneurs. With a lower start up capital, even a newbie can get to experience running an actual business. This business model is called local lead generation. It involves creating a website for a local niche, ranking it to attract leads, and renting it out to small businesses. A single ranked website can earn a consistent $500-$3K of passive income. With lower recurring costs, you can scale your local lead generation business quickly as you gain experience.