Finding the Right Property Before Development Begins
Latitude 98 identifies, evaluates, and acquires land and existing properties for residential, commercial, aviation, hospitality, community housing, and special-use development throughout Orlando and Central Florida.
The success of a development project often depends on decisions made before the property is purchased. A site may appear attractive but contain zoning limitations, infrastructure costs, environmental constraints, access issues, title concerns, or development timelines that make the project impractical.
Our Site Selection & Land Acquisition process is designed to identify these risks early, compare opportunities objectively, and establish a realistic path from property control to development.
A Disciplined Approach to Site Selection
The lowest-priced property is not always the best development site.
Latitude 98 evaluates the complete relationship between:
- Property cost
- Location
- Permitted use
- Market demand
- Development density
- Access
- Utilities
- Environmental conditions
- Infrastructure
- Construction cost
- Approval risk
- Development timeline
- Long-term value
Our objective is to identify property that supports the intended project without creating avoidable cost, delay, or operational problems.
Site Selection Services
Latitude 98 evaluates sites for projects such as:
- Single-family home development
- Multifamily housing
- Workforce and attainable housing
- Affordable housing
- Veteran housing
- Supportive housing
- Build-to-rent communities
- Commercial development
- Mixed-use development
- Aircraft hangars
- Maintenance facilities
- FBO facilities
- Aviation communities
- Hospitality projects
- RV parks and campgrounds
- Event and recreational properties
- Custom and special-use projects
Every search begins with a clear understanding of the intended use, target market, required property characteristics, and development budget.
Defining the Site Requirement
Before beginning a property search, we help define the project’s basic site criteria.
This may include:
- Preferred counties or submarkets
- Minimum and maximum acreage
- Required zoning or future land use
- Target unit count or building area
- Road frontage
- Traffic access
- Utility requirements
- Airport or runway access
- Visibility
- Parking needs
- Flood-zone preferences
- Environmental limitations
- Development timeline
- Acquisition budget
- Long-term ownership strategy
A clear site requirement helps prevent time and capital from being spent evaluating properties that cannot support the proposed project.
Market and Location Evaluation
Latitude 98 reviews the location in relation to the intended residents, customers, tenants, businesses, or users.
Depending on the project, we may consider:
- Population growth
- Household income
- Employment
- Housing demand
- Rental demand
- Home sales
- Traffic patterns
- Major employers
- Schools
- Healthcare
- Transportation
- Airports
- Retail and services
- Competing developments
- Planned infrastructure
- Nearby land uses
- Neighborhood conditions
- Long-term growth patterns
A property must be evaluated within its actual market rather than based only on its physical characteristics.
Zoning and Future Land Use
Zoning determines how a property may currently be used, while future land-use designations can affect its longer-term development potential.
Our initial review may consider:
- Current zoning
- Future land use
- Permitted uses
- Conditional uses
- Residential density
- Floor-area limitations
- Building height
- Setbacks
- Lot coverage
- Parking requirements
- Open-space requirements
- Airport overlays
- Noise zones
- Historic restrictions
- Planned-development requirements
- Potential rezoning
- Comprehensive plan consistency
A site that requires rezoning or another discretionary approval may still be viable, but the time, cost, uncertainty, and public process must be included in the feasibility analysis.
No rezoning or entitlement outcome is guaranteed.
Access and Transportation
A property must have safe, legal, and practical access.
Latitude 98 evaluates:
- Public road frontage
- Existing driveways
- Access easements
- Shared access
- Median openings
- Turn-lane requirements
- Traffic capacity
- Intersection conditions
- Emergency access
- Pedestrian access
- Transit availability
- Internal circulation
- Delivery and service access
- Aircraft access where applicable
Access improvements can become a significant development expense and should be identified before acquisition whenever possible.
Utilities and Infrastructure
Utility availability can determine whether a property is immediately developable or requires costly infrastructure extensions.
Our review may include:
- Water availability
- Sewer availability
- Well feasibility
- Septic feasibility
- Electrical service
- Natural gas
- Communications and data
- Fire-flow requirements
- Stormwater infrastructure
- Utility easements
- Connection fees
- Capacity limitations
- Off-site extension requirements
A property described as being near utilities does not necessarily have the legal right, capacity, or physical ability to connect.
Utility availability should be verified with the appropriate provider.
Environmental and Site Conditions
Florida development frequently requires careful review of water, wetlands, drainage, soil, and protected resources.
Latitude 98 may evaluate:
- Wetlands
- Flood zones
- Floodways
- Surface water
- Drainage patterns
- Soil conditions
- High groundwater
- Contamination
- Former agricultural use
- Protected species
- Tree restrictions
- Conservation easements
- Environmental permits
- Stormwater requirements
- Buildable upland area
The gross acreage shown in a listing may be substantially greater than the acreage that can actually support buildings, roads, parking, drainage, or other improvements.
Environmental and engineering professionals may be required to confirm site conditions.
Flood and Drainage Review
Flood exposure and stormwater requirements can materially affect site planning, construction cost, insurance, and long-term operations.
Our preliminary evaluation may consider:
- FEMA flood zones
- Base flood elevations
- Existing drainage
- Finished-floor requirements
- Retention and detention needs
- Off-site drainage
- Floodplain compensation
- Road elevations
- Building-pad requirements
- Stormwater outfalls
- Maintenance responsibilities
A preliminary review does not replace a survey, drainage study, geotechnical analysis, or civil engineering plan.
Airport and Aviation Site Selection
Aviation projects require additional property and operational review.
Latitude 98 evaluates sites for:
- Aircraft hangars
- Maintenance facilities
- FBOs
- Flight schools
- Aviation commercial space
- Hangar homes
- Aviation communities
- Fuel facilities
- Airport acquisitions
Aviation site considerations may include:
- Runway and taxiway access
- Airport ground leases
- Through-the-fence rights
- Aircraft circulation
- Hangar-door clearances
- Building restriction lines
- Airspace
- Airport zoning
- Noise compatibility
- Fuel and fire protection
- Ramp access
- Airport operating rules
- FAA or state coordination
- Long-term aviation-use rights
A property near an airport does not automatically have legal or practical aircraft access.
Existing Property and Redevelopment Sites
Site selection may involve an existing building rather than vacant land.
Latitude 98 evaluates:
- Distressed properties
- Underused commercial sites
- Vacant buildings
- Former hotels or motels
- Ageing multifamily assets
- Institutional properties
- Airport facilities
- Unfinished developments
- Properties with redevelopment potential
- Sites suitable for adaptive reuse
The review may consider both the value of the existing improvements and whether they should be renovated, expanded, converted, or removed.
Off-Market Property Identification
Some of the strongest development opportunities are not actively listed for sale.
Latitude 98 may identify potential sites through:
- Direct owner outreach
- Broker relationships
- Public records
- Estate representatives
- Lenders
- Attorneys
- Municipal contacts
- Code-enforcement records
- Tax-related opportunities
- Institutional owners
- Airport owners
- Adjacent parcel owners
- Local industry relationships
Off-market outreach must be handled professionally and does not guarantee that an owner will be willing to sell or partner.
Property Assemblage
Some developments require multiple adjacent parcels to create a viable site.
Latitude 98 evaluates assemblage opportunities involving:
- Multiple residential lots
- Contiguous commercial parcels
- Airport-adjacent land
- Small infill properties
- Mixed ownership
- Properties requiring coordinated access
- Sites where additional land improves density or circulation
Assemblage can create value, but it also creates risks involving:
- Different owners
- Uneven pricing
- Holdout parcels
- Closing coordination
- Title issues
- Existing leases
- Relocation
- Timing
- Confidentiality
Whenever possible, the acquisition strategy should avoid becoming dependent on one unresolved parcel.
Preliminary Financial Feasibility
Before pursuing a property, Latitude 98 evaluates whether the estimated development supports the proposed acquisition price.
The preliminary analysis may include:
- Land cost
- Closing costs
- Due diligence
- Entitlement expenses
- Design and engineering
- Impact fees
- Utility fees
- Site work
- Infrastructure
- Vertical construction
- Financing costs
- Operating expenses
- Contingency
- Projected sales or rental income
- Stabilized value
- Development timeline
This helps establish a supportable land value rather than beginning with the seller’s asking price alone.
Land Acquisition Strategy
Latitude 98 evaluates several methods of controlling or acquiring property.
Direct Purchase
The property is purchased through a conventional sale.
Purchase With Due Diligence
The contract provides time to complete inspections, title review, environmental evaluation, zoning analysis, surveys, financing, and other investigations.
Option Agreement
The buyer obtains the right, but not the obligation, to purchase the property within an agreed period.
Extended Closing
A longer closing period may allow time for entitlements, financing, subdivision, or development approvals.
Seller Financing
The seller finances some or all of the purchase price under negotiated terms.
Ground Lease
The landowner retains ownership while granting long-term development and use rights.
Joint Venture
The landowner contributes the property to a development partnership.
Phased Acquisition
A larger site or assemblage is acquired in stages.
Contract Assignment or Entity Acquisition
Certain transactions may involve assignment rights or the acquisition of an entity that controls the property, subject to legal, tax, lender, and title review.
The appropriate structure depends on the project, seller objectives, financing, risk, and expected development timeline.
Due Diligence
Before acquisition, the project may require review of:
- Title
- Survey
- Ownership
- Easements
- Restrictions
- Liens
- Taxes and assessments
- Existing leases
- Zoning
- Future land use
- Environmental conditions
- Wetlands
- Flood exposure
- Soils
- Utilities
- Access
- Traffic
- Drainage
- Building condition
- Open permits
- Code violations
- Development approvals
- Market demand
- Construction costs
- Insurance
- Financing
The scope and timing of due diligence should be established before signing a binding agreement whenever possible.
Title, Easements and Restrictions
A property may contain legal limitations that are not visible during a site visit.
Potential concerns include:
- Access easements
- Utility easements
- Drainage easements
- Conservation easements
- Deed restrictions
- Reverter rights
- Mineral rights
- Ground leases
- Use restrictions
- Reciprocal access agreements
- Airport restrictions
- Homeowners association requirements
- Existing tenant rights
- Boundary disputes
- Encroachments
Qualified attorneys, title professionals, and surveyors should review these matters before closing.
Negotiating the Acquisition
Latitude 98 structures acquisition proposals around the property’s condition, development potential, and risk.
Negotiated terms may include:
- Purchase price
- Earnest-money deposit
- Inspection period
- Entitlement period
- Financing contingency
- Survey
- Environmental review
- Title requirements
- Seller representations
- Existing leases
- Closing date
- Possession
- Extension rights
- Assignment rights
- Seller financing
- Closing costs
- Property access
- Required documents
The transaction structure should provide enough time and access to evaluate the property properly without creating unnecessary uncertainty for the seller.
Working With Landowners
Latitude 98 works with landowners who may wish to:
- Sell a property
- Contribute land to a partnership
- Retain a long-term ground lease
- Develop the land in phases
- Receive seller-financed payments
- Participate in future value creation
- Redevelop an underused property
- Combine land with adjacent parcels
- Transition an inherited or institutional property
We evaluate each owner’s objectives before recommending a transaction structure.
Working With Investors and Development Partners
Latitude 98 evaluates site-selection and acquisition opportunities with:
- Private investors
- Family offices
- Lenders
- Joint-venture partners
- Builders
- Operators
- Nonprofit organizations
- Employers
- Municipalities
- Housing authorities
- Airport owners
- Institutional landowners
Potential partnerships may involve:
- Acquisition capital
- Due-diligence funding
- Entitlement investment
- Construction financing
- Land contribution
- Project-specific equity
- Long-term ownership
- Build-to-suit development
All real estate investments involve risk, and no acquisition, approval, project timeline, property value, or return is guaranteed.
Our Site Selection and Acquisition Process
1. Define the Project
We identify the intended use, market, size, budget, timeline, infrastructure, and operational requirements.
2. Establish Site Criteria
Latitude 98 prepares the minimum and preferred property characteristics.
3. Identify Opportunities
We review listed properties, broker opportunities, owner relationships, public records, institutional land, and off-market sites.
4. Preliminary Screening
Potential sites are screened for location, zoning, access, utilities, environmental conditions, size, and apparent feasibility.
5. Comparative Evaluation
The strongest sites are compared based on acquisition cost, development cost, timing, risk, and long-term value.
6. Property Control
Latitude 98 may negotiate a purchase contract, option, ground lease, joint venture, or other agreement.
7. Due Diligence
The project team completes the required legal, environmental, engineering, market, and financial review.
8. Final Feasibility
The development plan, budget, financing, approvals, and ownership strategy are updated based on due-diligence findings.
9. Acquisition
If the property remains viable, the transaction proceeds to closing or the agreed development structure.
10. Transition to Development
Following acquisition, the project advances into planning, entitlements, design, permitting, construction, and completion.
Serving Orlando and Central Florida
Latitude 98 evaluates land and development sites throughout:
- Orange County
- Seminole County
- Lake County
- Osceola County
- Volusia County
- Polk County
Aviation, airport, hospitality, and special-use opportunities may also be evaluated elsewhere in Florida when they align with Latitude 98’s development strategy.
Bring Us a Property or Site Requirement
Latitude 98 welcomes opportunities from:
- Landowners
- Property owners
- Investors
- Brokers
- Municipalities
- Counties
- Housing authorities
- Nonprofit organizations
- Airport owners
- Business owners
- Employers
- Lenders
- Estate representatives
- Institutional property owners
Whether you control a potential development site or need help locating property for a specific project, Latitude 98 is prepared to evaluate the opportunity.
Better Development Starts With Better Site Selection
A strong development plan cannot overcome the wrong property.
Latitude 98 combines market analysis, site review, financial feasibility, acquisition strategy, and hands-on development experience to identify properties with a realistic path to successful development.