Evaluating Risk Before Development Begins
Latitude 98 performs feasibility analysis and development due diligence for residential, commercial, aviation, community housing, hospitality, and special-use real estate opportunities throughout Orlando and Central Florida.
Before acquiring a property or committing substantial capital, we evaluate whether the proposed project is physically possible, legally permissible, financially supportable, and appropriate for the market.
Our objective is to identify major risks early, test the assumptions behind the project, and establish a realistic path from opportunity to completion.
Why Feasibility Matters
An attractive property does not always support a viable development.
A project may be limited by zoning, wetlands, flood conditions, access, utility capacity, environmental concerns, construction costs, financing, market demand, or the time required to obtain approvals.
A thorough feasibility review helps answer critical questions such as:
- Can the proposed use be approved?
- How much of the property is actually buildable?
- Are utilities available and adequate?
- Does the site have legal and practical access?
- What environmental or flood constraints exist?
- What infrastructure improvements will be required?
- How long could development take?
- What will the project realistically cost?
- Is there sufficient buyer, tenant, or user demand?
- Can the completed project support the required financing?
- What risks could delay or prevent completion?
- Does the expected value justify the investment?
The goal is not to eliminate every risk. It is to understand the risks before making major commitments.
Projects We Evaluate
Latitude 98 performs feasibility and due-diligence analysis for opportunities involving:
- Single-family home development
- Duplex, triplex, and fourplex development
- Multifamily housing
- Build-to-rent communities
- Affordable housing
- Workforce and attainable housing
- Veteran housing
- Supportive housing
- Mixed-income communities
- Commercial development
- Mixed-use projects
- Aircraft hangars
- Aviation facilities
- Airport acquisitions
- Aviation communities
- Hospitality projects
- RV parks and campgrounds
- Event and recreational properties
- Adaptive reuse
- Residential rehabilitation
- Value-add real estate
- Custom and special-use development
The scope of review is tailored to the property, intended use, project size, ownership structure, and development stage.
Preliminary Feasibility Review
A preliminary review helps determine whether an opportunity warrants additional time and expense.
This initial evaluation may consider:
- Property location
- Parcel size
- Existing improvements
- Current zoning
- Future land use
- Apparent access
- Utility proximity
- Flood-zone information
- Wetland indicators
- Surrounding land uses
- Market conditions
- Preliminary project concept
- Estimated development density
- Initial construction assumptions
- Potential sales or rental value
- Obvious development constraints
The preliminary review is intended to identify major concerns and determine whether a deeper investigation is justified.
It does not replace surveys, engineering, environmental studies, legal review, inspections, or formal agency confirmation.
Development Feasibility
Development feasibility examines whether the project can realistically move from concept through approvals, construction, and completion.
The analysis may include:
- Proposed use
- Development program
- Unit count
- Building area
- Density
- Site coverage
- Parking
- Access
- Utilities
- Stormwater
- Environmental limitations
- Construction requirements
- Approval path
- Development schedule
- Financing
- Revenue
- Operating expenses
- Long-term ownership or sale strategy
The proposed project may need to be adjusted as new information becomes available.
A site originally considered for one use may ultimately support a different density, building type, project scale, or development strategy.
Zoning and Land-Use Review
Latitude 98 evaluates the regulations that control how the property may be used and developed.
The review may include:
- Current zoning
- Future land-use designation
- Permitted uses
- Conditional uses
- Special exceptions
- Residential density
- Floor-area limitations
- Building height
- Setbacks
- Lot coverage
- Open-space requirements
- Parking requirements
- Landscape requirements
- Airport overlays
- Noise zones
- Historic restrictions
- Planned-development standards
- Existing development orders
- Potential rezoning
- Comprehensive plan consistency
When the proposed use is not currently permitted, the project may require rezoning, a comprehensive plan amendment, variance, special exception, conditional-use approval, or another discretionary action.
Approval outcomes are not guaranteed.
Site Capacity and Concept Planning
A property’s gross acreage does not necessarily reflect its usable development area.
Latitude 98 works with qualified planners, architects, engineers, and surveyors to evaluate how much development the site may support.
Site-capacity analysis may consider:
- Buildable uplands
- Wetlands
- Floodplain
- Stormwater areas
- Roads
- Parking
- Building setbacks
- Buffers
- Open space
- Utility easements
- Drainage easements
- Access points
- Fire lanes
- Required landscaping
- Protected trees
- Airport restrictions
- Existing structures
- Future expansion
A preliminary concept plan can help test whether the desired project fits the property before detailed design begins.
Access and Transportation Due Diligence
A property must have safe, legal, and practical access.
The review may consider:
- Public road frontage
- Existing access points
- Access easements
- Shared driveways
- Median openings
- Turn-lane requirements
- Traffic capacity
- Intersection conditions
- Emergency access
- Pedestrian access
- Transit availability
- Service and delivery access
- Internal circulation
- Vehicle stacking
- Aircraft access for aviation projects
A property may have visible road frontage but still lack approved access for the intended development.
Transportation improvements can materially affect project cost and timing.
Utility Due Diligence
Utility availability must be confirmed rather than assumed.
Latitude 98 may evaluate:
- Public water
- Public sewer
- Well feasibility
- Septic feasibility
- Electrical capacity
- Natural gas
- Communications and data
- Fire-flow requirements
- Utility connection points
- Easements
- Capacity reservations
- Impact and connection fees
- Off-site utility extensions
- Pump stations
- Lift stations
- Private utility systems
- Long-term maintenance obligations
A utility line located near the site does not necessarily mean service is available or that adequate capacity exists.
Formal confirmation may be required from the applicable utility provider.
Environmental Due Diligence
Environmental conditions can affect site design, permitting, financing, insurance, and long-term liability.
The review may include:
- Wetlands
- Surface waters
- Floodplain
- Protected species
- Conservation areas
- Environmental easements
- Former agricultural use
- Fuel storage
- Hazardous materials
- Soil contamination
- Groundwater concerns
- Existing or former commercial operations
- Waste disposal
- Mold or moisture
- Asbestos
- Lead-based paint
- Underground storage tanks
Depending on the property, qualified environmental professionals may perform:
- Phase I environmental site assessments
- Phase II investigations
- Wetland delineations
- Contamination testing
- Asbestos surveys
- Lead-based paint assessments
- Mold evaluations
- Protected-species studies
Environmental conditions should be identified before closing whenever possible.
Wetlands, Flooding and Drainage
Water-related conditions are a major part of development feasibility in Florida.
Latitude 98 may review:
- Wetland indicators
- Wetland boundaries
- Flood zones
- Floodways
- Base flood elevations
- Existing drainage
- High groundwater
- Surface water
- Required retention or detention
- Stormwater outfalls
- Floodplain compensation
- Finished-floor elevations
- Road elevations
- Erosion concerns
- Drainage easements
- Maintenance responsibilities
A property may require substantial fill, drainage infrastructure, elevated construction, wetland mitigation, or a reduced development footprint.
Civil engineers, surveyors, environmental consultants, and geotechnical professionals may be required to confirm site conditions.
Soil and Geotechnical Review
Soil conditions can affect foundations, roads, utilities, drainage, septic systems, and construction costs.
Potential concerns include:
- Poor bearing capacity
- Organic soils
- Expansive soils
- High groundwater
- Sinkhole activity
- Uncontrolled fill
- Contaminated soil
- Compaction requirements
- Excavation conditions
- Septic suitability
- Pavement design
- Foundation requirements
Geotechnical testing may be appropriate before finalizing the site plan or construction budget.
Title and Survey Review
Legal due diligence helps confirm what is being acquired and what rights or restrictions affect the property.
The review may include:
- Ownership
- Legal description
- Boundary lines
- Encroachments
- Access rights
- Utility easements
- Drainage easements
- Conservation easements
- Deed restrictions
- Reverter rights
- Mineral rights
- Existing leases
- Ground leases
- Liens
- Judgments
- Taxes
- Assessments
- Homeowners association restrictions
- Condominium documents
- Airport operating rights
- Shared-use agreements
Qualified title professionals, attorneys, and surveyors should review these matters before acquisition.
Existing Building Due Diligence
When a property includes existing improvements, Latitude 98 evaluates whether the buildings should be preserved, rehabilitated, expanded, converted, or removed.
The review may consider:
- Structural condition
- Roof condition
- Foundation
- Electrical systems
- Plumbing
- HVAC
- Windows and doors
- Fire protection
- Accessibility
- Water intrusion
- Mold
- Termite damage
- Exterior condition
- Parking
- Drainage
- Life-safety systems
- Code compliance
- Energy performance
- Remaining useful life
- Rehabilitation cost
Specialized inspections may be performed by contractors, engineers, architects, environmental professionals, roofing consultants, or other qualified specialists.
Permit and Code Review
Existing properties may contain unresolved permit or compliance issues.
Latitude 98 may investigate:
- Open permits
- Expired permits
- Unpermitted construction
- Code violations
- Unsafe structures
- Illegal conversions
- Fire-code issues
- Occupancy limitations
- Zoning violations
- Pool and fence compliance
- Sign violations
- Accessibility deficiencies
- Outstanding municipal liens
- Unresolved inspections
Permit and code issues may affect acquisition timing, renovation costs, financing, insurance, and the ability to occupy or operate the property.
Market Feasibility
A project must respond to actual demand.
Latitude 98 evaluates the market for the proposed homes, units, commercial spaces, aviation facilities, hospitality uses, or specialized services.
Market analysis may consider:
- Population
- Household growth
- Income
- Employment
- Major employers
- Home sales
- Rental rates
- Vacancy
- Absorption
- Competing projects
- Available inventory
- Construction pipeline
- Tenant demand
- Buyer demand
- Customer demographics
- Traffic
- Tourism
- Airport activity
- Comparable properties
- Market trends
A technically buildable project may still be financially unsuccessful if the market does not support the pricing, absorption, rent, or occupancy assumptions.
Construction Feasibility
Latitude 98 evaluates whether the proposed project can be built within a realistic cost and schedule.
The review may include:
- Site preparation
- Demolition
- Earthwork
- Drainage
- Utilities
- Roads
- Parking
- Foundations
- Vertical construction
- Building systems
- Fire protection
- Landscaping
- Amenities
- Specialty equipment
- Off-site improvements
- Contractor availability
- Material lead times
- Labor conditions
- Insurance
- Permitting
- Contingency
Preliminary estimates are refined as engineering, design, site information, and contractor pricing become available.
Construction costs can change due to market conditions, design revisions, concealed conditions, code requirements, and material availability.
Financial Feasibility
Financial feasibility tests whether expected revenue and value support the total project cost and risk.
The analysis may include:
- Acquisition price
- Closing costs
- Due-diligence expenses
- Design and engineering
- Entitlements
- Permitting
- Impact fees
- Utility fees
- Site work
- Construction
- Financing costs
- Taxes
- Insurance
- Operating expenses
- Marketing
- Leasing
- Sales costs
- Developer overhead
- Contingency
- Projected revenue
- Stabilized income
- Estimated value
- Investment returns
- Exit assumptions
The analysis should include conservative assumptions and appropriate contingency for unknown conditions.
Projected values, costs, rents, sales prices, schedules, financing, and returns are not guaranteed.
Financing Feasibility
A project must meet the requirements of lenders and capital partners.
Latitude 98 may evaluate:
- Required equity
- Loan-to-cost
- Loan-to-value
- Debt-service coverage
- Construction financing
- Permanent financing
- Interest rates
- Recourse
- Guarantees
- Preleasing
- Presales
- Appraisal requirements
- Borrower experience
- Completion risk
- Reserve requirements
- Public funding
- Tax credits
- Grants
- Seller financing
- Joint-venture capital
Financing feasibility should be considered before the project is placed under a binding acquisition schedule.
Schedule and Approval Risk
Time is a significant development cost.
Latitude 98 evaluates potential timelines for:
- Property acquisition
- Due diligence
- Rezoning
- Land-use amendments
- Environmental review
- Site-plan approval
- Engineering
- Permitting
- Utility coordination
- Financing
- Construction
- Lease-up
- Sales
- Stabilization
Delays can increase interest, taxes, insurance, professional fees, contractor costs, and market exposure.
The feasibility review should include realistic schedule assumptions and identify approvals that could control the critical path.
Aviation Development Due Diligence
Airport and aviation projects require additional operational and legal analysis.
Latitude 98 may evaluate:
- Airport ownership
- Public-use or private-use status
- Ground leases
- Runway access
- Taxiway access
- Through-the-fence rights
- Airport minimum standards
- Building restriction lines
- Airspace
- Aircraft circulation
- Ramp availability
- Fuel operations
- Fire protection
- Environmental conditions
- Existing aviation tenants
- Grant obligations
- Airport layout plans
- State and federal coordination
- Long-term aviation-use rights
A property located near an airport does not automatically include aircraft access or aviation-development rights.
Community Housing Due Diligence
Affordable, workforce, veteran, and supportive housing projects may require additional analysis involving:
- Income restrictions
- Affordability periods
- Resident eligibility
- Housing vouchers
- Public funding
- Tax credits
- Regulatory agreements
- Public land
- Operating subsidies
- Property management
- Supportive-service partners
- Accessibility
- Compliance reporting
- Long-term reserves
- Ownership structure
For supportive or transitional housing, qualified service providers must be identified when the project requires healthcare, case management, counseling, or social services.
Latitude 98’s role remains focused on real estate development unless a different responsibility is expressly established.
Hospitality and Special-Use Due Diligence
Hospitality, recreational, aviation, institutional, and other special-use projects require review of both the property and the underlying operation.
The analysis may include:
- Licensing
- Occupancy
- Staffing
- Parking
- Traffic
- Noise
- Fire and life safety
- Food service
- Utilities
- Insurance
- Seasonal demand
- Reservation systems
- Operating expenses
- Specialized equipment
- Management experience
- Market competition
- Conversion costs
- Alternative uses
A special-use property may have fewer potential buyers, tenants, lenders, and operators than conventional real estate.
The long-term operating plan must be established before development moves forward.
Risk Identification
Latitude 98 organizes due-diligence findings around the risks most likely to affect the project.
Potential risk categories include:
- Property-control risk
- Title risk
- Zoning risk
- Entitlement risk
- Environmental risk
- Flood and drainage risk
- Utility risk
- Access risk
- Construction risk
- Market risk
- Financing risk
- Schedule risk
- Operating risk
- Insurance risk
- Partner risk
- Exit risk
Each major risk should have a proposed response, such as:
- Additional investigation
- Contract contingency
- Design modification
- Price adjustment
- Increased reserves
- Alternative financing
- Partner requirement
- Project phasing
- Different property use
- Withdrawal from the opportunity
Walking away from an unsuitable property can be a successful outcome of due diligence.
Due-Diligence Team Coordination
Development due diligence often requires multiple professionals.
Depending on the project, Latitude 98 may coordinate:
- Real estate attorneys
- Land-use attorneys
- Title companies
- Surveyors
- Civil engineers
- Structural engineers
- Architects
- Environmental consultants
- Geotechnical professionals
- Traffic engineers
- Utility providers
- Contractors
- Cost estimators
- Insurance professionals
- Appraisers
- Market consultants
- Aviation consultants
- Property managers
- Housing specialists
- Operators
The scope of work should be matched to the property and development risks rather than using the same checklist for every project.
Due-Diligence Deliverables
Depending on the engagement, feasibility findings may be organized into:
- Property summary
- Proposed development concept
- Site constraints
- Zoning and land-use findings
- Access review
- Utility findings
- Environmental concerns
- Flood and drainage considerations
- Existing building assessment
- Permit and code review
- Market analysis
- Preliminary development budget
- Preliminary schedule
- Financial assumptions
- Key risks
- Required follow-up studies
- Recommended next steps
- Proceed, revise, renegotiate, or decline recommendation
Findings are based on the information available at the time of review and should be updated as the project advances.
Our Feasibility and Due-Diligence Process
1. Define the Proposed Project
We identify the intended use, size, users, development objectives, budget, timing, and ownership strategy.
2. Review Available Information
Latitude 98 reviews property records, surveys, plans, zoning, environmental information, existing leases, financial records, and other available documents.
3. Complete Preliminary Screening
We identify obvious constraints, major unknowns, and the studies required for a more complete evaluation.
4. Coordinate Site and Professional Review
The project team inspects the property and engages the appropriate technical, legal, environmental, market, and construction professionals.
5. Test the Development Concept
We evaluate whether the desired density, building program, access, parking, drainage, utilities, and operations fit the site.
6. Prepare Preliminary Costs and Schedule
Estimated acquisition, approval, design, construction, financing, and operating costs are compared with a realistic development timeline.
7. Evaluate Market and Financial Performance
Projected sales, rents, occupancy, revenue, expenses, value, and financing are tested against the total project cost.
8. Identify and Prioritize Risk
Major risks are documented along with potential mitigation strategies and unresolved questions.
9. Refine the Project Strategy
The concept, acquisition price, project scope, financing, schedule, or ownership strategy may be revised based on the findings.
10. Make a Development Decision
The project may proceed, require additional investigation, be renegotiated, be redesigned, or be declined.
Working With Landowners and Property Owners
Latitude 98 evaluates properties submitted by owners who want to understand their development potential or consider a sale, partnership, ground lease, or joint venture.
The review may help identify:
- Potential uses
- Approximate development capacity
- Major constraints
- Required approvals
- Likely infrastructure needs
- Potential transaction structures
- Additional studies
- Whether the property fits Latitude 98’s development criteria
Working With Investors and Development Partners
Latitude 98 also works with investors, lenders, municipalities, nonprofits, business owners, and development partners evaluating potential projects.
A feasibility review can help partners:
- Compare multiple sites
- Establish a supportable purchase price
- Define the development program
- Understand capital requirements
- Evaluate approval risk
- Test financing assumptions
- Identify required partners
- Set a realistic timeline
- Determine whether to proceed
All development and investment decisions involve risk, and due diligence cannot guarantee project approval, cost, financing, value, or performance.
Serving Orlando and Central Florida
Latitude 98 evaluates development opportunities throughout:
- Orange County
- Seminole County
- Lake County
- Osceola County
- Volusia County
- Polk County
Aviation, airport, hospitality, and special-use projects may also be evaluated elsewhere in Florida when they align with Latitude 98’s development strategy.
Make Informed Decisions Before Committing Capital
Development success begins with understanding the property, the market, the approvals, the costs, and the risks.
Latitude 98 combines practical site evaluation, development planning, financial analysis, and coordinated professional due diligence to help determine whether an opportunity has a realistic path forward.