If you’ve ever browsed a real estate forum at 11 pm wondering why everyone else seems to be closing deals while you’re still figuring out how to put together a proper listing, I need you to know something: You are not behind. You are not failing. And you are definitely not alone.
I get emails every week from land investors who feel like they are the only ones struggling. They see the success stories, the screenshots of bank transfers, the “I just closed another $50k investment!” posts and wonder what they are doing wrong.
Meanwhile, you’re sitting there with a pile of returned mail, three failed deals, and that annoying voice asking:
“Maybe I’m just not cut out for this?”
Let me tell you what is really happening here and, more importantly, how to free yourself from this comparison trap that is killing your momentum.
The Highlight Reel Effect No One Talks About
Here’s something I learned after years in this business and countless conversations with investors of all levels: Most of what you see online from overseas investors is carefully curated video highlights.
No one posts about the six months they went without a single accepted offer. They don’t share screenshots of the $10,000 they spent on marketing that produced exactly zero leads. You won’t see Instagram stories about the deal that fell through three days before closing because of a title problem that no one caught.
And here’s the kicker: some people aren’t winning at all. They just say they are.
I’ve seen investors post about their “growing empire” while DMing me for advice on how to make their first deal work. The gap between public perception and private reality in this business would surprise you.
Think about it… when was the last time you saw someone post?
“Hi everyone! I just wanted to share that I completely failed in another negotiation today and probably left $15,000 on the table!”
It never happens, right? But I guarantee you it happens every day.
The loneliness factor that amplifies everything
Land investing can be an incredibly isolating business. You’re reviewing properties from your laptop, sending blind offers to people you’ve never met, and explaining to friends and family why buying “worthless” vacant lots is actually a brilliant strategy (while they look at you like you’ve joined a cult).
When you’re working alone and you hit those inevitable roadblocks (and believe me, ALL of them hit), it’s easy to think that you’re the problem. You start to wonder if maybe you’re missing some secret formula that everyone else knows.
But here’s what two decades in real estate have taught me: This business has a learning curve and is different for everyone.
I know an investor who closed five deals in his first month. I also know another incredibly successful investor who didn’t close his first deal until month thirteen…and now that same person is running a seven-figure operation. The difference is that the second person didn’t quit when things felt desperate in the sixth month.
You’re playing a completely different game
One of the most damaging things you can do is compare your investment history in the country with that of someone who is playing an important role. completely different game than yours.
You may be carefully investing a filler lot or two while you build your knowledge and capital.
Meanwhile, you’re comparing yourself to someone who is subdividing 150 acres with money invested and a team of five people. That’s like being frustrated because your bike isn’t keeping up with a motorcycle on the highway.
Here’s a question worth asking:
Do you even want what they have?
I’m serious. Do you want the overhead? The payroll? The investor meetings? The complexity?
Or are you actually looking for something simpler? Maybe enough income to quit your job and work from anywhere, closing three to five good deals a year?
If you’re chasing someone else’s version of success, it’s no wonder you feel like you’re losing! You’re running a race you never signed up for.
The numbers you never see
Want to know what really frustrates me about the world of online land investing? The complete lack of context around those “hit” posts.
That investor who just posted about his $40,000 investment? Here’s what they didn’t mention:
- The $12,000 they spent on marketing to get that deal.
- The other three properties they have will not be sold.
- The $30,000 line of credit is being maxed out to keep the business running.
- The fact that, after all expenses, they actually made $8,000.
Income is not profit. A great business is not a good business unless it actually makes a profit. Some of the flashiest operators I’ve ever met were working on fumes behind the scenes, desperately ripping off Peter to pay Paul to keep their “crushing” persona online.
I’ve seen investors who looked like real rock stars go completely extinct within a year. They were too busy maintaining their image to focus on building a sustainable business.
What real progress actually looks like
Let me show you a picture of what genuine progress in the land business looks like (Spoiler alert: it’s not glamorous).
Real progress is making lists late at night, after your kids go to sleep. It’s about investigating counties, recovering your mail, and modifying your letters for the fifth time. You’re following up with that salesperson who’s been on the fence for three months. Ultimately it’s about getting a signed purchase agreement and then sweating until the title clears.
It’s not sexy. It rarely makes good social media content. But it works.
This is where having the right systems in place is crucial. I have seen investors transform their businesses not by working harder, but by getting organized. Whether using a CRM to track leads, automate follow-up, or simply keep better records, sometimes the biggest gains come from boring operational improvements.
Defining your version of success
Here’s an exercise I want you to do right now. Seriously, grab a pen:
Write down what success really means to you. It’s not what it means to that YouTube guru or that person in your Facebook group. You.
- How many hours per week do you want to work?
- How much money do you need to make to make this worth it?
- What is your ideal day like?
- What are you willing to sacrifice? What are you not?
You may discover that you only need $5,000 a month to completely transform your life. Maybe you only want to sell two properties a year while maintaining your day job. You may want to develop a portfolio of owner-financed rental property titles. All of these are valid, but you have to define what you want.
Without this clarity, you’ll spend years chasing someone else’s dream and wondering why it feels empty when you get there.
The way forward
If you feel behind in the land business, I need you to understand something: You are not behind. You are exactly where you need to be.
Every successful land investor has stayed where you are now. Everyone has questioned themselves, compared themselves to others, and wondered if they were cut out for this. The only difference between them and people who quit is that the successful ones I moved on when I felt there was no point.
Stop comparing your Chapter 2 to someone else’s Chapter 10. Stop assuming everyone else has figured it out (they don’t). Stop chasing a version of success that isn’t even yours.
Instead, stay focused on your process. Keep marketing to find motivated sellers, keep analyzing deals, keep making offers. Build relationships with other investors who get it. Learn from your mistakes without letting them define you.
This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. And marathons are not won by the person who starts the fastest. They are won by the person who keeps putting one foot in front of the other, especially when no one is looking.
Remember: the land business doesn’t care about your number of followers on Instagram or how many people compliment you in a Facebook group. He only cares about one thing: acting consistently and intelligently over time.
That’s how you win. Not by being ahead of others, but by being ahead of where I was yesterday.
Now stop reading about it and do something about it! Your future self will thank you.
What is your biggest challenge in the land investment business right now? Leave a comment below and let’s talk about it. Sometimes just knowing you are not alone in the struggle makes all the difference.
