The full development lifecycle, from site selection to certificate of occupancy
Everything in Rehab Essential, plus the 9 Stages of Development Playbook.
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Most courses stop where projects succeed or fail
Most real estate development courses teach how to find and fund a deal, then stop. Projects actually succeed or fail on permits, contractors, draws and close-out. Developer's Essential replaces hope with a repeatable system you can standardize, moving you from speculative guessing to disciplined asset transformation, whether you are repositioning a small multifamily building or executing a mixed-use retrofit.
What's inside
Glossary of Terms & Acronyms
More than 190 terms and acronyms used by lenders, architects, contractors and municipalities. Learn the language of development in the time it takes to read it, instead of the years it takes to pick it up on the job.
Project Feasibility & Funding Toolkit
Test the numbers before you commit, so schedule delays and scope creep don't quietly eat your profit.
7 worksheets & checklists
- Property & Site Information Checklist
- Zoning & Site Feasibility Worksheet
- Feasibility Quick-Calc Worksheet (back-of-the-napkin analysis)
- Capital Stack Worksheet: Construction Phase
- Capital Stack Worksheet: Permanent Phase
- Lender Packet Outline
- Development Team Profile
The Contractor Procurement System
A step-by-step way to bid, select and contract your builders: finding and screening contractors (with the Red Flags framework), vetting (with the Reference Call Script), pricing models and bid evaluation (with the Estimate Comparison Matrix), negotiation strategy, and contract structure and administration.
12 worksheets & templates
- Contractor Screening Checklist
- Contractor Documentation Review
- Walkthrough Evaluation Form
- Estimate Comparison Matrix
- Reference Call Script
- Construction Contract Checklist
- Scope of Work Builder (sample)
- Payment & Milestone Schedule (sample)
- Day One Setup Checklist
- Weekly Site Visit Report
- Change Order Form
- Punch List Template
The 9 Stages of Development Playbook
The full lifecycle from site selection to certificate of occupancy, organized as nine phase-gates. If a project cannot pass the gate of a stage, it does not earn the right to the capital of the next stage. The nine stages: Conceptualization & Investment Objectives; Due Diligence & Feasibility; Design, Engineering & Permitting; Procurement, Team Tiers & Contracting; the 6 Critical Contract Clauses; Pre-Construction, Demolition & Relocation; Construction & Field Administration; Project Finalization & Closeout; and Project Delivery & Asset Operation.
Appendix checklists & forms
- The Full 9-Stage Phase-Gate Checklist
- The 6 Critical Documents Checklist
- Project Mobilization (“Muster”) Protocol
- Site Visit Inspection Report (daily/weekly log)
- The Professional Project Closeout Checklist
- 80-question final certification exam
The Rehab & Contractor Playbook
Volume II of the IIRED Independent Developer System: the execution manual for the construction stage, where cost overruns, contractor disputes, rejected draw requests, missed inspections and schedule delays erase margins.
7 field-ready forms & checklists
- Tenancy Determination & Site Clearance Checklist
- Schedule of Values Template (sample)
- Draw Request Checklist
- Site Visit Log
- Punch List Template
- Project Closeout Checklist
- Retail White Box Specification (sample)
Want the complete library?
The Master Suite includes everything in Developer's Essential, plus these two:
The Complete Toolkit
The working documents behind the system: every form you need to protect your capital, control your contractors and keep an auditable record of each decision.
25 additional forms & checklists, in four groups
- Construction Management Tools: site visit logs, field reports, workforce tracking, inspection records
- Contracts & Risk Tools: change order forms, lien waiver templates, notice to proceed, scope of work builders
- Feasibility & Underwriting Tools: MAO calculators, pro forma templates, repair cost estimators, hold vs. sell analysis
- Developer Operations Tools: AIA G702/G703 draw request templates, Schedule of Values builders, bid comparison matrices, contractor qualification checklists
Multifamily Value-Add Playbook
Acquiring, repositioning and stabilizing small multifamily buildings. Coming soon; delivered to you on release.
Who it's for
- Active investors moving from renovations to development projects
- Owners repositioning a small multifamily building or planning a mixed-use retrofit
- Anyone who wants a stage-by-stage system for zoning, permitting, contractors, draws and close-out
Complete the required playbooks to earn a certificate issued by IIRED.
Built by a developer, not a marketer
I'm Thurmon Cohen, a civil engineer with more than 40 years in real estate development and construction. I monitored construction for HUD in Philadelphia, directed public housing and homeownership projects in New Jersey, and managed Bank of America capital projects at JLL. Most courses teach how to find and fund a deal, then stop where projects actually succeed or fail: permits, contractors, draws and close-out. IIRED teaches every stage, including the execution most courses skip.
Everything in Developer's Essential, priced
Retail value of each item, and what you pay for the bundle.
| Glossary of Terms & Acronyms | $97 |
| Project Feasibility & Funding Toolkit | $497 |
| The Contractor Procurement System | $397 |
| The 9 Stages of Development Playbook | $997 |
| The Rehab & Contractor Playbook | $997 |
| Total if bought separately | $2,985 |
| Developer's Essential bundle price | $2,497 |
| You save | $488 |
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$2,497 one-time · Immediate access · 100% secure checkout