Speak the language of development and hire the right builder
The two tools to have before your first project: the vocabulary of development, and a step-by-step system for bidding, selecting and contracting your contractors.
Go to checkout
Where first projects lose money
Most first-time owners lose money in two places: in meetings where they don't know the terms being used, and in contractor agreements signed without a system. They hire on price, manage on trust, and find the gaps only after something goes wrong on site. By then the contract is signed and the leverage has shifted. IIRED Fundamentals closes both gaps before they cost you.
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.
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
Planning a renovation?
Rehab Essential includes everything in IIRED Fundamentals, plus these two:
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)
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
Who it's for
- Investors, real estate agents and property owners starting a first renovation or development project
- Anyone about to hire a contractor and sign a construction contract
- Professionals who want to hold their own in conversations with lenders, architects and builders
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 IIRED Fundamentals, priced
Retail value of each item, and what you pay for the bundle.
| Glossary of Terms & Acronyms | $97 |
| The Contractor Procurement System | $397 |
| Total if bought separately | $494 |
| IIRED Fundamentals bundle price | $397 |
| You save | $97 |
Get IIRED Fundamentals
$397 one-time · Immediate access · 100% secure checkout