Robert Vaughan has been flipping land since 2004. He started with a $10,000 flip in Florida, advertising in the Miami Herald, and now operates a high-volume, multi-state business closing 20+ land deals per month.
In an episode of the DealMachine REI Podcast, he shared his full process, tools, and mindset for building one of the most consistent land operations in the country. Want to hear the full interview? Watch the full episode:
Robert and his partner Rudy officially teamed up in 2020, but both have been in the business for nearly two decades. Their operation splits into two brands:
This brand separation creates focus and efficiency in every stage of the deal. Equally important is the strength of their real estate partnership.
Robert’s first deal was a five-acre parcel in Hendry County, Florida. He met the seller in person, paid $30,000, and sold the land for $40,000 in just three days via a newspaper ad.
“I drove to Miami, signed a contract, and sold it in three days through the Miami Herald.”
Back then, lead generation involved reverse-searching county records by hand, building lists from CD-ROMs, and cold-calling from Access databases.
One of the key takeaways from Robert’s experience is the effectiveness of filtering by owner age. Owners over 65 are more likely to sell, especially if they bought land decades ago during land investment booms of the 60s and 70s.
These older owners are often:
Still, Robert notes that motivation trumps age. Divorce, debt, or changing plans can make any owner a seller.
The early years focused on infill lots in areas like Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. Today, most deals involve acreage in:
The team now buys in 14 states, using satellite imagery, local pros, and video walk-throughs to vet properties from a distance.
While they closed 22 deals last month, Robert says that’s "low volume" compared to their peak of 70–100 deals per month in 2021-2022.
Why the slowdown?
Still, their average profit per deal remains strong at $6,000 to $7,000.
The secret to high volume is scale. Last month, they ran:
“Acquisitions is a contact sport.”
Their CRM launches immediate outreach:
They use an automated IVR with a "press one" prompt:
"Hey, this is Robert. I’m interested in buying your land. If you want an offer, press one. If not, press none and I’ll remove you."
This filters out disinterested leads and prioritizes callbacks.
While answer rates are lower today due to spam filters, the use of:
...helps maintain connection rates.
Robert is cautious about SMS marketing, due to:
They reduce risk by:
"Some people make a living suing real estate investors. We screen for that."
Despite high volume, the team is lean:
Robert and Rudy split leadership roles:
Buyers fall into two buckets:
Popular land types:
Their brand Land Century has over 1 million followers, helping drive buyer demand.
Robert acknowledges that spreads are tighter due to more competition. But volume, speed, and smart filtering keep the model profitable.
“You can still make it work with smaller margins if you keep the pipeline full.”
They move fast and don’t waste time convincing unmotivated sellers.
Despite technology changes, a few fundamentals remain:
“Sellers want cash. Buyers want space. That hasn’t changed.”
Even after hundreds of deals, Robert says land flipping still delivers the freedom and income they want. Flexibility matters, especially with family.
“I left a baseball game to do this podcast. That’s the life this business gives you.”
Start small. Use tools like DealMachine to pull vacant land leads, filter by motivation (e.g., owner age), and begin calling or texting with a simple script.
Owner age 65+, out-of-state owners, and those who've held land for 20+ years tend to be more motivated to sell.
Yes, but spreads are smaller. The key is working volume and using automation to stay ahead of the competition.
Avoid mentioning services, scrub leads for litigators, get consent when needed, and stay up-to-date with TCPA guidelines.
Mostly investors and off-grid homesteaders. Demand is high for RV-friendly land and parcels zoned for manufactured homes.