Become a Real Estate Developer in Your Own Backyard!
Get instant access to our free course that shows you how to turn deal flow into development deals.
What's Inside:
• How to assess site feasibility and zoning
• Step-by-step development roadmap
• Templates and tools to launch your first project
Does This Sound Familiar?
• You’ve got your eye on a property and think, “I could do something here.”
• You’re the one bringing deals to developers—and ready to become one yourself.
• You want to take your flipping skills into the commercial world.
• You’ve got the vision, but permits, funding, and construction feel like a black hole.
• You’re craving a clear, step-by-step roadmap.
• You’re not chasing 7-figure returns—you just want to build your first deal with confidence.
We’ve Been There. And We Know the Way Forward.
We know how you feel!
The development process can feel overwhelming. Permits, funding, zoning—it’s like a secret language no one ever taught you.
And without deep pockets or a background in real estate? Most people assume development is out of reach.
But what if that changed?
What if you had a clear, proven roadmap—And what if it was all inside a self-paced course you could access anytime, with real tools and strategies used by locals across the country to get projects off the ground?
• No million-dollar budget required
• No fluff or theory
• Just the step-by-step system to help you build your first (or next) real project with confidence
Would you take the first step?
Join Blueprint for Local Real Estate Development Course
By the end of this 4-6 hour self-paced program, you'll be able to:
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Decode Zoning
Understand what’s possible on a site without the legal headache
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Build Your Team
Know exactly who you need (and when to bring them in)
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Spot Development Opportunities
Identify overlooked sites with real potential
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Create a Clear Project Plan
Turn your idea into a roadmap you can pitch
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Avoid Rookie Mistakes
Follow the steps that save time, money, and momentum
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Join a Bigger Movement
Get plugged into a growing community of locals leading change through real estate
What You’ll Learn in This Course
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Introduction to Real Estate Development:
Know the basics & identify local opportunities.
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Building Your Team and Network:
Learn how to connect with the right professionals.
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Learn How to Structure Deals:
Understanding partnerships + debt and equity.
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Blueprint Course Overview:
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4-6 hours of self-paced content:
Comprehensive, yet manageable, lessons
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20+ video lessons (3-5 minutes each):
Guiding you through the development process
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12+ downloadable resources:
Practical guides, templates, and checklists
Get the free course —just drop your info below.
Stuck on Your Vision? Let's Solve it Together.
Get Real, Actionable Advice.
Sometimes, you don’t need another course. You need project specific answers from someone who's done it.
Work directly with Kristi Kandel, a national developer with $450M+ in completed projects and nearly 20 years of experience across commercial, residential, adaptive reuse, and clean energy development.
Whether you’re reviewing a deal, navigating zoning, or figuring out what to build, this is where you get real-time expertise.
Strategy Call Packages:
One (1) Power Session (60 min) – $350
Perfect for deal review, site feedback, or specific roadblocks.
Four (4) Session Package – $1,000
Ongoing support for complex deals, full project strategy, or scaling your development approach
Meet Kristi Kandel
Real Estate Developer | Strategic Advisor | Podcaster | Mentor
Hi, I’m Kristi Kandel, and I’m reshaping who gets to lead real estate development, because building thriving communities shouldn’t be reserved for big developers or industry insiders. With nearly 20 years of experience and over $450M in completed projects, I’ve led everything from national retail builds to adaptive reuse, neighborhood revitalization, and clean energy infrastructure—including hydrogen development.
As a former planning commissioner and the founder of I&D Consulting (est. 2015), I advise cities, entrepreneurs, and mission-driven organizations on how to bring overlooked properties back to life. Today, through 1:1 strategy calls, mentorship, and the Local Real Estate Developer podcast, I help others do the same.
I believe the future of development belongs to locals who are truly invested in their communities. Whether you’re a broker ready to become an owner, a flipper looking for something more sustainable, or just tired of waiting for someone else to fix your town—you’re in the right place.
What's on the Agenda?
UNIT 1: Course Overview
Becoming a Local Real Estate Developer™ means you're in the driver's seat, actively shaping your community's destiny and driving its growth. While it comes with more risk than that pesky 9-to-5 job, the rewards (e.g. FREEDOM) make it 100% worth it!
Topics covered include:
- Course Overview and Expectations
- Why Your Community Needs You
- Meet Your Mentors - Kristi and Lynn
Downloadable Resources:
- Podcast: How You Can Become a Local Developer in Your Community
- eBook: Building Dreams - How Kristi Became a Real Estate Developer
UNIT 2: Becoming a Local Developer™
Becoming a Local Real Estate Developer™ means you’ll oversee the entire process of creating new places in your community, like converting vacant or raw land or outdated, underutilized buildings into new community assets!
Topics covered include:
- Why YOU Can Be a Local Developer™
- Ten Reasons YOU Should Be a Developer
- Six Unique Advantages You Have
- Development Process Overview
- Who Built My Community?
- What is a Development Project?
- Expertise Required in Development
- Unit 2 Quiz
Downloadable Resources:
- 10 Reasons Why YOU Should Be a Developer - FHM
- 6 Unique Advantages to Being a Local Real Estate Developer - FHM
- Development Process Overview - FHM
- FHM Overview - Types of Development Projects
UNIT 3: Types of Development
Developers find the highest and best use for properties. That means taking an existing property that has never been developed OR a property that has been developed, but whose original use has run its course. Such as old factories, indoor malls, vacant buildings, and office buildings in some markets.
Developers get to reimagine properties and turn them into much-needed, vibrant spaces in the community!
Topics covered include:
- Types of Development: Brownfield
- Types of Development: Greenfield
- Types of Development: Subdivision
- Types of Development: Residential
- Types of Development: Industrial
- Types of Development: Commercial
- Types of Development: Repositioning
UNIT 4: Unpack the Development Process
In Unit 4 we'll go over the ENTIRE development process so that you can have a solid foundation for what to expect when you start developing your first project.
Topics covered include:
- Unit 4 Overview
- Step 1: Understanding AHJ Zoning
- Step 2: Navigating Local Government
- Step 3: Outline Your Development Plan
- Step 4: Build Your Development Team
- Step 5: How to Find Your Project
- Step 6: Initial Property Evaluation
- Step 7: Project Kickoff & Due Diligence
- Step 8: AHJ Zoning & Permitting
- Step 9: Lenders & Equity Partners
- Step 10: Building & Complete Your Project
- Step 11: Finalize Your Exit Strategy
- Unit 4 Quiz
Downloadable Resources:
UNIT 5: What's My Next Step?!
Congratulations emerging developers on completing Your Blueprint for Local Real Estate Development course!
You're ready to step into the role of being a Local Real Estate Developer™ with your newfound confidence. But this is just a warm-up. Let's take that confidence and turn it into capability.
This is your moment — the point where you shift from dreamer to doer. Embrace this opportunity to gain comprehensive skills that cover every stage of the development process.
Topics covered include:
- What's the Next Step?!
- I'm Ready for the Accelerator Course!
Join the Local Real Estate Developers™ community!
Case Studies
We'll go through real life examples from our projects to show you that you really can become the Local Developer™ in your community with the right Strategic Partners!
Case Studies:
- Strategic Partners You Need
- Finding an Architect
- Finding a General Contractor
- I Found a Deal - Now What?
But Don’t Just Take Our Word For It
These folks have taken the leap and are now on their way to crafting the communities of tomorrow. And guess what? They started right where you are now…
Very easy course to navigate. Kristi and Lynn are super personable and made the course very enjoyable!
DJ D
Finance/Excel Nerd & Emerging Developer
It's clear through Kristi and Lynn's experience in real estate that the steps laid out are compelling evidence from what they have encountered through their own projects.
Nick C
Homeowner & Real Estate Acquisitions Manger
Very empowering course … It certainly scores well against my expectations …
Great holistic overview of the development process.
Jackie M
Institutional Equity Sales
The flow and organization of the material made a lot of sense to me. I REALLY appreciate that the content was kept simple, clear, and straightforward with lots of examples. Good job limiting industry jargon, and when there was important jargon to use and understand I felt that it was explained well (plus, the acronym doc is great!)
Dana B
Corporate Professional Turned Freedom Hacker
I came into this expecting another entrepreneurial course with a lot of talking but not a lot of substance (you know what I mean, YouTube is flooded with them). But instead, I got a course with real people who actually know what they’re talking about ... Blew me away how professional, easy to follow, and detailed it was.
Matt S
Homeowner & Former Logistics Manager
Great course that gives a thorough overview of all the steps to become a developer. The step-by-step videos are concise, engaging, and incredibly easy to follow. Highly recommend it!
Chase L
MHP Investor & Emerging Developer
Excellent course. Breaks down the big steps to being a developer into simple digestible pieces and proves that anyone can do it.
Eric L
Recent College Grad & Emerging Developer
Very thorough, intro-level material...
I like the feedback sections and the quizzes.
Ryan S
Executive Assistant & Property Manager
Join the movement. It's free and just might change how you see every property you pass.
©2025 I&D Consulting. All Rights Reserved.
©2025 Local Real Estate Developers. All Rights Reserved.