Clint Turner On The Land Investing Evolution: Why Traditional Models Are Breaking Down

Kendall LeJeune
Jan 12
5 min read

Updated: Aug 1

OnlyLandFans Podcast Ep. 98

For years, the land investing playbook was simple:

🔹 Find undervalued lots

🔹 Buy low, sell high

🔹 Rinse and repeat

But what happens when the market changes?

Clint Turner, founder of LearnLand and Messy Million Podcast, has been asking that very question for the past 18 months. And what he’s found?

🔥 Traditional land flipping is struggling.

🔥 Cost per deal is up.

🔥 Competition is fiercer than ever.

But here’s the good news: There’s an overlooked gold mine sitting right under our noses.

In this episode of The OnlyLandFans Show, Clint breaks down why the old land investing model is cracking—and how distressed acquisitions are becoming the ultimate high-profit, low-competition strategy.

And trust us, if you’ve been feeling the squeeze in your land business, you need to hear this.

🚨 The Problem: Why Traditional Land Flipping Is Struggling

Clint’s big question: "Was I making enough money for the effort?"

From 2016-2021, land investing was booming. Deals were flowing, margins were healthy, and it was relatively easy to hit that golden double-your-money benchmark.

Then? Things changed.

📉 Cost per deal skyrocketed – Mail, texting, and cold calling became more expensive, with lower response rates.

⏳ Deals took longer to close – The cash conversion cycle stretched, tying up capital.

⚔️ Competition increased – More investors flooded in, driving up acquisition costs.

So Clint did what any smart entrepreneur would do—he started tinkering.

His goal? Find a way to get back to those high-profit deals without the same level of effort and expense.

And that’s when he discovered distressed acquisitions.

🔑 The Solution: Why Distressed Deals Are The New Frontier

Here’s the thing: Most investors avoid “problem properties.”

They want:

✅ Clean title

✅ No legal headaches

✅ No complications

So what happens? Distressed properties get ignored.

These are deals where:

🛑 The owner is stuck in a legal battle

🛑 There are unpaid taxes or liens

🛑 The land is landlocked or deed-restricted

🛑 There are heirship issues (someone died without a will)

💡 Translation? These properties sit untouched for years—even though they’re valuable.

"These aren’t just low-hanging fruit," Clint says. "These are deals that have hit the ground. No one's fighting over them."

And this creates a huge opportunity.

Because once you unlock a distressed property, you’re not just flipping land… you’re solving a problem no one else will touch.

And that? That’s where the biggest paydays are.

💰 Case Study: The $600K Payday That Was Sitting There for 6 Years

Let’s talk numbers.

Clint’s biggest deal to date was a piece of industrial land in Dallas.

🟢 He bought it for $200K.

🟢 He sold it for $800K.

🟢 Profit? A cool $600,000.

And get this—it had been on a public foreclosure list for TWO YEARS.

🤯 Anyone could have grabbed this deal. But no one did.

Why? Because the title was a mess.

📌 The previous owner had passed away without a will.

📌 The property was tangled in an intestate succession issue.

📌 Other investors walked away, assuming it was "too complicated."

But Clint? He dug deeper.

➡️ He built out the family tree.

➡️ He tracked down the rightful heirs.

➡️ He structured a deal that got everyone paid.

And just like that—a deal that had been sitting there for YEARS turned into a massive payday.

📍 Where Do You Find These Deals?

Clint isn’t just talking theory—he’s built a repeatable system for finding these high-margin deals.

And the best part? He’s willing to share it.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of where you can find distressed land deals right now:

1️⃣ Search for Tax Foreclosure Lawsuits

🖥️ Where to look: Your county’s public records or tax assessor’s website

💡 What to look for: Properties involved in a tax foreclosure lawsuit

👉 Why? These properties are at risk of being taken by the county—owners are motivated to sell.

2️⃣ Look for Deceased Owners

📋 How to filter: Use skip tracing services like Direct Skip or TLO

📍 What to look for: Properties where the owner is deceased

👉 Why? Heirs may not know what to do with the land—and are willing to sell fast.

3️⃣ Check for Notice of Defaults (Pre-Foreclosures)

🏦 Where to find them: Public mortgage records

📋 What to look for: Properties with a notice of default (missed mortgage payments)

👉 Why? Owners might be on the verge of losing the property and need a quick exit.

4️⃣ Layer in Divorce & Bankruptcy Data

📑 What to search: County court records

📍 What to look for: Properties connected to divorces, bankruptcies, or lawsuits

👉 Why? Owners may be forced to liquidate assets—creating fast deal opportunities.

🔥 Combine these filters, and you’ve got an insanely powerful, low-competition deal list.

🚀 Why This Strategy Works (And Will Keep Working)

🔹 The market is shifting. Traditional flipping is getting harder—investors need new strategies.

🔹 Distressed deals have zero competition. Most investors run from title issues, heir problems, or legal headaches.

🔹 AI & public data are making this easier. The ability to mine court records, tax data, and legal filings means these deals are hiding in plain sight.

🔹 The profit margins are insane. We’re talking $50K, $100K, even $600K+ spreads on deals no one else is touching.

And the best part?

"Every problem has a solution—sometimes, you just have to pay an attorney to figure it out."

📢 Want to Learn More? Watch The Full Episode!

If you’re an investor looking for less competition and higher profits, you need to hear this episode.

🎥 Watch the full interview now

And if you want to go even deeper, Clint is hosting a free masterclass on January 23rd where he’ll break down:

✅ How to find these deals (including exact counties to target)

✅ The best ways to solve messy title issues

✅ How to turn “problem properties” into high-profit flips

💡 Sign up here → messytitle.com

🚀 If you’re ready to pivot and thrive in today’s land market, this is the edge you’ve been looking for.

Let’s go get those forgotten deals. 💰🔥

Enjoy the show!

Clint Turner's company, Learn Land, has helped over 1,000 clients scale their land investing businesses. His Facebook Group, Learn Land University, has grown to over 10,000 members.Clint spent the last 18 months exploring a controversial question: is traditional land investing working anymore? His research led him to an overlooked goldmine in distressed acquisitions, where land investors' core skills could unlock opportunities others won’t touch.

For more information on Clint and to explore partnership opportunities, you can connect with him through:

Learn Land

Website: learn.land

-Free 2-hour masterclass on January 23rd diving into distressed acquisitions and data-driven deal finding

-Sign up at messytitle.com

The Messy Million Podcast

-Available on all major podcast platforms

-Deep dives into 40+ unique distressed property deals

-Real stories and strategies from the field