Builder-to-Developer Program · Hampton Roads
You build the value.
Start keeping it.
Every house you build for a homeowner keeps appreciating for them. You got paid once. We give licensed builders a developer’s back office, so the next house you build is yours.
The ceiling
You carry a developer’s risk for a contractor’s margin.
You bid it, staff it, schedule it, fix it and warranty it. The owner keeps the appreciation. Most builders sign that deal every year, and it has a ceiling.
Your margin is set the day you sign.
Fixed price, moving costs. Every surprise comes out of your number, not theirs.
Paid last. Argued with first.
Held draws, change-order fights, punch lists that never close and collections that eat your Fridays.
Your pipeline is whoever calls.
When the phone goes quiet, your best crew starts taking calls from someone else.
You’ve built someone else’s net worth.
Every house you’ve finished is still gaining value. Just not for you.
The gap
The build isn’t the hard part. Everything before the first footing is.
You know cost-to-build cold. What stops most builders from developing is the work nobody taught them, done while they’re still running jobs.
The lot
Overpay once and the deal is underwater. Site work you can’t see is where it hides.
The numbers
Carrying cost, months of cash tied up, and an exit that still clears with a bad month in it.
Zoning & utilities
Setbacks, flood zone, septic and well, easements, HOA, and a power company on its own schedule.
Entitlements
Conditional use permits, rezonings, lot splits, historic review. Miss a step and you’re back in line.
The money
A lender wants a developer’s package, not a bid. Most builders have never had to write one.
footing
Get one of these wrong and it doesn’t just cost you a deal. It ties up your cash and your crew’s next year.
The fix
Your developer’s back office.
You keep doing what you’re best at. We take the desk work that sits between a good lot and a framed house.
- Your license and your crews
- Your real costs, not last year’s
- Your judgment on the build
- The final say on every deal
You pick the deals and keep the upside.
- Deal screeningEvery lot checked against your buy box: product, price band, margin, geography.
- UnderwritingLand plus build from your real costs, with carrying cost, months of cash tied up, and the exit.
- FeasibilityZoning, setbacks, utilities and connection lead times, flood zone, septic and well, easements, HOA.
- EntitlementsConditional use permits, rezonings, lot splits, historic review and site plans, coordinated with your civil engineer, surveyor and land-use attorney.
- The packageThe lender or investor package your project needs. The lender decides.
- The processRun with your licensed agent, attorney, title company and lender, through closing and into permits.
How it works
Four steps from builder to owner.
Start hereReadiness Review
A written 12-month developer plan: your buy box, your capital, your team and your first 90 days.
You getA plan on paper before you put money on a lot.
MonthlyDeveloper Desk
Ongoing screening, underwriting, feasibility and deal coordination on the lots you and your agent bring.
You getA clear go or no-go recommendation on each deal. You decide.
ApprovalsEntitle and permit
We coordinate approvals with your licensed professionals and build the permit package.
You getOne desk tracking every approval and every open item.
Hand-offBuild
Your project moves into Permit Management or Project Controls, so the office keeps up with the field.
You getYour crews on your own project.
Pricing
Flat fees, set up front. Never a success fee.
Our fee never depends on a deal closing. You pick the deals and keep the upside.
Readiness Review
50% to start · 10-business-day target · $1,500 credited to the Developer Desk if you start within 30 days
- A written 12-month developer plan
- Your buy box and capital stack
- Team gaps, named and filled
- The lot-to-permit path in each city you build in
Developer Desk
3-month minimum · billed in advance · extra underwriting $750 each
- Up to 4 deal screens a month
- 1 full underwriting package and 1 site review a month
- Feasibility, lender and investor packages on advanced deals
- Agent, due diligence and closing coordination
- Monthly pipeline review
Build + Develop
Builder Project Controls (all six desks) plus the Developer Desk, sized to your active homes and your deal flow
- One team runs your office and your pipeline
- Permits and inspections through certificate of occupancy
- Draws, waivers, change orders and client updates
- Deal screening, underwriting and lender packages
- A monthly operating and pipeline review
Entitlement coordination is quoted per project. Licensed agents find and negotiate property; we never show property, make offers or take a fee tied to a purchase. The money never runs through us.
What changes
Same skills. Other side of the deal.
| Building for homeowners | Building as a developer | |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks the project | The homeowner | You, against your buy box |
| Who keeps the upside | The owner | You |
| What sets your margin | The contract you signed | Your underwriting, before you buy |
| Your pipeline | Whoever calls | Deals that clear your numbers |
| The paperwork | You, at night | Our desk |
How we stay in our lane
You pick the deals. Always.
Yours, or a few licensed agents who cover the area. You choose and you sign with them directly.
Your civil engineer, surveyor, architect and land-use attorney do the licensed work. We coordinate it.
Our fee never depends on a purchase closing. No cut of the deal, no success fee.
Deposits, earnest money and project funds stay with you, your lender and your title company.
Licensed partners build; we protect every stakeholder’s money and timeline.
Why now
The window is open for small developers.
Builders are moving off homeowner work.
Thin margins, change-order fights and collections are pushing builders toward specs, rentals and investor projects.
Lots and cash, not the build.
The builder who can screen and underwrite fastest is the one who gets the lot.
Virginia ADUs go by-right.
Accessory dwelling units become allowed in single-family zoning statewide. For a small builder, that’s a product line. Local rules and HOAs still apply.
Infill, lot splits, the Shore.
Small parcels and growing markets the big developers skip are where a small developer starts.
Builders with a buy box and a lender package in Q1 are the ones ready when the right lot hits.
Book a callFit
Built for builders who are ready.
This is for you if
- You hold a Virginia Class A or B license
- You build roughly 5 to 30 homes a year
- You want a spec, rental or investor-funded pipeline
- You already work with us on permits or project controls. This is your next step.
This isn’t for you if
- You’re an unlicensed flipper
- You want someone to hold your money
- You’re looking for a deal-finder on commission
Who’s behind the desk. Foundation First works owner-side on residential construction across Hampton Roads: permits, draws, schedules and lender packages. Our founder, Dan Sherman, spent more than 25 years in capital markets and financial technology before turning to construction, so draw schedules, lender files and job cost are our everyday language. Leadership and licensed partner builders, including prior firms.
Questions
Straight answers.
Do you find properties?
Your licensed agent finds and negotiates. We screen and underwrite what they and you bring, plus public listings and auctions.
Do you take a cut of the deal?
No. Flat or monthly fees only. Our fee never depends on a purchase closing.
Can you work with my agent?
Yes. If you don’t have one in a new market, we’ll introduce a few licensed agents who cover it. You choose.
Do you raise money?
No. We build the package. You and your attorney raise it, and the lender decides.
How fast will I get my first deal?
That depends on your buy box and your market, and we won’t promise a date. The Readiness Review sets your first 90 days. After that, the deals that clear your numbers set the pace.
What does it cost?
The Readiness Review is $3,500, fixed. The Developer Desk is $2,500 a month with a 3-month minimum. Build + Develop pairs the Desk with all six desks of Builder Project Controls and is quoted for your volume. Our fee never depends on a deal closing.
I’m already on Permit Management. Does this overlap?
No. We stack them. The work doesn’t overlap and we never bill twice for the same task.
Your next step
Build the next one for yourself.
A short call: your buy box, your constraint, and what we’d do first.
You pick the deals · Flat or monthly fees · The money never runs through us