There’s No “Bad Deal” — Only a Deal That Needs Work

I came across an article the other day questioning why a developer would ever take on a project with “thin margins.”

Here’s the thing: not every deal has to look perfect on day one. In real estate, it’s not just about the cards you’re dealt—it’s about how you play them.

Too many investors spend years chasing the “perfect deal” instead of realizing that value can be created in countless ways:

• Operational upside: tighter management, better oversight, reduced costs.
• Financial engineering: refinancing or restructuring debt to cut expensive financing costs.
• Design & entitlement: smarter planning and architecture that unlock additional rights.
• Marketing: yes, marketing can be a profit driver. A strong sales strategy often means higher absorption and higher prices than the comps.
• Time itself: one of the biggest drivers of value in development is simply moving closer to shovel-ready. Every milestone reduces risk and increases certainty.

Bottom line: You don’t always have to buy the deal at a deep discount. Sometimes the real upside comes from execution.

👉 If you want more straight talk on how value is actually created in real estate (based on real deals, not theory), hit subscribe to Getting Real with Peleg.