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Geoffrey Reid, president of Blue River Development, along with co-CEOs and Managing Principals Brad and Michael Cooper, join host Carol Morgan for this week’s Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio episode. This podcast segment delves into Blue River Development’s 2025 goals and how recent financial trends affect the housing market and the land development process.
Filling the Gap of Housing Supply
Blue River Development plans to close 20 to 25 new land deals this year, including over 20 projects already on schedule to close before the end of 2025. It also has over 60 active deals in the due diligence and negotiation stages.
“We’re really here to help serve home builders and help them fill their land pipelines,” said Reid. “And while the housing market continues to evolve, one thing that remains is a lack of supply and solving this problem begins with the land.”
Reid describes Blue River Development’s approach as “keeping our foot on the pedal” as it drives to source land that transforms into housing for all buyers, including first-time homebuyers, those looking to move up and even the luxury home market.
Expanding in New and Current Markets
Utilizing months of supply inventory data in its housing markets, Blue River Development finds locations with the most demand for homes. The equilibrium is 6 months for housing supply, and the Atlanta market has just over 3 months of housing inventory as of January 2025.
“It is a mission-based acquisition process that our guys are tasked with, and it’s to leave no stone unturned,” said Reid. “And that means that in every active municipality, jurisdiction, you know, our team is intimate with the entitlement probabilities, with the future land use map, jurisdictions and understanding intimately the ability to obtain our entitlements, but also the infrastructure that’s needed to execute on our projects.”
In addition to the Atlanta market, Blue River Development is also active in the Carolinas, Florida, Tennessee and east Dallas, Texas.
Last year, the development company pivoted to focus on land development and was met with much success. Brad Cooper explains that the company returned to its core business model, which is land development. It transformed not only its business plan but also its team to refocus on land development in 2024.
“We’ve got the right team,” said Brad Cooper. “We’re in a very tight business plan with tight underwriting standards, and it’s been just amazingly successful in 2024.”
Effects of Fluctuating Interest Rates and Supply Chain Slowdowns
Interest rates reached an all-time high in recent years, but Michael Cooper says that Blue River Development anticipates that they will remain flat this year after lowering slightly at the end of 2024, which allows for more housing supply. The fluctuations of interest, both raising and lowering, directly impact the underwriting process for builders.
He also notes that the supply chain experienced hiccups during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of bids affected the development process and how much supply was being presented to prospective buyers.
“Now we’ve got multiple options to bid out our projects, which has been nice to see,” said Michael Cooper. “So ultimately, we feel very good about the forecast here, even despite some of the challenges with where mortgage rates are today.”
Tune in the full episode to learn more about Blue River Development’s upcoming projects and more. For more information about Blue River Development, visit www.BlueRiverDevelopment.com.
About Blue River Development
Blue River Development is a vertically integrated land developer focusing on growing 24 markets across seven Southern states. With its data-driven approach, Blue River Development has an impressive track record of acquiring below market residential land opportunities for both build-to-rent and for-sale.
Podcast Thanks
Thank you to Denim Marketing for sponsoring Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio. Known as a trendsetter, Denim Marketing has been blogging since 2006 and podcasting since 2011. Contact them when you need quality, original content for social media, public relations, blogging, email marketing and promotions. A comfortable fit for companies of all shapes and sizes, Denim Marketing understands marketing strategies are not one-size-fits-all. The agency works with your company to create a perfectly tailored marketing strategy that will suit your needs and niche. Try Denim Marketing on for size by calling 770-383-3360 or by visiting www.DenimMarketing.com.
About Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio
Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio, presented by Denim Marketing, highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact Denim Marketing at 770-383-3360 or fill out the Atlanta Real Estate Forum contact form. Subscribe to the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast on iTunes, and if you like this week’s show, be sure to rate it.
