Latest Population Projections Predict A Land Development "Gold Rush" In 10 U.S. Markets

Feb. 3, 2009 - PRLog -- Professional Sales Co., an independent investment consultant founded in 2005 explains that "we are facing a tremendous financial opportunity that is available to anyone with the knowledge and vision to do something with it."  

We are all aware that today we're overbuilt for housing in a number of U.S. geographies. However, if the Census Bureau's projections are even close to accurate, we will grow out of this situation in the next 1-2 years nationally.

This means that we must start the raw land development process right now to accommodate the housing and community building requirements that will be needed to support the population growth 3-4 years into the future.

Why is that? This is because it takes minimally one to several years to complete a raw land development. Then, it takes another one to several years beyond that to erect the buildings on that land. In other words, we're at least two years away from any new communities to start springing up if we started them today!

Therefore, we are literally sitting at 'ground zero' for a construction and land development expansion that, by the year 2030, will dwarf the development activity  that followed World War II !"

"If the population is expected to grow by 82 million new people, they're going to require new communities to support them. And that means a massive need for new raw land development and construction that's going to look like the California 'Gold Rush' of the 1800's!"

The company goes on to explain that the 'engine' that is driving the need for all of this land development expansion in the United States is projected population growth driven by several factors:
                                                       
                                                        1) New births
                                                        2) Extended life spans
                                                        3) Immigration


                                      U.S. CENSUS BUREAU PROJECTIONS:

                             Year.....Population.....Cume Chg.....Cume % Chg
                            -------------------------------------------------------------------
                            2000........282Million..............................................
                            2010........309Million...........+27Mil ................+10%
                            2020........336Million...........+54Mil ................+19%
                            2030........364Million...........+82Mil ................+29%

In December 2004, the highly acclaimed Brookings Institution's Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy supported a project titled "Toward a New Metropolis: The Opportunity to Rebuild America" by Virginia Tech University's Urban Planning professor Robert Lang.

According to the Brookings Institution study, America's future construction and raw land development needs are approximately  209 BILLION square feet of total development needed between now and 2030.  

Total cost of this massive land development and construction explosion? $25 TRILLION

The bulk of the $25 Trillion Dollars will be spent developing 10 major metropolitan regions, which the Brookings Institution study calls "Megapolitans".  Based on an article by Paul Kahlia for Business 2.0 Magazine titled "The $25 Trillion Land Grab" (Nov. 1, 2005) here is where the 10 Megapolitans are located:

1. CASCADIA: Will encompass land from Seattle to Portland. Vast quantities of cheap, prime greenfield surrounding Seattle, Portland, and Eugene give the Northwest megapolitan explosive growth potential. By 2030 the three metro regions will be intertwined.

2. NORCAL: Will encompass land from San Francisco to Sacramento plus the Central Valley. The action is moving east from the Bay Area: The Sacramento metro region will build more housing and office space in the next 25 years than any other Western megapolitan city except Las Vegas.

3. SOUTHLAND: Will encompass land from Los Angeles to San Diego in the south thru the Inland Empire to Las Vegas in the east. Trade with China through the country's largest port, Los Angeles, will fuel a boom in logistics, warehousing, and distribution centers for companies like Target. New military and space programs will do for the Southland what the Internet did for NorCal in the 1990s.

4. VALLEY OF THE SUN: Will encompass land from Phoenix to Tuscon. This is the smallest megapolitan, but the one with the greatest supply of raw, buildable land at the lowest prices--one reason it will soon be the fastest-growing metro region in the country. The big draw: a Palm Springs lifestyle for the masses at a substantial discount.

5. I-35 CORRIDOR: Will encompass land from San Antonio to Dallas to Kansas City. No region better captures and caters to the Latino population boom. A new generation of Hispanic business owners and industrialists will drive the growth, and the area will become a magnet for foreign firms trying to cash in on the U.S. Latino market.

6. GULF COAST BELT: Will encompass land from Houston to New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina will for decades exaggerate a divide at the Texas-Louisiana border between the region's richer western section and the poorer eastern one. Surrounding megapolitans will enjoy spillover growth because of the Gulf Coast Belt's higher risk premium.

7. GREAT LAKES HORSESHOE: Will encompass land from Chicago to Detroit to Pittsburgh. Hit hard by manufacturing's decline, the constellation of Northern industrial cities is morphing into a service-economy region and will draw a flood of immigrants.

8. ATLANTIC SEABOARD: Will encompass land from Boston to New York City to Washington DC. The country's most heavily populated megapolitan braces for another boom. Where will most of the development go? Up: Urban infill will outstrip suburban growth.

9. I-85 CORRIDOR: Will encompass land from Raleigh-Durham to Atlanta. The 410-mile stretch from Atlanta to Raleigh is fast becoming a contiguous strip of McMansions and McDonald's. As textile manufacturing fades, consumer banking in Charlotte, telecom in Atlanta, and high-tech in the Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle drive the growth.

10. SOUTHERN FLORIDA: Will encompass land from Tampa to Miami. The state posted the nation's highest job growth in 2004, as baby boomers from the North poured in to take advantage of the job market and climate. Land scarcity will drive urban growth.

BONUS: UTAH 'MINIPOLITAN': Professional Sales has also added this geography to the list due to tremendous population and job growth in select markets in this state.

Professional Sales Co. encourages investors to seriously consider how they might participate in this enormous land development undertaking. You can visit their website at:
http://www.johnhanlin.com/High_Yield_Safe_Investments.html  for information about raw land development investing.

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Founded in 2005, Professional Sales Co. is an independent investment consultant company primarily focused on land investments and provides free independent retirement financial advice. They operate a website: www.JohnHanlin.com which provides useful retirement and investing information focused on safe investing, how to plan for retirement, proper investment portfolio diversification, high yield safe investments and how to use your IRA funds to invest in real estate.