[allturtles]

If you're talking about developing an entirely new neighborhood, that involves a lot of work beyond just buying the land, carving it up into lots with a pencil and then selling them for a profit. They have to survey and plan and layout the neighborhood, including the lots, roads, drainage systems and any common areas. Then they have to get all the necessary approvals from the local government, which typically includes drainage studies, traffic studies, school impact studies, architectural reviews, discussions with residents who live on adjacent properties, etc. This often involves multiple rounds that requires revisiting the original design. Then they have to actually get all the infrastructure built out to the point where homes can actually be built on the lots (roads, sewers, drainage ponds, sidewalks, land grading, etc.).