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There is only one recognized accreditation for land brokers - it is Accredited Land Consultant (ALC). Below are the requirements to achieve the ALC designation. The REALTORS® Land Institute is an affiliate organization with NAR - National Association of Realtors®.

The REALTORS® Land Institute confers the esteemed ALC designation to only those individuals who have achieved the highest level of education, experience, and professionalism.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
ALC candidates must be Institute members in good standing for at least six months prior to filing an ALC designation application.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
ALC candidates must successfully complete of a total of six Land University courses (3 required and 3 electives). Courses may be completed in a live classroom, online, through the hybrid (independent study) program, and other delivery systems that may be made available.

Required courses (3 total):
• Land 101: Fundamentals of Land Brokerage
• Land Investment Analysis
• Tax Deferred 1031 Exchanges

Electives (3 of 6):
• Tax Implications of Real Estate
• Agricultural Land Brokerage and Marketing
• Practical Navigation for Land Brokers

EXPERIENCE RESUME
Applicants must submit a resume that demonstrates a minimum of three years of experience in land sales or brokerage or a minimum of three years of comparable real estate experience in auction, appraisal, leasing, development, farm management, or consulting.

VOLUME REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must submit a portfolio that substantiates specific levels of volume achieved in land sales or in providing real estate services related to land.

Sales, Brokerage, Development, Consulting

This is a phrase all real estate agents have heard a buyer use at some time or another. I just heard this again the other day and thought it needed to be addressed.

One situation that comes to mind is a property with improvements and 80 acres of land in Kingman County. I had received an offer from a prospective buyer that the seller was not interested in, so of course, we continued to show the property. I then showed this parcel to a couple that liked the property and they indicated that they were interested. They even threw out a number that I told them would not fly. At the end of the showing, the prospect said that they did not have their money in order, were not ready to make an offer, but wanted to be” kept in the loop” if someone else did offer. Within two days, the first prospect made another offer which the seller took. It was a cash offer and was time sensitive. The seller took the deal. This prospect had shown that they were willing to move forward, so, who should the seller and seller’s agent pay attention to? The buyer who making a valid offer… pretty simple.

Fast forward two weeks: the second couple above that #1 - did not make an offer, #2 - did not have their money in place, and that wanted to be “kept in the loop” felt that I had “sold the property out from under them”. REALLY? This prospect made no effort to be a viable buyer or he would have made an offer. So then why would the seller or seller’s agent contact them at the time of someone else’s contract? Were they harmed? They were not. They were just unprepared.

I was recently asked to look into the feasibility of exchanging mineral lease money into land, and the answer is, "no".

Lease money is considered ordinary income and it is not a capital sale, therefore, is not qualified to exchange. However, if you sell mineral rights, or even a portion of your mineral rights, that is a capital sale and you can enter into an exchange. Exchanges can also be utilized with sales of producing minerals, but this requires more data to execute.

1031 Exchanges should ALWAYS be considered when preparing to sell land,or minerals. They are a wonderful wealth protecting tool, but there are many misconceptions as to exchanges. Results Realty, LLC has helped many of our clients with 1031's, both forward and reverse. We can help you navigate you through with qualified professionals.

If you are a seller, you want the most for your property If you are a buyer, you want to pay as little as possible. Simple for everyone to understand.

Every now and again, we hear of a seller from out of area that was unaware of the market. He gets approached by a neighbor, perhaps the tenant, and sells way under the market value. Selling to the neighbor or tenant is fine, and if you want to sell your property way under market, that is fine as well.

However, I have yet to meet a seller who willingly wants to sell under the market by 25-40%. Yet we see these types of sales from time to time. We often hear people say they did not have to pay a commission and got it sold. But 5% commission looks like a pretty good deal when compared to selling 25% or more under the market value. We understand that fair deals do happen in private treaty, but often times are not so fair. Results Realty, LLC wants you to be aware of the market, whether you are utilizing our services or not.

Don't get short sighted on commission costs. A good, qualified broker should make that back for you and keep you out of harms way. There are plenty of unforeseen issues that cause problems or bad relationships between neighbors. Undiscovered property lines, title issues, easements whether recorded or need to be addressed, what is situation with minerals, water, tenant, etc, can cause big issues down the road.

What is buyer's agency and what should a buyer's agent responsibilities be?

Buyer's Agency - Simply put, you hire a buyer's agent to look after your best interest when purchasing a property. A buyer's agent therefore owes the client fiduciary duty - the agent is to take special care and advise what is best for the client. This agency agreement is very common in the residential side of the real estate industry. First time home buyers who have never purchased real estate need help. Most residential buyers will need assistance to make an educated decision. So, with that, what should a qualified buyers agent do for you, the client? Research, research and more research. A good agent should be proficient in the field at which they are working, know the geographic area they are working and know how to produce worthwhile information to their client-that means producing more than a MLS sheet and calling the listing agent. Qualified buyer's agents will do their research based on knowledge and experience, not just a MLS sheet. If you feel you need someone to represent you when purchasing real estate, you certainly should engage a real estate agent - just make sure you select an agent who know can produce results.

Of course you can. This is a little know area of investing. There is no secret that the stock market is volatile to say the least, leaving many wondering what to do with their money. There is a time-proven investment that has outperformed Wall Street for years - LAND. That's right. You can buy land and put it in your IRA or 401K. Here are some simple rules:

1. Your real estate IRA can buy and sell many kinds of real estate including land, condos, or rental, vacation and commercial properties. It's the self-directed real estate IRA that buys, owns and sells the property - not you personally. The custodian buys the property in the name of your self-directed real estate IRA.

2. The property may be rented, but the rental income is paid into your IRA, and not to you.

3. All of the expenses of operating and renting the property must flow in and out of your self-directed real estate IRA.

4. Your real estate IRA can buy a partial interest in a property. This is helpful if your IRA does not have enough money to purchase 100% of the property. It could be a partner and own a portion of the interest.

A few things you CANNOT do:

1. Your real estate IRA cannot purchase a property that you, your spouse or certain family members already own. Similarly, your real estate IRA cannot sell a property it owns to you, your spouse, or certain family members.

2. You, your spouse, or certain family members cannot have any personal use of the property owned by your real estate IRA.

3. Your IRA cannot lease the property to your business. Your business cannot occupy or use any part of the property.

When you call your broker or financial planner about real estate and your IRA and if they tell you "that it can't be done", find someone qualified to help you. This is an alternative - tangible, income-producing investments that stand the test of time.... LAND.

FURTHER RESOURCES:
Entrust - www.entrustadmin.com (800)392-9653

Transaction Brokerage - What is it? Simply put, it means that a licensed Real Estate agent can facilitate a deal with no duty to either buyer or seller. This works great for a buyer and seller who have already worked out their deal, but need help with contract preparation, title work and closing. Neither party needs representation.

With that said, would you want to list your property for sale and the listing agent is working as a Transaction Broker? Of course not - you want to have an agent represent you and your best interest. Believe it or not, many agents are listing properties as a Transaction Broker. What this means to the seller is, they are not represented, the agent is not looking out for the seller's interest, the agent is looking out for a way to avoid liability.

When you visit with an agent and they are pushing the "you need representation", make sure that they really are - because a Transaction Broker is not.

The answer is of course not. Time and time again we see out-of-state real estate companies come in dressed up in camouflage and calling themselves “Land Specialists”. Let’s look a bit closer……

A qualified land agent needs to have knowledge of water rights, mineral rights, tenant’s rights, and production agriculture, just to name a few. Results agents all have agricultural backgrounds right here in Kansas. We feel that knowledge, experience, and education are far more essential to being a good land agent than posing with a dead animal!!

Compare closely and don’t be fooled. There is only one designation earned in the land business – Accredited Land Consultant – awarded to only the top land agents with proven performance and a rigorous education from the Realtor’s Land Institute.

Results Realty, LLC has made a commitment to our clients to make their properties visible. We advertise 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year with print media, direct mail, our website, and 775 other websites that are specific to the land market. Besides our own site that was designed to attract land buyers , we post our listings on Open Fences, Lands of America, Land Flip, and LandWatch, just to name a few.

When you list with Results, whether a private listing or auction, you can be assured that your property will be visible – locally, regionally, and nationally each and every day.

Call or email us for your confidential analysis and advertising strategy designed for your property.