RLI President’s Perspective

I am so excited to be at the helm of the Realtors Land Institute, especially at a time when we are poised to take giant strides forward.  We are forging new programs and benefits for members with much more discipline and focus than ever before. 

We are working, on purpose, to make great strides in all fundamental areas:  education, member benefits, and communications. 

• Education
  The centerpiece of our Institute, education will continue to take top priority, with additional courses offered at more locations, providing specialized land education that can be found nowhere else and more opportunities for land professionals to earn the ALC Designation.  And don’t forget the 2nd Annual National Land Conference, scheduled for April 22 -23.  This is a must-attend event for all ALCs and land professionals.
   

• Member Benefits   
  We will continue to grow our member benefits so that they far exceed the expense of membership.  That means more tools, web site improvements, and efficient management of all member services.
   

• Communications
  We want to be sure you know about everything that’s available to you, and you’ll begin to see many tangible evidence of the intention to upgrade the full range of our communications initiatives.

Many, many wheels are now in motion, taking us to the next level.  We represent the center of professionalism for land brokerage, and we intend to honor that responsibility …on purpose in 2008. 

 Your 2008 National President,

 Michael E. Landreth, ALC

2nd Annual National Land Conference

2^nd Annual National Land Conference

Building Knowledge.  Building Relationships.  Building Business. 

April 22 – 23, 2008

Hyatt Regency, San Antonio

 

The REALTORS® Land Institute continues to move forward with renewed energy and a firm commitment to delivering top-notch member services and programming.  The RLI National Land Conference supports that mission by providing a one-of-a-kind forum for land professionals to build knowledge, relationships, and their businesses. 

 

Featured programs include:

• Economic Outlook for Land Professionals, with renowned speaker Dr. Mark Dotzour of Texas A&M University

• Foreign Investment in American Land

• Counseling for Value with Ted Blank, CCIM, SEC

• Influencing Land Policy in Washington

• Avoiding Legal Pitfalls

—and more programs on the way, plus plenty of networking opportunities to build your knowledge, your relationships, and your businesses.

This is the must-attend national event for all ALCs and RLI members at large.  

• REGISTER NOW >   

• PROGRAM INFORMATION>   

• SPONSORSHIP & EXHIBITOR INFO >

• Land Conference Schedule >

 

 

Hotel & Travel

Hyatt Regency San Antonio

123 Losoya

San Antonio, Texas 78205, USA

Tel: +1 210 222 1234 Fax: +1 210 227 4925

Map & Directions

 

Book your hotel room today to take advantage of RLI’s special room rates.  Discounted rooms available only until March 21, 2008.  Use Group Code g-land. Book Now>

 

Fiesta San Antonio Too!

The RLI Land Conference runs concurrently with Fiesta San Antonio, an exciting citywide festival being held from April 18-27.  The event features special events and tours, carnivals, performances, music, exhibits, fireworks, parades, and of course, fiestas that provide an exceptional opportunity to explore and enjoy San Antonio’s rich culture and spirit. 

 

Dan Hatfield, ALC, says, “Land Conference attendees should book an extra day or two while they’re in San Antonio and enjoy ‘Mardi Gras’ Texas style.  Lots of parties, lots of music, lots of food, and plenty of things for people to do.” 

 

Go to www.fiesta-sa.org for schedules and advance tickets. 

 

 

 

 

Car Rentals

If you plan on renting a car while attending the land conference, do not forgot if you are an NAR member to use your NAR membership card to receive discounts from Avis, Budget, and Hertz. For more information>

 

 

 

Did you miss this year’s National Land Conference? It was a huge success, with attendees from 16 states networking with fellow ALCs, RLI members, and sponsors supporting their interests and needs. Attendees took advantage of top-notch educational and technical programming, tons of networking opportunities, great weather, and local attractions. If you’d like to hear what you missed, listen to the attendees share highlights from the conference in a special podcast. Listen to podcast> 
 

Sponsorship & Exhibitor Information
Do you want to establish one-on-one contacts with Accredited Land Consultants and members of the REALTORS® Land Institute at large?

This year’s RLI National Land Conference provides sponsorship and exhibit opportunities to meet a variety of needs and budgets–from general program sponsorships to tabletop exhibits. As an added benefit of participation, tabletop exhibitors will receive podium time in a vendor “showcase” educational program.

 

Michael Landreth, ALC

2008 National RLI President

Pinon Canyon Site Expansion

The Army is facing considerable opposition to the expansion of Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS) used for military training outside of Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, CO. Two amendments introduced to the funding bill for the acquisition, introduced by Se. Ken Salazar from Colorado passed the Senate.

The amendments will require the Army to provide evidence the additional land, some 414,000 acres, is needed for training. In addition the amendments prohibit the Army from using any funding for acquisition for expansion purposes.

 Senator Wayne Allard voted against the measures explaining, that they are too restrictive. The amendments will prevent the Army from distributing handouts, providing information, holding community meetings, or conducting environmental impact studies.

 The amendments will have to go to a conference committee and be merged before being signed into law by President Bush.

source: Western Livestock Journal, September 17, 2007, Vol 86 No. 49 “Army must wait to proceed at Pinon Canyon”

Googlonymous

Well this isn’t necessarily land related, however, it does affect everyone who uses a computer to search for information. Technology has brought us to a point which companies can gather information about us with or without our knowledge. As a result, we need to become even more aware of the consequences of using technology.

Technology can be good and helps in many ways, however, in the wrong hands it can be very damaging to our lives. Data collection isn’t bad as long as we the public know it is happening, what is being collected, and what it is being used for. There are tracking devices in most new cars and cell phones and identification devices in items such as laser printers, dvd/cd burners, and digital cameras. And then there is the internet.

Did you know every time you use Google to search for information the company is tracking and recording your every move. This information goes into Google’s database becomes a permanent record. Most of us might say “so what, I am not doing anything illegal”. But what if that information could be used against you.

 By no means is Google the only company collecting information. Some companies are doing it without the consumer even knowing it and others do it in a very upfront and innocent looking manner but the public is so used to giving out their information they never even think twice. The next time you visit a site that requires you to give them personal information before they will provide you with information you might ask yourself “why do they need this information and what are they going to do with it?”.

To find out more about technologies that track your everyday activity go to Googlonymous.com and watch the video. This site will also allow you to search Google anonymously.

Questions to Ask When Selecting a Land Advertising Website

All land advertising websites are not created equal. Prior to selecting a site you may want to ask several questions to make sure the site meets all your needs and is the best value for the services you recieve. Below is a list of top questions you should ask.

 1. What services do they offer other than web advertising?

 2. Who owns your information and what are they doing with it?

 3. Who gets your leads? Are leads given directly to you?

 4. What are they doing to drive traffic to the website?

 5. Are visitors required to enter personal information other than name and email in order to request information?

 6. What background do they have in land real estate?

 7. Who handles their customer service and support and what background do they have in land real estate?

 8. Is the website user friendly and easy to navigate?

 9. Do they offer a free trial and if so how long is it?

10. How many listings can you upload?

11. What does the membership cost?

Contact us for more information

The Other Side of Conservation Easements

Before entering into a conservation easement, one should consider both the benefits and the ramifications of a conservation easement. Not all conservation easements are created equal. The terms of a conservation easement can be negotiated to best suit the needs of everyone concerned. Seeking counsel of an attorney that specializes in conservation easements is highly recommended.

To understand what can occur by entering a conservation easement without full understanding of the ramifications,  read  ”Land Rich, Cash Poor” from the Spring 2006 issue of Range Magazine.

Foreign Money Buying Real Estate

In 2006, the U.S. saw a large increase in the amount of land owned by foreign investors. The weakness in the dollar is drawing more and more foreign investors to consider purchasing property in the United States at a discount. Foreign agriculture land holdings increased approximately 8.6% in 2006 totaling 16.4 million acres.

The United States Department of Agriculture divides foreign-owned agriculture land into timberland-forest, pasture, cropland, and other land categories. Much of the increase in 2006 was seen in timberland. Timberland-forest comprises nearly 50% of all foreign agriculture land holdings as of February 2006. Foreign timberland ownership in Texas alone increased 1,357% jumping from 29,000 acres to over 424,000 acres. (see Table 1 and Table 2)

Texas, as a result of this acitivity, has jumped to the #2 spot of states with foreign-held land. Texas is likely to continue to see an increase due to projected sales of timberland holdings in East Texas. Temple-Inland has announced plans for the sale of 1.8 million acres of forest holdings in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia. Watch for timber investment managment organizations (TIMOs) to be very active in the purchase of timberland in the future. Much of the increase in foreign agriculture holdings is due to TIMOs such as Canadian-based financial sevices company, John Hancock, who operates Hancock Timber Resource Group.

Source: Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Rising Farm Prices

According to USA Today, the fastest-growing commodity in Florida farm country last year was land values, which jumped anywhere from 50% to 88%.

This is not completely unique to Florida.  In fact, rural real estate prices rose on a national average of 11% in 2005. The chart below shows how those increases played out across the country.  We’d like to hear how prices are changing in your area. 

RISING FARM PRICES
State 2005 avg. land value (in dollars per acre) Pct. change from 2004 Alabama $2,050 10.2% Arizona $1,750 9.4% Arkansas $1,820 10.3% California $4,160 9.5% Colorado $845 9.0% Connecticut $10,800 5.9% Delaware $8,400 40.0% Florida $3,700 19.4% Georgia $2,590 10.2% Idaho $1,480 8.8% Illinois $2,900 11.1% Indiana $3,050 10.1% Iowa $2,490 13.2% Kansas $800 11.9% Kentucky $2,200 10.0% Louisiana $1,680 6.3% Maine $1,950 5.4% Maryland $7,900 38.6% Massachusetts $10,500 6.1% Michigan $3,150 7.9% Minnesota $2,030 12.8% Mississippi $1,580 6.8% Missouri $1,740 10.1% Montana $445 8.5% Nebraska $910 10.3% Nevada $550 10.0% New Hampshire $3,450 6.2% New Jersey $10,300 5.6% New Mexico $290 9.4% New York $1,880 5.6% North Carolina $3,570 8.2% North Dakota $500 9.9% Ohio $3,180 8.5% Oklahoma $805 8.1% Oregon $1,350 8.0% Pennsylvania $4,000 9.6% Rhode Island $11,200 9.8% South Carolina $2,330 8.4% South Dakota $570 14.0% Tennessee $2,700 8.0% Texas $925 8.2% Utah $1,230 7.0% Vermont $2,300 7.0% Virginia $3,900 21.9% Washington $1,650 7.8% West Virginia $1,600 6.7% Wisconsin $2,850 14.0% Wyoming $350 11.1% Source: Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service

  

Conservation Easements

You can do good for yourself, your community and your environment by considering a conservation easement.  Like other types of easements, defined any transference of usage rights, this type creates a legally enforceable land preservation agreement between a land owner and a land trust (often a municipality or other land protection organization).

 

While the benefits of halting development on the land permanently are obvious in both their environmental and social impact, what you may not know about is the tax benefits:

1 – Income tax deductions: You qualify if the easement is (a) perpetual, (b) held by a qualified governmental or non-profit organization and (c) serve a valid “conservation purpose,” (i.e. the property has natural, scenic, historic, scientific, recreational, or open space value).

 

Conservation easement donors may deduct the value of their gift at the rate of 50% of their adjusted gross income (AGI) per year.  Landowners with 50% or more of their income from agriculture may be able to deduct the donation at a rate of 100% of their AGI.

The value of the easement donation equals the difference between the fair market value of the property before and after the easement takes effect.  Of course, you’ll need a qualified appraiser’s help getting these numbers.

2 – Estate Tax Reductions: Leaving sizable donations of land upon your death may relieve the pangs of estate taxes on your heirs.  There are three types of considerations in this regard: Reduction in Value of Estate, Estate Exclusion and After Death Easement.  Your probate attorney should be able to assist you in making these arrangements.

 3 – State and Property Tax Incentives: If you live in Colorado, Virginia, Maryland or North Carolina, you’re in luck.  All these states offer state income tax incentives to land donors.  Many more states are following and suit and several already offer property tax incentives.

 

Interested in learning more?  Please feel to free to contact our offices at 970.389.3010 or email us at support@landbrokermls.com.

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