It’s Not to Late to Invest in Land

Land seems to be the new buzz word floating around currently. I was emailing Gloria Bowen our Executive Director of the Realtors® Land Institute in Chicago. RLI was organization was established in1944 and is charged with educating Realtors® about Land and Land issues. For years, I have been collecting articles about Land and Land related issues. Unfortunately they are few and far in between. Just Google the words "Land Articles" and you will see what I mean.

Gloria had asked me to share my research with our RLI members and with great pleasure I will comply. Today when I was composing my response to her I realized how important this assignment was.

For fifteen years and I have been in the Land Brokerage business, and offend wondered why there has not been more attention paid to Land. I guess that because it is so common to us all that we just pass it by, not realizing that Land is what feeds us, cloths us, houses us and provides all the resources of life.

In my research, I ran across an anonymous statement years ago entitled "Who Am I?" that spoke to my heart and expanded my understanding and appreciation for Land.

Anonymous:  Who Am I?

I am the basis of all wealth, the heritage of the wise, the thrifty and prudent.

I am the poor person’s joy and comfort, the rich person’s prize, the right hand of capital, the silent partner of thousands of successful people.

I am solace of the widow, the comfort of old age, the cornerstone of security against misfortune and want. I am handed down through generations, as a possession of great value.

I am the choicest fruit of labor, the safest collateral and yet I am humble.  I stand before every person bidding them to know me for what I am and asking them to possess me.

I am quietly growing in value through countless days. Though I might seem dormant, my worth increases, never falling, never ceasing. Time is my aid and the ever increasing population adds to my gain. I defy fire and the elements, for they cannot destroy me.

My possessors learn to believe in me and invariable they become envied by those that have passed me by. While all other things wither and decay, I alone survive.  The centuries find me younger, always increasing in strength. All oil and minerals come from me. I am the producer of food, building materials and the home to every living thing. I serve as the foundation for homes, factories, banks and stores.

I have not been produced for millions of years yet, I am so common that thousands, unthinking and unknowingly, pass be by.

Who Am I? “I Am Land"
Anonymous

In this statement, the author mentions the values of Land several times. In the first paragraph it states "I am the basis of all wealth..." The second paragraph states "I am...the right hand of capital..." The third paragraph "I am...the cornerstone of security... handed down through generations, as a possession of great wealth."   The forth paragraph states "I am quietly growing in value...my worth increases..."

Writing to Gloria, I commented to her about the current state of our economy pointing out that for years I have advocated diversifying investment portfolios to include Land holdings because of it historic
stability and ever increasing value. During our resent and current debacle in Wall Street, as everyone and I do mean everyone watches their investment portfolios diminish, those who are wisely holding Land investments have not lost a dime. Land prices during downturns usually stabilize and hold there value during the financial storm.

Several of my investors have contacted me in the past several months thanking me for advising them to diversify their 401K, Sep Plans and Trust Accounts into Land holdings. On the other side of the coin, I have had even more potential clients that would not commit to Land Investments contact me saying that they wished they had diversified their holdings into Land holding before they lost most of their investment money.

My current position on Land investments is IT IS NOT TOO LATE!!!  There are tremendous opportunities out there right now, today! Land is the safest investment and usually requires little or no maintenance.

What should you do?  First, I strongly recommend that you source a member of the Realtors® Land Institute. See www.rliland.com  on this site, one of the top three tabs will say “Find a Land Consultant”. Look for a RLI member in your market area, preferably an Accredited Land Consultant. If you can not find one, contact me below and I will help you. Accredited Land Consultants have completed the rigorous class requirements and have preformed millions of dollars in Land sales.

It is true but unfortunate that when we go to real estate school to obtain our licenses for 160 plus hours of classroom instruction, that the real estate schools throughout the country do not teach anything of value about Land, commercial real estate, property management as so on. Just because a person has a real estate licenses, it does not assure you they have the experience or knowledge to provide the services that a Land Broker with experience can provide. Land investment is like any other investment, in that, you do not want to work with someone who has training wheels.

Lou Jewell ALC
Accredited Land Consultant
A Voice for Land