Starting out as a young agent in the land real estate business is usually an intimidating challenge. When I obtained my real estate license five years ago, I started researching ways to gain knowledge and experience in land sales. I quickly found there are plenty of places to learn about the real estate business in general but very few opportunities to learn specifically about the land aspect of real estate. I found the REALTORS® Land Institute (RLI) and learned about their Accredited Land Consultant (ALC) Designation. I soon figured out this was an organization I needed to be a part of and the ALC was a designation I sought to obtain. Having the ALC Designation is an honor for anyone and it can really set you apart from your competition.

“Receiving my ALC Designation took my career as a land broker to a whole other level!”

Here is why…

• Education: The knowledge I gathered from taking LANDU courses offered through RLI helped me greatly. The course content is second to none and the instructors offer “real life” situations where you can put this knowledge to work in the field. The lessons you learn and the people you meet can help you many times over and many years down the road.

• Networking: Networking with other RLI members and ALCs has led to several opportunities in my real estate career. I have had numerous referrals and joint listings that I can directly tie back to the connections I made at either State RLI Events or at the National Land Conference. I believe meeting another agent at one of these events and getting to know them better on a personal level makes it much easier to be able to put a deal together with them down the road.

• Credibility: Being an ALC sets you apart from the rest of the “pack” of real estate agents. It gives you credibility when talking with clients and prospective clients. For instance, where I work in Alabama there are over 26,0000 real estate licensees and brokers and of those real estate licensees only 19 are ALCs. This gives a young agent who holds their ALC a real advantage over most of the real estate agents in our state. In 2015, I got the chance to interview with a prominent family for a listing on a ±380 acre timberland listing in Central Alabama. While in the interview, they asked what made me different from the rest of the agents that they had spoken with. I explained to them that I had recently received my ALC Designation and that the work and education that it took to get there gave me the specialized expertise needed to conduct their transaction. A few days went by and they called me and told me I had the listing. Since then, I sold that tract, along with several other properties for the family, and helped with a couple of consulting and appraisal jobs.

“I honestly believe the ALC Designation helped me land what could very well be a career-long client.”

I owe much of my success in my real estate career to the education, networking, and credibility I received through RLI while obtaining my ALC. I truly believe that ALCs are the “Best of the Best” in the land business and the ALC Designation is something that everyone in the business should work towards.

About the author: Calvin Perryman, ALC, is an Associate Broker and Appraiser with Great Southern Land. Calvin is an active member of RLI, serving on the 2017 Future Leaders Committee. He graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Business and Economics in May of 2011. Shortly after graduating from Auburn he obtained his real estate license and has been in the real estate business since 2011.