The Realtors® Land Institute is excited to share top advice from the winners of our 2019 APEX Awards Program, sponsored by The Land Report, as the top producing land agents in the country for 2019. The APEX Awards Program is designed to recognize the excellence and performance of the best in the business by distinguishing agents with these prestigious production-based awards.

“To be successful at anything one must become knowledgeable, whether by education, experience or both. At the same time, persevere, be consistent, and exhibit high integrity and a hard work ethic. Excellence in all facets of your profession. And also, successful people know that ‘no’ is a powerful word and a complete sentence.”

– Andy Flack, ALC, HomeLand Properties, Inc., Huntsville, TX, APEX 2019 Top National Producer and APEX 2019 Broker of the Year in Timberland Sales

“Listen to what your client’s goals are and, once you truly understand them, work your behind off to make them a reality. You are only as good

as your client’s success.”

– Ryan Sampson, ALC, CCIM, Eshenbaugh Land Company, Tampa, FL, APEX 2019 Broker of the Year in Commercial Land Sales

“My best piece of advice is to stay client focused and help them accomplish their goals. In the words of the late Zig Ziglar ‘You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.’ So our job is to really understand our clients’ goals and objectives, and to help them meet those goals and objectives.”

–          Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM, SVN Saunders Ralston Danzler, Lakeland, FL, APEX 2019 Broker of the Year in Ag Land Sales – Ranches

“Collaboration and abundance are two things that are a huge part of our culture at Peoples Company. There is no shortage of opportunities to pursue and, when you open up communication with others in the industry and within your own office, it creates more opportunities for everyone. This recognition is more about the collaborative culture at Peoples Company and a reflection on our team more so than an individual achievement. Most of our auctions have 10 to 15 of my colleagues involved. It’s truly a team effort and wouldn’t be possible without the abundant culture and collaborative efforts at Peoples Company and others in the industry.”

–          Steve Bruere, RLI Member, Peoples Company, Clive, IA, APEX 2019 Broker of the Year in Auction Land Sales

“I personally don’t think there is one single piece of advice that I can give. There are several things that need to happen to be successful. The first piece of advice, is to learn everything you can learn about real estate, learning is a never ending process. The more you learn the better you get! Persistence definitely pays off! Don’t give up! Concentrate on building long term relationships. You have to be useful, by providing information, a product, or a service. I can’t tell you how many times property deals have come back to me. Last, always be honest! If you don’t know, tell the client you don’t know, but you will get back to him with an answer as soon as possible! These are the things that have worked for me. I hope this advice helps you!”

– Marty Domres, ALC, CCIM, Domres Real Estate Investments, Inc., APEX 2019 Broker of the Year in Residential Land Sales

“Helping buyers and sellers acquire and sell farmland continues to be a people business. Buyers and sellers rely on their Land Broker to be their Trusted Advisor. We do this by providing professional services above and beyond what is asked. This is done by treating people with integrity and honesty. Also, by keeping up to date with what is going on in the land market and by communicating it with your clients at all times. Making this a top priority builds lifelong relationships. If you do these things, everything else will fall into place.”

– Troy Louwagie, ALC, Hertz Real Estate Services, Mt. Vernon, IA, APEX 2019 Broker of the Year in Ag Land Sales – Crops and APEX 2019 Wrangler

“I know this advice may sound very basic, but sometimes the basic things are the best things! It is this: always put the interests of your client before your own. As brokers, we have so many different ways we can handle our business – some ways are good, some are bad. Usually   the simplest way for me to stay on the right track is to do my business with integrity, and then simply put my clients’ interests first. When a broker learns to do this well, that is, when they are really building a career they can be proud of, instead of just closing one sale.”

– Joey Bellington, RLI Member, Whitetail Properties, San Antonio, TX, APEX 2019 Broker of the Year in Recreational Land Sales

The RLI APEX Awards Program, sponsored by The Land Report, celebrated its third year with a record 105 applicants totaling a combined $2.65+ billion in qualifying transaction volume and 3,535 sides represented. All land professionals recognized as part of the RLI APEX Awards Program are active members of RLI. The 2019 APEX Top Twenty Award winners were ranked by qualifying production volume. For more information on the award winners, make sure to get a copy of The Land Report, one of the industry’s leading magazines for landowners and land professionals, which will publicize the top winners in their upcoming Spring 2020 issue. All land real estate professionals are invited to join RLI and apply to the prestigious APEX Awards Program next year. Learn more at https://www.rliland.com/national-land-conference/rli-apex-awards-program

This article was originally published in the REALTORS® Land Institute Summer 2020 Terra Firma Magazine.