Our industry remains strong for land professionals and the consumer thanks to the commitment of land REALTORS across the country. Dozens of members of the REALTORS Land Institute, including RLI's Executive Team, traveled to Anaheim, CA to represent the interests of land REALTORS and property owners at NAR's NXT convention November 12-17, 2023.
The primary focus of the RLI All Member Meeting on November 13, 2023 was to discuss policy and regulatory issues that impact land and property owners. Several issues are being acted on currently or closely monitored. Among those discussed are:
WOTUS: The Waters of the U.S. rule was revised by the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers (CORPS) this year resulting in more confusion and costs for landowners. NAR as part of a Waters Advocacy Coalition pursued legal action against the rule. Currently, about half of states have injunctions against implementation of the rule. We continue to look into litigation options to prevent implementation of the rule in more states.
Open Fields: RLI expects favorable judgement in a Tennessee case regarding the Open Fields doctrine after submitting a "friends of the court" or Amicus Brief. The Tennessee case involves landowners whose property beyond the curtilage around the home was unknowingly being monitored via video cameras without a warrant.
Other issues members feel need attention are the Endangered Species Act, foreign land ownership, solar development and special use permits.
The meeting was also an opportunity to celebrate the growth of the organization with members:
- RLI has experienced a 47% growth in membership over the past five years
- There are 683 ALCs (676 as of the Member Meeting) across the U.S. today
- 303 new members joined in 2023
LANDU courses are undergoing updates to increase their relevance and rigor. RLI recently hired a Learning and Development Manager, Anne Leigh Elmore-McAllister, to work with the education team and expert instructors to revise the courses. The Land Investment Analysis course is the first to be updated and will roll out in early 2023.
Our 18 Chapters will receive additional tools and support from National RLI through rebranded Chapter websites and databases at no cost to the Chapter. Sixteen Chapter websites are now live with the remainder expected to launch by end of year.
The complexities of land real estate and the importance of hiring a land professional were expertly presented by RLI member and Accredited Land Consultant Christina Asbury during a Land 101 session. Her session was lively and sparked interest among several attendees to get further educated on land real estate topics. If you registered for NXT and missed Christina's session, you can retrieve the playback link and password from NAR's post conference email.
Finally, the highlight of NXT was the inauguration of our 2024 RLI President, Sam Bowers, ALC. Over 50 guests celebrated Sam at a reception held at Ruth's Chris Steak House. CEO Aubrie Kobernus spoke to thank 2023 President Luke Worrell for his positive and steadfast leadership this year. We also inducted Dan Murphy, ALC as 2024 President-Elect, Geoff Hurdle, ALC as 2024 Vice President, and Christina Asbury, ALC as 2024 At-Large Director.
A special thanks to Georgia REALTORS for sponsoring the reception. Many members of Sam's state and local association showed up to support him.
Thank you to all of the RLI Members who made the convention a success and showed up to represent the land!