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The REALTORS® Land Institute confers the esteemed Accredited Land Consultant (ALC) designation to only those individuals who achieve the highest level of education, experience, and professionalism.
ALC Candidacy Status:
Most real estate licensees begin their journey as a land professional by enrolling in the RLI organization's Land University program, traditionally with the course, "Land 101: Fundamentals of Land Brokerage" (recommended as the first Land University course but not required to be the first course). Individuals retain their candidacy status toward the ALC designation as long as their membership in the RLI organization is maintained.
ALC Designation Requirements:
Education, real estate experience, and transaction volume are demonstrated and substantiated through the ALC designation approval process.
MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
ALC candidates must be Institute members in good standing for at least 6 months prior to filing an ALC designation application.
EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
Successful completion of a total of six Land University courses (3 required and 3 electives). At least 3 courses must be taken in a live classroom setting.
Required courses (3 total):
-Land 101: Fundamentals of Land Brokerage
-Land Investment Analysis
-Tax Deferred 1031 Exchanges
Electives (3 of 6):
-Tax Implications of Real Estate
-Agricultural Land Brokerage and Marketing
-Creative Land Planning
-Land Development
-Site Selection
-Transitional Land
-Practical Navigation for Land Brokers
-other electives as developed by the REALTORS® Land Institute
-other course equivalencies as approved on an individual basis (Individuals
who have successfully completed land courses provided by educational institutions or other
professional organizations may apply for in-kind, or "equivalency" elective credit. Each
request for such credit is reviewed on an individual basis. Course outline(s), proof of
completion, and related documents must be submitted for consideration. Each equivalency
submission requires an $80 review fee. Equivalency requests must include a
complete course syllabus and proof of completion. Candidates may request no more than 2
elective equivalencies. Equivalencies are not accepted for the required courses.)
EXPERIENCE RESUME
Applicants must submit a resume that demonstrates a minimum of 3 years of experience in land sales or brokerage or a minimum of three years of comparable real estate experience in auction, appraisal*, leasing, development, consulting, brokerage management**, or related services in land.
*Appraiser candidates must be licensed state certified general appraisers.
**Broker managers must have a minimum of 5 years of management experience and manage a minimum of 10 agents.
VOLUME REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must submit a portfolio that substantiates specific levels of volume achieved in land sales or in providing real estate services related to land.
Sales, Brokerage, Development, Consulting
The portfolio must substantiate the applicant's participation and material involvement as a broker, agent, consultant, or employee in at least 5 closed land transactions totaling $10,000,000*, or a minimum of 25 separate land transactions of which no more than 80 percent involve residential lot sales, or a comparable level of volume dependent upon the land specialty and type(s) of real estate services provided. Effective March 1, 2010, cited transactions and services must have been completed no more than 7 years prior to the submission of the ALC application. (Starting in 2012, cited transactions and services will need to be completed no more than 5 years prior to the submission of the ALC application).
*For volume calculations, the buyer side is equal to the full sales volume, the seller side is equal to the full sales volume, and if both sides of the transaction are handled by one agent, double the volume of the transaction for the purpose of fulfilling the volume requirements. For example, if John Doe is the listing agent on a $1 million dollar sale, count $1 million; for the buyer side, count $1 million; and if both sides of the transaction are handled by one agent, count $2 million for the purpose of fulfilling the transaction requirement.
Substantiation documents include, but are not limited to:
-signed closing or commission statements, contracts, and leases
-approval documents or permits, site/development plans
-recorded and signed deeds
-statements of value or copies of appraisals
-copies of consultant reports or commentaries on consulting
assignments
-letters from employers indicating a principal involvement in land
transactions, development, appraisal, or related services
Appraisal
Appraiser applicants must be licensed state certified general appraisers and submit an appraisal experience log listing all land appraisals performed the previous 3 years, containing the appraisal date, client identification, and total appraised value of the property. The portfolio must substantiate the applicant's completion of no less than 30 agricultural and/or commercial land appraisals, for the 3 years prior to submitting the application, that fully meet all USPAP requirements, with cumulative appraised values exceeding $10,000,000. In addition, the portfolio must include two examples of a complex land appraisal (with signed permission of the client) containing all three approaches to value.
Broker Management
Brokerage manager applicants must submit a portfolio that substantiates management responsibility in a firm with a minimum of 10 agents who have completed at least $30 million in sales volume over a 2-year timetable.
EXAM
All ALC designation applicants must successfully complete a comprehensive online exam that covers the core components of the Land University curriculum. All candidates will be able to take the exam 3 times within a year from the first exam date. If, after the third attempt, the candidate does not successfully pass the course, he/she will be able to retake the exam after completing the Review Course for the ALC Accreditation exam. An additional fee will be required to take the course.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Applicants must submit at least two letters of recommendation, one from an Accredited Land Consultant and one from a local or state board confirming that the applicant is a member in good standing. If the applicant is an Institute Affiliate member or a Fast Track candidate, in lieu of a letter from a state or local board, he/she may submit a letter from an appropriate accrediting body or commission confirming that the applicant is a member in good standing of the accrediting organization.
REVIEW by the ACCREDITATION REVIEW PANEL
After completing all requirements, including passing the comprehensive exam, ALC candidates must make a formal application and submit a $350 application fee. The formal application is peer-reviewed by a 5-member Accreditation Review Panel that meets two times per year, once in the spring at the Annual Land Conference and once in the fall at the Annual Convention. Applications must be filed at least 45 days in advance of the Review Panel’s meetings. Annual deadlines will be posted online.
The Review Panel will consider all applications to determine whether the requirements have been completely satisfied. Members of the Accreditation Review Panel may request additional information from any ALC candidate should there be questions regarding the candidate’s fulfillment of the requirements. The Chairman of the Accreditation Review Panel serves as the liaison to all applicants. Candidates who are determined not to have satisfied the requirements will be advised of the reasons for that determination so that they may have the opportunity to correct any deficiencies.
The Accreditation Review Panel and Chairman are appointed by the RLI officers and Education Steering Chair and serve three-year terms on the Review Panel.
MENTOR PROGRAM (OPTIONAL)
ALC Candidates may request to be assigned an ALC mentor to guide them through the Accreditation process. Candidates may either request a specific mentor or may ask to be assigned a mentor.
-Individuals holding the CCIM, CRE, SIOR, and related designations may receive their ALC designations through an accelerated "Fast Track" program. Instead of the six required courses, Fast Track candidates need to complete three courses: Land 101, Land Investment Analysis, and one additional Land University course. Fast Track candidates must still meet all the ALC experience and volume requirements.
-Individuals who join the REALTORS® Land Institute must hold membership in the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), either as a REALTOR® or REALTOR®-ASSOCIATE or through the Institute Affiliate membership category of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).
-ALC candidates must submit an ALC Application, along with verification documentation, plus a non-refundable $350 processing fee. See the ALC Application for details.
-Individuals holding the ALC designation who let their RLI membership expire must pay the ALC application fee to be reinstated into membership. |