Someone could list your land for sale today, find a buyer, close the deal, and pocket the money. You would not know it happened until it was too late to stop it. This is not hypothetical. It is happening right now across the country, and vacant land owned free and clear by out-of-state or absentee owners is the number one target.

In this conversation, National Land Realty broker Ryan Schroeder out of Nebraska, compliance director Jeramy Stephens out of Arkansas, and COO Susan Floyd out of South Carolina pull back the curtain on every major fraud scheme hitting the land industry today. They break down seller impersonation, where scammers mine public records to steal a landowner's identity and list property they have never set foot on. They cover wire fraud and how a single intercepted email has cost buyers and sellers everything at closing. They walk through forged quitclaim deeds, contract flipping, and the fake earnest money check scheme that catches agents off guard more than people realize.

More importantly, they tell you exactly what to do about it. From free government monitoring tools like propertyfraudalert.com to why putting land in an LLC adds a layer of protection most owners never consider, this episode is a practical checklist for inherited landowners, rural investors, real estate agents and anyone sitting on property they do not visit regularly.

If you own land and nobody is watching it, this one is for you.

Visit National Land Realty to contact an agent or view our inventory

https://www.nationalland.com

Fraud Resources:

Forewarn

https://www.forewarn.com/

TrueCaller

https://www.truecaller.com/

True People Search

https://www.truepeoplesearch.com/

Property Fraud Alert

https://www.propertyfraudalert.com

Home Title Lock

https://www.hometitlelock.com/

Register of Deeds office (Local Resource)

Understanding Timber and Timberland Investment with John Ross Havard

Most people who own timber have no idea what it is actually worth or what it takes to harvest it. John Ross Havard, a consulting forester and land agent based in Alabama with National Land Realty, breaks down the realities of owning timberland for private landowners who make up roughly half of all timberland ownership in the country. John covers why small-acreage timber is harder to monetize than most people assume, what the minimum acreage and access requirements look like before a harvest makes financial sense, how thinning cycles work for planted pine, and why clearcuts get a bad reputation they do not always deserve. He also explains the difference between TIMOs and REITs for investors who want timber exposure without owning land outright, and why the best buys right now are properties priced as pure timberland with untapped recreational potential.

Talk with John Ross Havard

https://nationalland.com/real-estate-agent/john-ross-havard

Visit National Land Realty to see our listings

https://www.nationalland.com

2026 Land Market Outlook with Jeramy Stephens, National Land Realty

Few people in the land industry see more deals in a year than Jeramy Stephens. As compliance director at National Land Realty, he has eyes on roughly 1,700 to 2,000 transactions annually across Arkansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Ohio. In this conversation, Jeramy breaks down what the land market actually looks like heading into 2026, from the squeeze tariffs and rising input costs are putting on Arkansas rice and cotton farmers, to the correction happening in rural mountain properties bought at inflated COVID-era prices. He covers why premium farmland and high-quality duck hunting ground remain surprisingly strong, how the generational transfer of wealth is quietly fueling land purchases, and why the land market is always the last asset class to move when broader economic uncertainty hits.

Talk to Jeramy Stephens

https://nationalland.com/real-estate-agent/jeramy-stephens

Visit National Land Realty to see our listings

https://www.nationalland.com