Saunders Real Estate marks 30 years with record land deals and conservation work

Saunders Real Estate is celebrating its 30th anniversary in October 2026 after growing from a Florida land brokerage into a regional firm serving the Southeast and Midwest. The company says 2025 was its busiest year ever, with more than $1.07 billion in sales and 63,551 acres preserved through conservation transactions.

Why it matters: - Saunders Real Estate’s growth reflects rising demand for specialized advice on land, commercial property and conservation across the Southeast and Midwest. - The firm’s work spans sales, investment strategy and conservation planning, giving landowners and investors options beyond a simple buy-or-sell transaction. - The company’s 2025 conservation activity shows how private land deals can support both financial goals and long-term land protection.

What happened: - Saunders Real Estate is celebrating its 30th anniversary this October. - Dean Saunders founded the Florida-based land brokerage in 1996. - The firm now serves landowners, investors, developers, family offices and institutions across the Southeast and Midwest. - In 2025, Saunders Real Estate closed more than $1.07 billion across 438 transactions involving more than 158,000 acres in the Southeast. - The firm preserved 63,551 acres through conservation transactions valued at approximately $221.5 million in 2025.

The details: - Saunders Real Estate’s services include land and commercial real estate brokerage, auctions, land management, valuations, market research and conservation easements. - The firm works across agricultural land, working forests, development sites and commercial properties. - Dean Saunders said the company was built around listening to landowners and helping them decide whether to sell, develop or conserve property. - Tyler Davis, president of Saunders Real Estate, said the next chapter will focus on evolving with clients as land takes a larger share of investors’ portfolios. - Davis said landowning families and operators are increasingly looking to diversify into commercial real estate. - Saunders offers support for 1031 exchanges, which can allow eligible owners to defer capital gains taxes by reinvesting in income-producing commercial real estate. - The firm also provides market intelligence through its Lay of the Land® Market Reports and Saunders Atlas property research and mapping platform.

Between the lines: - Dean Saunders’ background in agriculture and Florida politics helped shape the firm’s conservation focus. - As a Florida House member from 1992 to 1996, Saunders helped establish the Green Swamp Land Authority. - The Green Swamp Land Authority let landowners voluntarily sell development rights while keeping ownership of their land. - That model helped advance conservation easements as an alternative to outright government acquisition. - The firm’s messaging points to a bigger shift in how wealthy families and institutional investors view land: as a portfolio asset with income, liquidity and legacy tradeoffs. - The expansion of the Lay of the Land® Conference series into Georgia and Arkansas suggests Saunders is trying to deepen its role as both broker and market educator.

What's next: - Saunders Real Estate plans to host its inaugural national Lay of the Land® Summit in April 2027. - The firm says it will keep focusing on land decisions tied to legacy, conservation and growth as it enters its fourth decade. - The company will continue operating through Saunders Land, Saunders Commercial, Saunders Auctions and Saunders Valuations. - Saunders Real Estate says it will keep serving the Southeast and Midwest with more than 125 advisors.

The bottom line: - Saunders Real Estate is using its 30th anniversary to showcase a business built around land brokerage, conservation and increasingly complex investor needs.