Courtesy of TLA’s Board Operations & Financial Planning Task Force

Every year, The Landings Association’s Board approves a budget for the coming year. The 2026 process started in July with the Department directors developing their work plans for the upcoming year.  These plans reflect the goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan, Board financial guidance, and the departments’ missions. The plans include the programs and services to be delivered, staffing requirements, projects and initiatives, and projected outcomes. The initial step in this phase is a focus on three objectives for the upcoming year, including minimizing expenses, negotiating best pricing for goods and services, and identifying additional non-Assessment Revenues to supplement Assessment revenue. 

Concurrently, the Finance Department estimates the revenues for the coming year. Assessment income is straightforward – 4,420 lots x the annual Assessment. Non-Assessment income (e.g., fees, Marina operations, and Sunset Pavillion rentals) is based on historical data modified by current trends. For 2026, we anticipate a total revenue of $18,057,092; $11,465,480 revenue will come from the annual Assessment and $6,591,612 from non-Assessment sources. Of this total revenue, 26% is allocated to the Reserve Fund to maintain/replace our capital assets without having to impose a Special Assessment. (More on the Reserve Fund next week.) The remainder of the revenue income is allocated to our Operating Budget.

The Board provides financial guidance to the General Manager who oversees the Budget development process. For 2026, the Board directed the following:

• Operating Net Revenue before Depreciation must Break Even: 
  •   Gross Operating Income $13,357,812 – 0perating Expenses ($13,353,677) = $4,135
• Maintain Operating cash- Annual average cash balance of $1.5 million
• Maintain the Capital Reserve at the 30% target in accord with the Board Policy and not falling below the $10 million capital reserve cash balance.
• Maximize Non-Assessment Revenue potential
• Implement organization-wide strategic plan initiatives
• Attain Marina Cost Neutrality by 2031

It’s important to mention that we aim to budget within our projected revenue. We do not spend money we do not have. To manage our finances responsibly, we prioritize essential expenses first and then address less critical items as remaining funds allow. The budget includes additional requested resident services to the extent that our resources make possible. 

Over the next 10 weeks, please look for more information. We’ll be sharing details on the key cost drivers in our budget and their impact on our future 2027-2029 financial plan—the plan upon which our next Assessment will be based.

A New Year’s Look at the Bigger Impact Behind Every Home Sale

The start of a new year invites perspective. Not just on what’s changing, but on what quietly sustains the community we live in.

You might not be thinking about selling your home. That’s fine. But when a “For Sale” sign appears on your street, it still affects you. Sales in The Landings do more than move one homeowner out and welcome another in. Behind the scenes, The Landings Real Estate Company’s activity support the ongoing marketing of the community, whether your home is on the market or not.

In this community, real estate isn’t just a private transaction. It’s part of a larger system that helps protect property values, strengthen demand, and support the lifestyle that drew people here in the first place. The Landings Real Estate Company is central to that system. It is the only brokerage whose profits are reinvested directly into marketing The Landings. Not into a franchise. Not into a corporate headquarters somewhere else. Just here.

Every national campaign, local placement, digital program, video, listing feature, and brand impression is funded entirely through real estate sales. There are no HOA assessments, special fees, or outside funding supporting this work. That approach is not typical. In many communities, marketing is paid for by developers or homeowners’ associations. In The Landings, it is driven by a reinvestment model tied directly to real estate activity within the community.

There’s another part of this model that many homeowners may not realize. Agents at The Landings Real Estate Company operate on a lower commission split than they might earn elsewhere, reflecting a shared belief in the reinvestment model and its role in supporting the community. This approach funds the marketing that benefits the entire community, including homeowners our agents may never directly represent, and keeps the reinvestment cycle working in a very real way.

That commitment also shows up in how prospective homeowners are introduced to life in The Landings. For many buyers, their first experience begins not with a single property, but with time spent alongside a REALTOR who knows the island well. Our agents guide visitors through neighborhoods, amenities, and daily life, helping them understand how the community works and what makes it special. The Landings Golf & Athletic Club is a central part of that conversation and one of the community’s most significant draws, often introduced through these early, personal experiences. Long before a buyer becomes a member, our agents usually are the first to introduce buyers to the lifestyle that defines The Landings through firsthand experience.

Each of our sales helps to generate the visibility that keeps demand strong. That demand supports values, stabilizes pricing, and reinforces The Landings’ reputation as a place people actively want to live. Even if you never plan to sell, your home is still affected by the market around it. Strong, well-positioned sales become comparable values that set benchmarks for future listings. One sale doesn’t just benefit one homeowner. It raises the floor for everyone nearby.

This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about momentum. Momentum attracts attention. Attention creates demand. Demand supports value. And value is far easier to maintain than to rebuild.

Marketing The Landings is a full-scale, year-round effort reaching buyers in key markets across the country. It focuses on people who are a strong fit for this lifestyle, including retirees looking for wellness and connection, professionals who can work from anywhere, and families seeking safety, nature, and community. Buyers aren’t discovering The Landings by accident. We consistently put The Landings in front of them. When buyers arrive, they’re already seeing more than houses. They’re seeing Marinas, golf, trails, dining, neighbors, and daily life. Our marketing reflects the full experience of living here, not just the homes available at any given moment.

Since 2019, this effort has brought an average of more than 100 national buyers each year. With more than 4,000 homes, The Landings was never designed to rely solely on local Savannah demand. Without that national exposure, pricing pressure and long-term values would look very different.

The Landings is not a closed market. Other professional brokerages do sell here, but there is a meaningful distinction. Those commissions leave the island. Their marketing promotes their brand, and their buyers often arrive without the benefit of sustained, lifestyle-focused exposure to what makes The Landings what it is.

The Landings Real Estate Company was created specifically to market and support this community, and it reinvests its profits directly into that mission. As the new year begins, that continued reinvestment helps ensure The Landings remains visible, resilient, and well-positioned for the years ahead.

The Landings didn’t become what it is by accident. Its strength comes from long-term thinking, consistent reinvestment, and people who understand that protecting value requires ongoing care. Every real estate transaction here has the potential to do more than serve one homeowner. When supported by the right model, it contributes to the health of the entire community.

The next time you pass one of our “For Sale” signs or notice a recent closing, remember what it represents. Not just a sale, but a forward step for the place we all call home.

As I sit down to write this article on this cold and rainy December day, I am stumped. It is very rare when I have writer’s block. I typically sit down and just start typing on my phone without any trouble. Today, I am stuck in this place of so much gratitude. Trying to articulate that isn’t as easy as I’d like it to be.

Suffice it to say, I am overwhelmed with the support and kindness shown to our organization this past year. This entire community, not just behind the gates, has graciously donated to us, sent kind notes, emails and even reached out with a phone call or two. The thank-yous are plentiful, and the loyalty to us is unmatched.

The Skidaway Island First Responders consider this job to be the most humbling and greatest honor. Serving all of you is something we never take for granted. Showing up for those of you who’ve needed us will go down as one of our proudest accomplishments in life.

We are all volunteers. Some of us have been doing this close to 20 years. There are others of us who only have a year or less under their belt. With that said, we all take what we do very seriously because we know it matters. It matters a lot. We could not do any of it without the support from our community.

As we start a new year or clean slate as I always say, let’s do our best to continue to put safety first. Wear your bike helmets. Follow the law by not letting your underaged kiddos drive the golf cart. Don’t let your young children sit in your lap while you operate a golf cart. Don’t drink and drive. Be mindful of your neighbors and how quickly things can change by your choices.

We always will be here when you need us. Remember to call 911 for all police, fire, and medical emergencies. Stay safe, everyone.

Happy New Year!

Date: January 30, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Enmarket Arena

Join us for an exciting night of hockey and heart as we cheer on the Savannah Ghost Pirates, while supporting The One Hundred Children’s Foundation! Your participation helps fund vital programs that improve the health and well-being of children in our community.

 Purchase Tickets:  Buy your tickets through our website: www.theonehundredchildrensfoundation.org

Come enjoy the action—and make a meaningful impact!

Friday January 30 at 7p.m., mezzo-soprano Abbey Terry and Dr. Julia Tucker, piano will present a program of opera arias entitled Against the Monstrous at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. The program centers around telling the stories of the great heroines of opera, as well as the trials, tribulations, and (sometimes literal) monsters they faced. Featured composers include Beethoven, Mozart, Puccini, and Mahler, as well as the Margaret Bonds Spiritual Suite for solo piano. The concert is free and open to the public.