I'm in the beginning stages of looking to buy land. My goal is 40-50 acres within 1.5 hr of DFW. Key to me is access to power, ponds/surface water, mix of trees and prairie and an ag exemption in place. Hunting or fishing isn't important.

My goal is to establish a long term family plot with bardominium down the road.

For those of you who have gone through the land buying process in the past, what surprises, lessons learned or tips would you share that are valuable?

Thanks!

Spaceship said:

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I'm in the beginning stages of looking to buy land. My goal is 40-50 acres within 1.5 hr of DFW. Key to me is access to power, ponds/surface water, mix of trees and prairie and an ag exemption in place. Hunting or fishing isn't important.

My goal is to establish a long term family plot with bardominium down the road.

For those of you who have gone through the land buying process in the past, what surprises, lessons learned or tips would you share that are valuable?

Thanks!

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if you're married / have a family, then make sure everyone is on same page on costs. Get ag exemption. Everything is way more expensive and time consuming than you initially plan.

Infrastructure is a big deal. Is power to the property, and if not, how much will it cost to run it there? If it does not have rural water, how much is a well and is there good water there? Will it pass a perc test for septic? Is it in an etj, and if it is, what is shown on a future land use map? If you want to run some cattle, what shape are the fences in?

Any existing leases on the property, mineral, water, even grazing. And who has surface control.

I'll offer a counter point. If you look hard enough, you can find something wrong with every property out there. I've seen deals fall apart over buyer wanting new fences, and seller refusing out of principal, when the cost wouldn't be 2% of the total deal. Make a list of what you consider deal breakers and try to not get hung up on the things that don't really make a difference in the end.

Land owner here.

Everything will take longer and cost more than you plan for. Throw in dealing with county and state entities for the various permits and regulations…yeah it gets frustrating. Also Mother Nature will **** you when you try to dig your 700ft water line ditch multiple times.

In addition to the above great suggestions, find out about your neighbors. Talk to them. Any known issues with the property? Is there a "dump" on the property and what's in it? It may affect your water well. Any chicken farms upwind? What condition is the fence in? If it needs repairs, is it a 50/50 split or do you own the fence? Be sure YOU get your own survey done. Don't rely on the one provided by the seller or the one the county may have.

never buy "undivided" land.