: While commercial banks typically require proven income and 20% down, Texas has a robust market for owner financing (or "seller financing"), which may offer lower down payments and more flexible credit requirements. Market Trends and Pricing (2026 Assumptions) Texas Land Pricing Guide 2026 | Texas Farm Credit
: You may encounter "paper lots," which are lots that have been platted and recorded on paper but do not yet have physical infrastructure like roads or utilities installed.
Buying land in Texas is a multi-layered process that involves navigating unique legal landscapes, such as the separation of and specific state-wide agricultural exemptions that can drastically lower property taxes. As of 2026, new state laws also require buyers to sign representation agreements before touring homes or certain properties with an agent. Essential Considerations for Texas Land Buyers
: In Texas, you do not automatically own what is beneath your feet. The mineral estate is "dominant," meaning an owner of the minerals (oil, gas) may have the right to access the surface to develop those resources even if they don't own the surface land.
: This is not an "exemption" from taxes but rather a special appraisal based on the land's capacity to produce agricultural products (livestock, hay, timber). To qualify, land typically must have been used for agriculture for five of the last seven years .
