Texas Land Buying Checklist: 12 Things to Verify Before You Close
Most first-time rural land buyers focus on the price per acre and the view. The expensive surprises — a landlocked tract, severed minerals, rollback taxes, a well that barely produces — are all things you could have caught before closing. This checklist is what I wish I'd had before I bought my first piece of Texas land.
Buying in South or West Texas right now? A 22-county screwworm quarantine zone is active as of July 2026, which affects livestock movement and land use. Check the tracker →
Confirm what mineral rights convey
Texas has a long history of severed mineral estates — meaning someone else may own the oil, gas, and minerals beneath your surface. Ask the seller directly: do the minerals convey? Request a mineral ownership search through your title company. If the minerals are severed, find out if there's any active production or existing lease. This isn't a dealbreaker, but it affects value and what can happen on your land without your permission.
Watch out: Never assume minerals convey. In South and West Texas, severed mineral estates are extremely common.
Pull a title commitment and read it
Your title company will issue a title commitment before closing. Read Schedule B — it lists every exception, easement, and encumbrance on the property. This is where you'll find pipeline easements, utility rights-of-way, deed restrictions, and recorded liens. Most buyers glaze over this document. Don't. Have your agent or attorney walk you through every Schedule B exception before you waive your inspection period.
Verify legal access to the property
Does the property have direct access to a public road? If not, is there a recorded access easement across neighboring land? In rural Texas, landlocked tracts are more common than buyers expect. A property without legal access can be difficult to use, sell, or finance. Confirm access on the ground — drive it, don't just look at a map. Private caliche roads that cross neighboring land are not the same as a recorded easement.
Watch out: Verbal agreements with neighbors are not access. Only recorded easements guarantee your right to enter your own property.
Have the property surveyed
In rural Texas, legal descriptions in deeds often reference old fence lines, cedar posts, or 'the corner of the old Flores pasture.' These descriptions can be inaccurate by tens or hundreds of acres. Get a new survey — a boundary survey at minimum, an ALTA survey if there are any easements or improvements near the boundary. Survey costs typically run $1,500–$5,000 depending on acreage and terrain. It's one of the best investments you'll make.
Test the water
If the property has a water well, get it tested before closing — both flow rate (gallons per minute) and water quality. A well producing less than 1 GPM may not reliably support a household or livestock. Water quality tests run $150–$400 and check for bacteria, nitrates, hardness, and other common rural contaminants. If there's no well, get a water availability assessment for the area. In South Texas, water depth and quality vary significantly by county.
Understand the existing tax exemption status
Find out whether the property has an agricultural or wildlife management exemption in place. If it does, understand that the exemption does not automatically transfer to you — you are responsible for maintaining qualifying use. If you change the land use or fail to reapply, you may owe rollback taxes going back five years. Before closing, ask the county appraisal district (CAD) what's required to maintain the exemption with your intended use.
Watch out: Losing an ag or wildlife exemption can trigger rollback taxes that dwarf your annual savings. Verify before you close.
Walk every fence line
Fencing in rural Texas is often old, poorly maintained, and may not follow the actual property line. Walk the perimeter — or have someone do it — before closing. Note sections that need replacement, gates that don't function, and any evidence that a neighbor's livestock have been using your property. New fence costs $8,000–$20,000 per mile depending on type. Know what you're inheriting before you price your offer.
Identify all easements on the ground
Beyond what's in the title commitment, go look for easements in the field. Pipeline easements often have above-ground markers. Power line and utility easements are visible. Water district easements may not be obvious. Ask neighbors what crosses the property. Pipeline easements in particular can restrict what you build, plant, or excavate in a swath of land — sometimes 50 feet wide or more.
Check for deed restrictions
Some rural properties — especially those that were recently subdivided out of a larger tract — carry deed restrictions that limit what you can do: no hunting, no mobile homes, minimum improvement values, restrictions on subdivision. These run with the land and bind every future owner. Find them in Schedule B of your title commitment. If a restriction conflicts with your intended use, address it before you close.
Research flood plain and drainage
Check FEMA flood maps (msc.fema.gov) for the property. Flood zone designation affects your ability to build, your insurance requirements, and sometimes your financing. Beyond the FEMA map, visit the property after a rain and look at drainage patterns. Low-lying areas that drain poorly can affect grazing, road access, and future improvements. In South Texas, caliche roads can wash out quickly in heavy rain.
Verify water rights
In Texas, groundwater and surface water are governed by different rules. Groundwater generally belongs to the surface owner under the Rule of Capture — but Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCDs) regulate wells in most Texas counties. Surface water in streams and rivers belongs to the state. Stock tanks you build on your property are yours. Ask whether there are any existing water leases, GCD permits, or restrictions on well drilling on the property.
Understand what personal property conveys
In rural land deals, what's included in the sale is often less clear than in residential transactions. Ask explicitly about: livestock and wildlife feeders, hunting blinds, water storage tanks, trailers and equipment, irrigation equipment, hay in barns, and any leases (hunting leases, grazing leases, oil and gas leases) currently in place. Get it all in writing in the contract. 'The seller is keeping the feeders' needs to be a written exception, not a verbal understanding.
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