When we bought our country land a year ago, we had just a vague idea of where our land boundaries lay. There were some crude markers still standing at our property corners with bright pink tape tied around it, but most were knocked down by wind, deer, and tractor. As months went by, grass, weeds and dirt covered them—it’s amazing how fast Mother Nature swallows up what is left and forgotten. Continue reading
The iPhone compass app came in handy when searching for property boundaries
Armed with a plat map and an iPhone, I was able to find the corners of my property. As a matter of fact, I found the iPhone was more accurate than most consumer level GPS devices when it came to using perhaps the most basic of all navigational tools—the compass! Continue reading
low water crossing
Last weekend I spent a good amount of time surveying the land. The property is part of an old German ranch that was divided into tracts a few years ago. My tract abuts a river on one side and a small ranch on the other. The remaining boundaries of the tract open into wilderness. Continue reading
80mph texas speed limit on Interstate 10
Texas recently increased her speed limit on some rural roads to 80mph–the fastest speed limit in the nation (Montana and Nevada used to have no limit on certain roads, but it was recently reduced). For approximately thirteen years (1974–1987), no speed limit in the United States exceeded 55mph. According to Wikipedia, the 80mph limit puts it just 1 kilometer less than the recommended speed on the Autobahn. Continue reading
hills, oaks, and freshly cut grass
It may have taken 4 years, but I finally did it. I found my piece of country land in the Texas Hill Country that I can finally call my own. Not only did I accomplish the dream, but I also fulfilled a few other bucket list items along the way, which I’ll share through future posts on this site. Most importantly, I’m going to share the tricks and experiences I went through, including the lessons learned when searching for rural land.
Now, with the land purchased, a new set of experiences are about to emerge: What can I do with it? What are my plans? How do I read my survey/land plat? What kind of fence should I build? Do I want a small cabin or home? What can I grow out here? What about animals? Power…what about electricity? Rain water harvesting? As you can see…the adventure is just beginning…
One of my favorite websites for rural and population data for the state of Texas is the Texas A&M Real Estate Center. Recently, they released a graph showing an estimated “Texas Population Growth Forecast” from now until 2020. This is good data if you’re looking to answer two questions: 1.) What cities to avoid based on population and sprawl 2.) What cities to move to based on population and sprawl.
Texas Metro Area Population Forecast
The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M has put out a graphic showcasing Texas statewide rural land prices starting from 1966 to the end of 2008. Notice the large jump starting in 2000.
Statewide rural land prices (Texas A&M Real Estate Center)
We’ve heard that Texas land is still a bargain compared to the rest of the country. However, I recently listened to a talk given by Manfred Chemek, CEO of an international real estate investment firm, at the 2008 Realtors Land Institute that was held in San Antonio. Mr. Chemek stated that due to the weak American dollar, many foreign investors from Europe and the Middle East have begun to buy large tracts of raw land in Texas.
On the way to Doss, with goat on the backroads
Had a lead on some “cheap” land way out in the Northern region of the Texas Hill Country and I decided to make a run for it yesterday and check it out. The drive was much longer than I thought–nearly 2 hours from Northern San Antonio to my destination of Doss, Texas. The whole drive was beautiful, but nothing could prepare me for the beauty I would see once I got to Doss.
It has been a few months since I’ve updated this land search blog, but worry not, I’ve been busy. I have not given up on the dream. As a matter of fact, the desire for my own place in the country seems to increase on each day’s passing. Interestingly, I was recently contracted to do website work for a large real estate development company in town. I’ll keep the name close for now, but they deal in country land. What a refreshing surprise it was. I hope to learn more about the real estate business and how country property sellers think. More on this later.