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.

First off, Doss is 19 miles northwest of Fredericksburg–very isolated from any city. It was founded in 1849 on an old gristmill and distillery on a beautiful creek by German immigrants. In 1960s, the population of Doss was estimated to be 22, but today it’s just a little bit bigger. Today, the “town” still only consists of a small post office, a general store, fire station, and a church.

My destination was just a few miles ahead. I was looking for 30 acres for sale according to a real estate catalog I found that deals in rural land tracts. The price was still out of my budget, but what caught my eye was how lower priced it was compared to the going rate that you usually find in this region of Texas. I decided to drive to Doss because I had never been there before, and interestingly, not one person I talked to has ever been to Doss, much less heard about the place! I came in through Harper which I loved and wrote about it in a previous post, but Doss is something else. As I passed Harper, the area got much hillier and it seemed every mile had a creek that you had to drive INTO (because of the rains, I assume) . All kinds of creeks were overflowing and I caught a few white horses crossing the them, as well. I was also greeted by goats and loose livestock on the roads. Wow, no fences?

This was truly like how it was back in the old days. The days when animals were still wild and allowed to roam free.

Horses early morning drink

Well, it was sort of like that. there were still all kinds of fences separating tracts of land. Nonetheless, I finally got to the area that I was looking for and had to make the long drive up a hill on a gravel road. I put the truck in low gear–better traction this way. Once I got to the top, I passed a few small dogs snapping at my truck and saw a shack in the back, I guess they are not used to seeing vehicles pass this way. Once I passed the only neighbor in site, I got took a right at the fork of a road and eventually came to the top of a hill that overlooks the Texas hill country. Breathtaking….but a major problem: The land for sale was rugged–very rugged. Apparently the property was used for hunting as there were still hunting stands (not the word I’m looking for!) around the area. It was very secluded and isolated. I like isolation and being with nature, but this was too much! Pretty area, but way too much work will have to done to make it liveable and worth the 1 hour trip it took to get there.

I headed back home that afternoon and realized that this was a common theme in real estate ads — when a property is described as “good hunting area”, it means that the area is very rugged and isolated.

“Why is it so hard to find small acreage for sale?”

I think it depends on what you are looking for. Obviously, in the metro areas, you’ll find small lots (smaller than an acre) for sale, or maybe a couple of acres. However, when looking for country land, your objective probably is to get more than one acre, if possible. So, this reminded me of a little story (from the book, Country Property, Dirt Cheap) I read recently about a guy who asked that very same question. I took some liberty and added some authentic Texas flavor to it:

Snobbish City Man (SCM): Hey dude, why IS it so hard to find small acreage for sale in the country?

Texas Rancher (TR): Howdy, well, there are a number of good reasons why any good Rancher worth his salt don’t wanna break off a small part of his holdings.

SCM: Like what?

TR: For one, many people who live in the country don’t want neighbors, they like being away from others, especially city folks.

SCM: Actually, that’s one of the reasons why I am looking for land. I like being out where no one is. I’m tired of the city life.

TR: There’s another thing. State law limits how many times I can break a parcel into small pieces before I have to contend with local sheriff and the subdivision laws.

SCM: I never thought of that.

TR: Then there are the expenses.

SCM: But you’d incur some expenses in any sale, regardless of the size of the land.

TR: True, but with a small parcel, there’s not enough profit. If I sell a large parcel to you for $120,000, I’d make some money. But if I sell a small parcel for $5,000, it’s not worth the time and the trouble. That’s not all…

SCM: Oh Gawd, What else?

TR: Son, many of the ranches around here have been owned by the same generations. Over the years, a man gets mighty attached to the land. His pop and his daddy–all probably fought and died for it. Just down yonder, in Harper, a mother lost half her children to the Kiowa Indians in 1886. Can you imagine that? You’d think she’d curse the land. Probably want to leave the godforsaken place. But, she sweated and bled so many years trying to make a living off it that she was not going to quit. It becomes almost like a part of the family, your right hand. For instance, take my ranch. In 1892, that’s over a hundred of years ago, my grandpappy built the farmhouse we live in, and he cleared with his own hands the land that we still till. My dad was born in this farmhouse, and I wouldn’t sell off a square foot of this land.

TR: Beautiful country.

TR: A man can still get lost out here, forget there’s people and things that ain’t so simple as this.

TR: I’d die for it. In this day and age, how many people would say that about their home?

SCM: Well, I just wanted to buy a small piece of…

TR: Son, buy a big ranch from someone who is retiring, a ranch with some valuable tillable ground, as well as some rough land or timber. Then sell off the cropland, but keep the timber for yourself. Or, rent out the cropland for a few years before you sell it.

SCM: But I don’t have enough money to buy a big piece of land.

TR: Well, then find someone who has recently bought a large ranch…160 acres or more, maybe. The new owner won’t have any special feelings towards the land, and if he’s already farming or ranching the other land, maybe he wont’ need the buildings. He might be willing to sell off the barns, along with a few acres.

As you can see, it’s an interesting idea. What if you found someone who also wanted to buy a small parcel? Get a group of like minded individuals together and then you can all purchase a big ranch and then split it up. By combining your resources, you could take advantage of the fact that large parcels are easier to find than smaller parcels.

But, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Keep watching this blog and I’ll tell you why it’s actually more difficult in the long run…and a bad idea based on my own experiences running a small business.