Frequently Asked Questions About Selling Land in Texas | PREAM Lands

Great! Here are answers to common questions.

Maybe you have a few questions. Most people do. So here’s a quick collection of some of the questions people ask us… along with our answers. If you still have a question, don’t hesitate to contact us.

How do you determine what my East or North Texas land is worth?

Land value in East and North Texas is driven by several factors unique to this region — timber coverage and harvestable wood value, water features like ponds, creeks, and river frontage, road access and proximity to FM roads or highways, hunting potential and wildlife habitat, proximity to growing cities like Tyler, Longview, Sherman, or McKinney, and whether mineral rights are included. We analyze all of these factors alongside recent comparable sales specific to East and North Texas counties to arrive at a fair, transparent offer with no hidden deductions. Learn more about what drives land value in our blog: What Factors Determine Land Value in East Texas

How long will it take to sell my rural land if I list it traditionally?

In East and North Texas, rural land listed traditionally takes anywhere from 6 to 18 months to sell, and often longer for remote or heavily wooded acreage. Buyer financing for raw land is harder to obtain than for homes, which shrinks your buyer pool considerably. Selling directly to Pream Lands means a cash close in as little as 7 to 21 days with no waiting, no showings, and no uncertainty. Read more about why this happens: Why Vacant Land Takes So Long to Sell in Texas

Do I have to pay off my back property taxes before I can sell?

No. You do not need to pay off delinquent property taxes before selling your Texas land. They are paid directly from your sale proceeds at the closing table, so you never need to come out of pocket. If taxes have gone unpaid long enough that the county has filed a lien or begun foreclosure proceedings, selling quickly is the best way to protect whatever equity remains in the property. Find out exactly how this works: What Happens to Unpaid Property Taxes When You Sell Land in Texas

I inherited land from a family member. Can I sell it even if it was never probated?

Yes. Inherited land in Texas can be sold even if the estate was never formally probated. In many cases an affidavit of heirship — signed by two disinterested witnesses who knew the deceased — can establish ownership clearly enough for a title company to insure the transaction. We work through inherited and multi-generational land situations regularly and can help guide you through the process. Get the full breakdown: How to Sell Inherited Land in Texas Without a Will

What if my land is landlocked and has no road access?

Landlocked land in Texas is more common than most people realize, particularly in East Texas where older tracts were subdivided generations ago without recording proper easements. While landlocked land is harder to sell traditionally, Pream Lands purchases landlocked property. We evaluate access options and price accordingly, giving you a real exit without waiting years for a neighbor to negotiate or a court to act. Understand your options: Selling Landlocked Property in Texas — What Are Your Options

Do mineral rights affect what my land is worth?

Yes. Mineral rights in East and North Texas can significantly affect your land’s value, particularly where oil, gas, and lignite coal activity is present. If your deed conveys both surface and mineral rights, that increases the property’s appeal and value. If mineral rights were severed by a previous owner, you are selling surface rights only. Always check your deed carefully before listing or accepting any offer. Know before you sell: Surface Rights vs Mineral Rights — What Texas Land Sellers Need to Know

Are there any fees or commissions when I sell to Pream Lands?

Texas landowners who sell directly to Pream Lands pay zero commissions, zero closing costs, and receive the full offered amount at closing. There are no agent fees, no last-minute deductions, and no surprises. This is one of the clearest differences between selling directly to us versus listing with a real estate agent, where seller-side commissions alone typically run 5 to 6 percent of the sale price.

Do I need a recent survey before you can make me an offer?

No. You do not need a survey to receive a cash offer from Pream Lands on your Texas land. We can work from existing plats, county records, and deed descriptions to get started. If a new survey is ultimately required for closing — which title companies often require — we can help coordinate that process without it falling on you to manage or pay for upfront. Learn what is typically required: Do You Need a Survey to Sell Vacant Land in Texas

Will I owe capital gains tax when I sell my land?

Possibly. Selling vacant land in Texas may trigger federal capital gains tax on the profit above your original purchase price. If you owned the land for more than one year, the long-term capital gains rate applies, which is generally lower than ordinary income tax rates. Texas has no state income tax, which works in your favor. Every seller’s situation is different, so we strongly recommend speaking with a tax professional before closing to understand your liability and any available strategies. Get a plain-language overview: Capital Gains Tax on Land Sales in Texas — What Sellers Should Know

What if I am not sure I am ready to sell — can I still get an offer?

Absolutely. You do not need to be ready to sell to request a cash offer from Pream Lands. Texas landowners contact us regularly just to understand what their property is worth before committing to anything. We provide a detailed, transparent offer so you have real information — not an estimate — to weigh against your options. There is no pressure, no deadline, and no cost to find out what your land is worth today.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. Real estate laws, tax regulations, and market conditions vary and are subject to change. Sellers are strongly encouraged to consult a licensed Texas real estate attorney, certified public accountant, or qualified financial advisor before making decisions regarding the sale of their property. Pream Lands is a private real estate investment company. All offers are subject to due diligence, title review, and final approval.

Do you pay fair prices for land?

We pay a fair cash price, not a retail price, and we’re straight about the difference. Our offer reflects what the land is worth minus the costs, carrying time and risk we take on. In exchange you get a written offer in 48 hours, a close in 7 to 21 days, no commissions and no closing costs.

If you listed the same tract on the open market and waited six to eighteen months for the right buyer, you would likely see a higher gross number — and then pay 5 to 6 percent in commissions, plus closing costs, plus however many months of property taxes you carried while it sat.

Here’s the part most land buyers can’t offer: I’m a licensed Texas Realtor (TREC #0690483) with MLS access. If I run the comparable sales and listing would clearly net you more than my offer, I’ll tell you that, and I’ll show you the numbers. I’d rather lose the deal than have you wonder.

What makes you different from listing with a realtor?

I am one. The difference is that I’m the buyer, not your agent. When you list, you wait for a buyer, you pay 5 to 6 percent commission, and the sale can still fall apart over financing or a survey. When you sell to me, the offer is cash, there’s no commission and no closing costs, and we close in 7 to 21 days.

Because I hold a license and have MLS access, I can do something a typical cash land buyer can’t: pull the actual sold comparables for your area and tell you honestly which route puts more money in your pocket. Sometimes that’s listing it. When it is, I’ll say so.

What you’re really choosing between is the highest possible price after a long wait and real costs, or a certain price on a date you pick.

I got a letter offering to buy my land. Is it a real offer or a lowball?

It’s a real invitation to get a written offer, and you’re under no obligation. But you’re right to be skeptical of the category, because plenty of companies mail every parcel in a county with a formula price, sight unseen, hoping a small percentage of owners say yes.

We work differently. We start from expired and cancelled land listings and appraisal district records, we look at the specific parcel — access, soil, floodplain, utilities, road frontage — and we put a number on that parcel. We also don’t mail owners whose land is currently listed with another agent.

If you want to test whether a number is fair, ask for the comparable sales behind it. We’ll send them. Any buyer who won’t show you their math is telling you something.

Can anyone buy or transfer my land without my signature?

No. In Texas, ownership transfers only by a deed that you sign in front of a notary. A letter, a phone call, or a verbal yes transfers nothing. Nothing happens to your land until you sign at closing.

Deed fraud does exist — forged deeds do occasionally get recorded, which is why the concern is reasonable rather than paranoid. That’s exactly why a legitimate sale runs through a licensed Texas title company: the title company verifies identity, searches title, and issues a title policy. We never take a deed directly from a seller outside of a title closing.

If you believe a fraudulent deed has already been recorded against your property, that’s a matter for a real estate attorney and your county clerk, not for a buyer.

Will I owe rollback taxes if I sell my ag-exempt land?

Usually not, if the land stayed in agricultural use right up to the sale. Most Texas landowners hold a 1-d-1 open-space valuation, and under that classification the rollback is triggered by a change of use, not by the sale itself. If a buyer later converts the land to a subdivision, the rollback generally falls on whoever owns it when the use changes.

When rollback is triggered, Texas recaptures three years of the tax savings plus interest. That’s a meaningful improvement over the old rule — it was five years before the law changed in 2019.

Two things worth checking before you sell. First, confirm with your county appraisal district which valuation you actually hold: the older and much rarer 1-d agricultural-use appraisal can be triggered by the sale itself. Second, if you stopped the qualifying activity — sold the cattle, quit cutting hay — the change of use may already have occurred, independent of any sale.

We’re land buyers, not tax advisors. Confirm your specific situation with the appraisal district and your CPA.

Can I sell my Texas land if I live out of state?

Yes, and you never need to travel. This is a large share of what we do — a lot of the land we buy belongs to owners who inherited it and have never stood on it.

The title company handles closing remotely. Documents come to you by mail or email, you sign in front of a notary near you, and the signed deed goes back to the title company. Many Texas title companies also offer remote online notarization, which Texas has permitted for years, so in many cases you can sign by video without leaving your house.

Funds are wired to your account. You don’t need a Texas address, a Texas bank, or a trip to Texas.

Can I sell just part of my land?

Often, yes. We buy tracts from about half an acre to 50 acres, and we’ll look at buying a portion and leaving you the rest — keeping your homesite, keeping the road frontage, keeping the part with the pond.

A partial sale needs a new survey to create the legal description for the piece being sold. We cover that cost.

Two things to check before committing to a split. Your county may have subdivision or platting rules that govern how a tract can be divided, especially inside a city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. And splitting can affect the agricultural valuation on the piece you keep — see the question below, because that one catches people.

What if there’s a lien or judgment against the property?

That’s common and usually solvable. The title company runs a title search, and most encumbrances — delinquent property taxes, a mortgage, a contractor’s or mechanic’s lien, an old judgment, an unreleased lien from a loan paid off years ago — get paid off from the sale proceeds at closing. You don’t write a check.

The only real question is whether the total owed exceeds what the land is worth. If you think it might, tell us up front. We’ll still look at it, and sometimes there’s a path.

Old liens that were actually satisfied but never released are a frequent surprise on inherited land. The title company can usually clear those.

What if the other heirs don’t agree to sell?

Every owner has to sign, so a holdout does stop a sale of the whole tract. If you and your siblings each inherited an undivided interest, all of you sign the deed, or the sale doesn’t close.

There are usually paths forward. The heirs who want out can be bought out by the ones who want to keep it. A partition action through the court can force a division or sale, though it’s slow and expensive and tends to damage relationships. In some situations we can look at buying only your undivided interest, which lets you get out without waiting on everyone else.

Tell us the actual situation — how many heirs, who’s cooperating, whether it went through probate — and we’ll be straight with you about whether we can help. Where it’s a legal question, a real estate attorney needs to answer it.

How and when do I actually get paid?

At closing, through a licensed Texas title company. Never directly from us, never before the deed is signed, never in a form you can’t verify.

You choose wire transfer or a check drawn on the title company’s escrow account. Wires typically land the same day or the next business day after closing. Before you sign anything you’ll receive a settlement statement showing every line: the purchase price, any taxes or liens being paid off, and the exact amount coming to you.

If a land buyer ever proposes paying you outside of a title closing, or asks you to sign a deed before funds are in escrow, stop.

What happens to my ag exemption if I sell only part of my tract?

The acreage you keep has to qualify on its own, and that’s what catches sellers. Texas counties set their own minimum acreage and degree-of-intensity standards for 1-d-1 open-space valuation, and those standards vary by county and by agricultural use — grazing, hay production and beekeeping all have different thresholds.

If your remainder falls below your county’s minimum, you can lose the agricultural valuation on land you never sold. The long-term property tax increase on that retained acreage can easily outweigh what the sale of the smaller piece brought in.

Call your county appraisal district before you commit to a split and ask what the remainder would need to keep qualifying. If the numbers don’t work, tell us — sometimes redrawing where the line falls solves it.

Do I have to disclose a pipeline crossing my land when I sell it in Texas?

Yes, and this one surprises people. The familiar Texas seller’s disclosure notice applies to residential dwellings, not unimproved land, so most land sellers correctly conclude they don’t owe that form — and then assume they owe nothing at all.

Texas Property Code Section 5.013 separately requires a seller to give notice of a transportation pipeline crossing the property: natural gas, natural gas liquids, synthetic gas, liquefied petroleum gas, petroleum or petroleum products, or hazardous substances. There’s an exception where the seller is obligated to furnish a title insurance commitment and the buyer can terminate if title objections aren’t cured.

Beyond what’s legally required, it’s worth voluntarily disclosing easements, encroachments, access limitations and known water or septic issues. On a cash sale to us it won’t cost you the deal, and it prevents disputes later.

My property tax bills go to an old address and I never get them. Can I still sell?

Yes. A wrong mailing address on the appraisal roll has no effect on your ownership — you still own the land and you can still sell it.

What it does affect is what you know. Owners in this situation are often unaware that taxes have gone delinquent and penalties and interest have been accruing for years. We pull the current tax status from the county as part of preparing your offer, so you’ll see the real number before you decide anything. Any balance owed is paid from the proceeds at closing, not out of your pocket.

This is especially common with inherited land and with owners who moved out of state. Either way, update your address with the appraisal district, whether or not you sell.

Does my hunting or grazing lease have to end before I can sell?

No. Land can be sold subject to an existing lease. Just send us a copy so we know what we’re buying.

A one-year hunting lease usually runs its course or gets assigned to the new owner, and it rarely changes our offer. A longer grazing or agricultural lease can carry over with the land and may matter more, particularly if it’s tied to maintaining your agricultural valuation.

The thing that actually causes problems is an undisclosed lease discovered during closing. A lessee in possession can hold up a sale. Tell us early and it’s a non-issue.

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