Texas Land for Sale by Owner
Years before the American Revolution in 1776, the King of Spain probably offered the first Texas land for sale by owner, in the form of a Spanish Land Grant. These grants often covered large tracts of land, the largest being the 600,000-acre Agostadero de San Juan de Carricitos grant to José Narisco Cabazos.
Approximately 300 years have since passed and real estate is still being sold and transferred directly by owners. There are many advantages in buying properties directly from the owner as opposed to dealing through real estate brokers. Following are just a few of those advantages.
- The price can be cheaper because a real estate commission isn’t being paid.
- In many instances the seller might provide the financing, eliminating complications of dealing with a bank.
- The seller is less likely to demand long, drawn-out credit reports on the buyer.
- In order to facilitate a sale, the seller might be satisfied with a much smaller down payment and a longer, more beneficial amortization schedule.
Texas probably has more private land available for sale than any other state in the union. Even though Alaska is bigger, almost 70% of the land in the state is owned by the federal government, while a relative small percentage of Texas is owned by the federal government. This came about because Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867, initially giving the federal government 100% ownership of the land. However, the Republic of Texas, as an independent country, entered the union in 1845, and thus, none of the state was owned by the federal government.
When someone finds Texas land for sale by owner, it should be pursued and investigated diligently. Such opportunities can sometimes lead to spectacular future profit potential.