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About to buy 60+ acres in Palo Pinto County, and was hoping for some advice…

5,127 Views | 29 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by RikkiTikkaTagem
RikkiTikkaTagem
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4:57p, 1/26/22
AG
So I'm about to buy some land and probably could use the outdoors board advice. For reference sakes, this is the largest piece of land my family generationally will have ever owned as far as I and my parents can recollect so yes it is huge both literally and metaphorically for me. I realize that for some of you this is just a speck of dirt and it's no big deal but that sort of familiarity is what makes some of you experts and would appreciate commentary.

It's got about 10-15 acres of flat pasture for coastal hay and the other 50 acres is raw land with trees, rolling hills and a nice size pond that stays filled year round. It's fenced around the coastal pasture and fenced around the other part.

It has an ag exemption. Obviously plan on keeping that.
I have the contact for guy who is currently cutting hay for the pasture and will see what the current deal is.
I would like for now to keep it as is for a long time and just be a place I can go out in the country and enjoy (I live in DFW now, not Lubbock before the questions roll in) align with my family.

Someday I will probably put a cabin on it but that's a while from now. There's a coop water line at the road that borders the property and electricity as well that I could tap into but not a tap/meter for either at the property.

I like to hunt, fish and just be out in nature so this property fits those wants but I wouldn't say I'm very good at those things as did not grow up doing them a lot but am trying to learn more now. I would like to attract turkey, deer and dove to the property.

There's a 130+ acre tract that is adjacent to the property that was bought for similar reasons as me so am going to try and meet my neighbors and introduce myself and be cordial. M

I am very naive to owning land this size, so any advice or thought provoking questions would be appreciated.




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ABATTBQ87
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5:03p, 1/26/22
AG
How close to Mineral Wells?

Our family property in North of Mineral Wells and we also have a large hay field stock tanks and woods

Shoot me an email heycoachjeff at Gmail dot com
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SWCBonfire
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5:09p, 1/26/22
AG
Depending on availability on that rural water line, you might want to get a water meter installed ASAP. If you wait until you need it, they may not have the capacity.

Improved Bermudagrass requires input to maintain - fertilization requirements are much higher than clump grasses (especially nitrogen) , and proper grazing/haying can help with weed control, but herbicide is commonly needed to control weeds. Either figure in these costs or respect the finnacial effort the hay guy goes to to maintain your stand and produce quality hay.

Enjoy your property.
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B-1 83
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In reply to RikkiTikkaTagem • 5:22p, 1/26/22
AG
AgStuckinLBK said:
So I'm about to buy some land and probably could use the outdoors board advice. For reference sakes, this is the largest piece of land my family generationally will have ever owned as far as I and my parents can recollect so yes it is huge both literally and metaphorically for me. I realize that for some of you this is just a speck of dirt and it's no big deal but that sort of familiarity is what makes some of you experts and would appreciate commentary.

It's got about 10-15 acres of flat pasture for coastal hay and the other 50 acres is raw land with trees, rolling hills and a nice size pond that stays filled year round. It's fenced around the coastal pasture and fenced around the other part.

It has an ag exemption. Obviously plan on keeping that.
I have the contact for guy who is currently cutting hay for the pasture and will see what the current deal is.
I would like for now to keep it as is for a long time and just be a place I can go out in the country and enjoy (I live in DFW now, not Lubbock before the questions roll in) align with my family.

Someday I will probably put a cabin on it but that's a while from now. There's a coop water line at the road that borders the property and electricity as well that I could tap into but not a tap/meter for either at the property.

I like to hunt, fish and just be out in nature so this property fits those wants but I wouldn't say I'm very good at those things as did not grow up doing them a lot but am trying to learn more now. I would like to attract turkey, deer and dove to the property.

There's a 130+ acre tract that is adjacent to the property that was bought for similar reasons as me so am going to try and meet my neighbors and introduce myself and be cordial. M

I am very naive to owning land this size, so any advice or thought provoking questions would be appreciated.




There are people on this site who specialize in writing just the sort of step be step plan you are talking about, with maps, soils info, grazing plans, brush management guidelines……….

Or you could go to the local USDA NRCS office and ask for their free services.


You get what you pay for.
Being in TexAgs jail changes a man……..no, not really
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FIDO 96
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5:30p, 1/26/22
AG
I will only add, congratulations! You are doing what many of us have dreamt about for many years.
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Muzzleblast
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5:47p, 1/26/22
My 2 cents.
Convert from conventional agricultural exemption and go 1-D-1 wildlife.
It's easy and for what you are doing it fits right in.
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dr_boogs
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In reply to RikkiTikkaTagem • 5:49p, 1/26/22
AG
Happy for you OP!
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riffraff
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5:55p, 1/26/22
AG
Congrats on the land! I second the comment about extending utilities, specifically a water meter, if available. As you fall in love with the property, you'll eventually want to stay the night/weekend and you'll be longing for water and electricity for a cabin or RV site.

Before any of that...the first thing I would do is seek out a farm and ranch liability policy, You'll want some layer of protection around yourself and your family if something happens to a guest while on site.

Borrow from a cooperative. The coop dividends and hay income/lease income can be the start of an ag enterprise which comes with the benefit of depreciating assets and deducting interest on a Sch. F.

Enjoy exploring and learning about the property! The honeymoon period can last for years and years if you buy a great piece of land!
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Gunny456
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In reply to RikkiTikkaTagem • 6:46p, 1/26/22
AG
Really happy for you getting your own piece of heaven and Texas. I would give yourself about a year to learn the place ( and neighbors). Get to know your local law enforcement folks and your local TPWD warden and biologist. They can help you a lot.
You have gotten some really good advice on getting and securing a water source. I woul really suggest checking on putting in your own well besides your public water line.
Water is gold and life. Without it you can't survive. Water is going to become regulated in some future.
I would drill the well and cap it even if you don't need it. Lots of places are permitting wells now.... and lots of talk in water districts of limiting new wells in the future.
Secure it now. The well will be worth it ten fold in resale of the property.
The NRCS folks are pretty good but depends on the agent like anything else.
Secure your electric rights also. Co-ops can go dumb crazy in cost sometimes to do meter loops and adding poles etc ...so check on it now So you will know. If it is cheap as heck get it secured ..., hooked up. Could save you lots of headaches in the future.
Also check on any easements or ROW's.
If it was not required suggest getting a fresh survey if have not already.
Don't worry right now on your game management plans...,, give it a year to see what you got and how the land lays.
Above all enjoy it. Enjoy working on it but take time for fun and taking it in. God shares the land with us... he expects us to be good stewards and leave it better than when you got it.
Congrats again sir!
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W TX Refugee
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8:11p, 1/26/22
AG
Congrats on the new place. We bought a place outside of Graford about three years ago with similar intentions to yours. We love it and there is always something to do. Let me know if you are close.
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AggieStan
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8:38p, 1/26/22
Don't call it a ranch…


Congrats!!! 20 years This fall, I purchased my place
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GarryowenAg
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8:47p, 1/26/22
AG
OP question: did you use a realtor, or just hunt online? I live in FW and have been wanting to pull the trigger similar to your situation.
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RikkiTikkaTagem
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In reply to GarryowenAg • 8:58p, 1/26/22
AG
GarryowenAg said:
OP question: did you use a realtor, or just hunt online? I live in FW and have been wanting to pull the trigger similar to your situation.


My FIL is my real estate agent so I hunted online a ton. He's deferring his fee into my closing costs so I'll have my closing fees covered and a little down payment for free essentially. If it wasn't such a good deal to use him, I would have called a local brokerage agent in the area who had Ben established for a long time, told them what I wanted and let them do the leg work for me.
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RikkiTikkaTagem
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In reply to AggieStan • 8:58p, 1/26/22
AG
AggieStan said:
Don't call it a ranch…


Congrats!!! 20 years This fall, I purchased my place


It's my Ranchito
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RikkiTikkaTagem
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In reply to W TX Refugee • 9:00p, 1/26/22
AG
PM sent
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RikkiTikkaTagem
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In reply to B-1 83 • 9:01p, 1/26/22
AG
Who in this site does this? Would love to talk and see what they have to offer
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Animal Eight 84
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11:21p, 1/26/22
AG
1. Fully understand any access agreements. Such as pipeline ROW, electric coop powerline access, county drainage district easements, neighbor access to isolated properties, etc.
2. Try to find any historical burial pits that may have Ag chemicals, batteries, etc. to deal with or monitor.
3. Have a plan for long term maintenance of brush, ditches, fences, etc. so it doesn't all collapse at once in ten years.
4. Don't become a slave to the property financially or time wise trying to make it look groomed. It is not a lot in a subdivision.
5. Don't forget that you bought the property to enjoy it.

Have fun!
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Wrighty
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In reply to RikkiTikkaTagem • 4:52a, 1/27/22
AG
AgStuckinLBK said:
So I'm about to buy some land and probably could use the outdoors board advice. For reference sakes, this is the largest piece of land my family generationally will have ever owned as far as I and my parents can recollect so yes it is huge both literally and metaphorically for me. I realize that for some of you this is just a speck of dirt and it's no big deal but that sort of familiarity is what makes some of you experts and would appreciate commentary.

It's got about 10-15 acres of flat pasture for coastal hay and the other 50 acres is raw land with trees, rolling hills and a nice size pond that stays filled year round. It's fenced around the coastal pasture and fenced around the other part.

It has an ag exemption. Obviously plan on keeping that.
I have the contact for guy who is currently cutting hay for the pasture and will see what the current deal is.
I would like for now to keep it as is for a long time and just be a place I can go out in the country and enjoy (I live in DFW now, not Lubbock before the questions roll in) align with my family.

Someday I will probably put a cabin on it but that's a while from now. There's a coop water line at the road that borders the property and electricity as well that I could tap into but not a tap/meter for either at the property.

I like to hunt, fish and just be out in nature so this property fits those wants but I wouldn't say I'm very good at those things as did not grow up doing them a lot but am trying to learn more now. I would like to attract turkey, deer and dove to the property.

There's a 130+ acre tract that is adjacent to the property that was bought for similar reasons as me so am going to try and meet my neighbors and introduce myself and be cordial. M

I am very naive to owning land this size, so any advice or thought provoking questions would be appreciated.






Advice: Buy it. Enjoy it. Post pictures here so we can enjoy it too.
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hellapark
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6:04a, 1/27/22
AG
Get it surveyed if it hasn't been recently. You could be back soon posting about being ready to tear down your neighbors fence.
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B-1 83
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In reply to RikkiTikkaTagem • 6:28a, 1/27/22
AG
AgStuckinLBK said:
Who in this site does this? Would love to talk and see what they have to offer
Me and Rangelady
Being in TexAgs jail changes a man……..no, not really
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Apache
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7:25a, 1/27/22
AG
Quote:
Don't become a slave to the property financially or time wise trying to make it look groomed.

I occasionally work with homebuyers in Travis County who build on acreage.
A few years ago a couple bought about 30 acres west of Dripping Springs. They paid me to give them some recommendations on clearing cedar, getting native grass & wildflowers going, names of trees/plants etc.

Went back out last fall for another visit.
Instead of leaving pockets of cedar & brush and seeding natives, they cleared the whole thing of every single cedar, yaupon, persimmon, sumac, etc. All the Live Oaks were trimmed up & the whole thing was flush with bermuda.
He asked me what he could do to attract wildlife now that he had the place cleaned up. I wanted to smack the dude.




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96ags
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In reply to Muzzleblast • 7:50a, 1/27/22
AG
Muzzleblast said:
My 2 cents.
Convert from conventional agricultural exemption and go 1-D-1 wildlife.
It's easy and for what you are doing it fits right in.
1. OP, congrats on the purchase. That is an impressive accomplishment.

2. I'll provide a counterpoint to Muzzle's post above. Keep the Ag exemption and keep the relationship with the guy/gal that is cutting the hay because there is a value to having a connection with someone local. In addition to having someone putting eyes on the place regularly, there is potentially knowledge of local contractors, law enforcement, etc. that might be valuable to you.
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CrossTimbersW
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In reply to RikkiTikkaTagem • 4:42p, 1/27/22
AG
I would also be happy to help you with any of the previously mentioned tasks. My email is in my profile or you can go to my website at CrossTimbersW.com to see what we offer and for contact info.

Congratulations on your new purchase!
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warrington74
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9:51p, 1/27/22
AG
Keep an exempt
Speak with nrcs. They can help you with a cross fence. Two cross fences will make that property go a lot further with cattle if you can get water to the parcels

Get a meter at least put in for water and electric Some times those electric coops are cheap to get 324 posts off the road for you own meter in on your land where you would want it. Just ask

Good fences make good neighbors

Nrcs can help you with another acre pond in a low area if you have one. They will split the costs if the pond and the fencing.
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up-n-aTm
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In reply to riffraff • 1:47p, 1/28/22
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riffraff said:
Before any of that...the first thing I would do is seek out a farm and ranch liability policy, You'll want some layer of protection around yourself and your family if something happens to a guest while on site.
Easiest way to handle liability for that property is to schedule it as an additional premise on your homeowners policy. Cost is like $20 annually and you get the same liability limit as your home.
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RikkiTikkaTagem
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2:16p, 4/9/22
AG
So we closed a couple of weeks ago and finally for the chance to go out last night and enjoy the land. I took the family out there and we stayed until the stars came out. It was a great experience but also a sobering experience as I feel like I've done a disservice to my kids by the lack of time I have had them spend outside the city. I'm so grateful though we got a place to go and get away from it all.

I am going to go with an ag exemption despite wanting to go the wildlife exemption route. I spoke to the gentleman who was leasing the property for cattle and baling hay for the previous owner. He offered me a good rate to run cattle 3-4 months of the year on it, bale hay and said he'll keep an eye on the place. He lives about half a mile from there and his family has been in the area for 160+ years. His family has the road leading to area named after them. The whole area 3,000 or acres used to be theirs but has slowly been sold off over the years. He's appreciative that I don't want to develop it and that I just want to keep it as is. I figured it wasn't in my best interest to start my relationship off on the wrong foot with this family so felt that keeping the lease in place was the best option. He also understandably has an attachment to the land and I know he'll take care of it. He said his grandson likes to fish on the pond we have on my slice and of course I told him he was always welcome to come fish.

We ate at the maverick gas station off exit 386 on I-20 which has great hamburgers for those traveling near there.

I used capital farm credit in Abilene for financing and they were awesome. Jason Gipson was my loan officer and he was so easy to work with. I have bought 4 houses and this land over the past ten years, and this transaction with the land through cFC was the smoothest and most stress free one by far. I highly recommend them. Also, the appraisal came in way over my purchase price so they even offered to change my down payment if I wanted which was nice.

Just want to say thanks to this board for all the good advice and encouragement.

Also, my home insurance didn't cover this so got coverage though Texas Farm Bureau for like $120/year
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Jason C.
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1:20p, 4/10/22
AG
Awesome! Hope y'all get to enjoy it more and more over the years.
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AW 1880
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3:58p, 4/10/22
AG
Congratulations! Any chance there's anything else for sale near you?
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Yesterday
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4:38p, 4/10/22
AG
Love it when a plan comes together. Recently bought some land in Callahan county and the grazing lease rancher was also very happy we weren't subdividing it. Got to be hard raising cattle these days.
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RikkiTikkaTagem
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In reply to AW 1880 • 4:54p, 4/10/22
AG
AW 1880 said:
Congratulations! Any chance there's anything else for sale near you?


https://www.landwatch.com/texas-land-for-sale/lipan/acres-over-10/available

https://www.landwatch.com/texas-land-for-sale/palo-pinto-county/acres-over-40/available

https://www.landwatch.com/texas-land-for-sale/erath-county/acres-over-40/available

https://www.landwatch.com/texas-land-for-sale/hood-county/acres-over-40/available

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