We are 2-3 years out from moving back to Texas. We are looking for at least 50 acres (ideally 100+) about 45 minutes or so from College Station. Our budget is somewhere around $2M, maybe a bit more if the perfect setup.

Non-negotiables are we want at least a 5 acre lake for bass fishing/duck hunting and a mix of woods and grasslands. Not against building our own lake but would need to have a nice creek and topography to know for certain it could be done. Ideally it would already have a house in place, but willing to build our own but still stay close to our $2M budget total.

We know this is a rare set of criteria but this will hopefully be the place we spend many decades and hope to die on. We have time, so we plan to be really picky for the right place for now. I have been casually looking for a couple months but nothing much I'm seeing listed fits our criteria, but a couple come close.

I am wondering if a better strategy might be to use aerial tools like Google maps or OnX to identify prospective properties and contact land owners.

I understand this could be a lot of work and might not amount to anything. Would real estate agents be appropriate to assist with researching and contacting land owners on unlisted properties on our behalf or is that not typically done?

I've also familiar with the concept of pocket listings, which I guess somewhat fits this criteria, but what I'm proposing is more proactive searching.

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Also, if anyone have a crystal ball on if we would be better off buying now or waiting 2-3 years please let me know, lol! Crazy how much land has gone up in the last couple of years around College Station.

So sorry wrong thread!!

Thanks for trying, but that's an hour and 20 minutes away and has no 5 acre lake. Not all that close to what we are looking for.

I pulled listings and sales for the past few months in that general area (under $3M)



Here's the same data with no cap on price

Thanks. I don't know that you can filter for surface water size but that's really one of the main criteria.

I appear in the right price range, just needing to find the right property type, which may require some active searching or reaching out to existing landowners.

With something that specific, you're going to be better off contacting some of the more active agents in that specialty and asking them to be on the lookout.

Thank you.

Do you think it would be better to sign with a real estate agent to assist with the search or would I be better off contacting multiple agencies and just give them my contact info for if something comes across their desk?

45 minutes in any direction is a pretty broad search area and wouldn't want to get locked in unnecessarily. Especially if they aren't helping with active searching of unlisted properties.

I would probably reach out to several to see what kind of response you get.

Backcountry Birds said:

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Thank you.

Do you think it would be better to sign with a real estate agent to assist with the search or would I be better off contacting multiple agencies and just give them my contact info for if something comes across their desk?

45 minutes in any direction is a pretty broad search area and wouldn't want to get locked in unnecessarily. Especially if they aren't helping with active searching of unlisted properties.

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You'll also need to be careful as we are all now required to have Buyer Representation Agreements in place BEFORE showing any properties.

The way these are worded and documented, it typically locks you into a relationship for a defined period of time.

Just something to be mindful of if they ask you sign any agreements or anything - be sure to read it carefully.

Lastly - I would plug Ryan Swope (former Aggie receiver). He's in the land/ranch business and is a great guy to work with.

https://www.swopeyoung.com/

OP wouldn't need a buyers rep agreement for the listing office to show them of their office listings (or if it's off market).

Diggity said:

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OP wouldn't need a buyers rep agreement for the listing office to show them of their office listings (or if it's off market).

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True - but we also both know that some agents wouldn't try to tote that line and lock in/up a prospective client as well. Especially in this market, agents are starting to get sharper elbows.

agreed.

You may have some agents that don't want to work with you without signing an exclusive agreement. I would just suggest the OP avoid committing to one group before they have a more specific idea of where they want to be/what their budget allows for.

Katie Compian is my favorite agent for this type of purchase. She's incredibly knowledgeable and thorough, not a salesperson who just wants to push you to closing.

I am also a BCS Realtor who absolutely could help but I'd recommend her.