A Comprehensive Picture
For horses, most equestrian owners prefer a sandy loam soil. Although there are horses in all regions of the Metroplex on every soil type, a sandy loam soil will make the time you spend outside riding or working with your horses much more enjoyable. If you want a sandy loam soil, a good rule of thumb in our area is to try to stay around the Hwy 377 corridor, which runs through Argyle, Aubrey, Pilot Point, Tioga, Collinsville, Whitesboro and Valley View, east of I-35.
You also need to understand that Texas is a mineral state and purchasing the property for residential use, or even grazing uses, does not necessarily mean the mineral rights will be conveyed to you also. Without the mineral rights, you unfortunately don’t control who can access the oil and gas beneath your land. Although it would be ideal to have 100% of the mineral rights transferred to you upon purchase of your new property, the likelihood of that occurring is very small. It’s just part of living in Texas. At this time, most of the mineral activity related to oil wells is centered around the Barnett Shale, located in western Denton (along and west of I-35) and Wise counties. Although there are some oil wells in our area, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of new exploration going on. This could change tomorrow, though, so do your homework if you have any concerns.
Most acreage properties are located in unincorporated areas, so there are very few zoning laws or ordinances governing them. To control what happens in a specific area, many property owners have added deed restrictions to control the land usage. These restrictions usually set the rules for everything from the housing size and type, number and kinds of animals that can be maintained as well as what you can use the property for.
If this is a concern, or if you are buying the property for a specific use, you’ll want to verify whether or not there are deed restrictions and what they are. Also, as the growth moves northward, most counties in our area have some control over what you can do with your property, so it makes sense before you start constructing a building, adding a driveway or building a pond, that you check with the county to insure you are acting within the law.
One other important thing you’ll want to find out is what type of tax exemptions are currently in place with the property. Agricultural and wildlife exemptions can significantly reduce your property tax liability, but there are restrictions associated with them. Once you find out which tax exemptions the property has, contact the county appraisal district and determine what you’ll need to do to maintain them once the property transfers into your name. These exemptions will save you money year after year.
At texasliving.com, we specialize in homes on an acre or more, horse properties, ranches and land. We would love to help you find the acreage property you have been looking for. To get started, we just need a few pieces of information about what you are looking for. Connect today to get started.
