We have split a forty-acre rural tract in East Texas into eight five-acre lots and watched the total project value triple. We have done it more than once when the county rules were followed and the platting stage was not rushed. Here is how we do it.
Texas does not have a statewide subdivision law that applies to every county. Most counties follow their own platting rules. Rural counties often let you split land into larger acreage lots with a simple plat. Urban counties may require full infrastructure before they will approve a single new lot. We call the county engineering or planning office before we buy a development tract.
Every lot needs legal access. County road access is the easiest. Easement access works, but the easement must be recorded and wide enough for a driveway and utilities. We also verify whether water, sewer, and electric service can reach the new lots. If the land needs a well or a septic system for each lot, that cost belongs in the development budget from day one.
We hire a licensed land surveyor to stake out the new lot lines and prepare a plat for county approval. The plat shows lot boundaries, road access, and any reserved easements. The surveyor files the plat with the county and we pay the recording fees. In rural counties this can take weeks. In urban counties it can take months.
If the new lots share a private road, we prepare a road maintenance agreement before we close on the first lot sale. The agreement spells out who pays for grading, gravel, and repairs. Buyers ask for it. Lenders ask for it. Counties ask for it. We do not wait to write it.
We price smaller lots based on comps for small-acreage residential lots in the same area. Five-acre ranchettes with good access sell faster and for higher per-acre prices than raw land. We market them to buyers who want a homesite, a weekend cabin, or a small-scale ranch. We do not market them to land investors unless they want to build and flip.
Subdividing land means adding housing options and increasing the tax base without overloading county services. We build subdivisions that fit the character of the area. We do not try to squeeze the maximum number of lots onto every acre.
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