We source deals across Texas and we keep a short list of counties where we have actually run comps, mailed owners, and closed deals. These are not the counties you see on every real estate YouTube channel.
We spend more time in Upshur than anywhere else. The price per acre is still reasonable, the timber and rural acreage is strong, and the county records are easy to navigate. We have closed deals in Upshur that never touched a public listing. If you want a county where persistence beats big budgets, start here.
Bell County sits between Austin and the Dallas Fort Worth corridor. That location keeps land values moving up. The growth pressure on Killeen and Temple creates demand for smaller lots, ranchettes, and residential subdivisions. We watch this county for both raw land and finished lots.
Longview and the surrounding rural area make Gregg a reliable target. The market has enough motivated sellers that a steady mailer campaign converts. We have run postcard campaigns in Gregg that produced two solid appointments per five hundred pieces.
Harrison County has long-term value for buyers who understand timber, rural utilities, and county appraisal district records. The land is quieter than Bell County but the price per acre is often better. We look for owner-occupied tracts held for decades.
Lubbock County is not cheap, but the irrigation access and farmland consistency make it attractive for buyers who want income-producing dirt or long-term subdivision potential. We track it because the cap rate on Lubbock raw land still beats many markets.
College Station keeps Brazos land values supported. We look for land around the Bryan College Station MSA that can be split into residential lots or small-acreage homesites. The demand is steady.
Tyler is the draw here. The surrounding rural land is still affordable enough to make sense for buy and hold or mailer campaigns. Smith County is easy to research online and the appraisal district data is solid.
Anderson County sits between the DFW heat and the rural East Texas quiet. We have seen deals here that other East Texas investors overlook because they are focused too far east. The price per acre and the county record access both work in your favor.
This is Permian Basin country. When we want exposure to oilfield-related land demand, we look at Ector County. Surface leases, worker housing demand, and mineral activity keep this market different from rural East Texas.
Hunt County is within reach of Dallas land buyers but still offers price per acre that surprises first-time visitors. The rural acreage, the proximity to Greenville, and the county record transparency make it a regular part of our deal flow.
We look at three things: price per acre, growth pressure, and how easy it is to run county records. A county can have cheap land but if the records are slow or the local title companies are difficult, the deal cost goes up. We prefer counties where the appraisal district updates often and the title market is competitive.
If you want to underwrite a specific Texas parcel, we use the land value calculator at shotgunwholesaling.com to test purchase price, carrying costs, and resale spread. For Texas-specific deal flow and off-market rural acreage, see texaslandkings.com.