Buying land in Hood or Parker County comes with questions a house in town never asks. Where does the water come from? Can the ground take a septic system? What happens to the taxes when you build? This guide covers the six things we check on every land deal, so you can ask the right questions before you fall for a view.

We're Chelsea Matlock and Bailey Groves, twin sisters and the broker owners of Texas Real Estate Twins in Granbury. We grew up in a ranching family, and land, lake, and horse property is most of what we sell.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax, or engineering advice. Rules change, so confirm the details for any specific property with the agency named in each section.

1. Water

On most rural land here, water means a well, and wells are regulated. Hood and Parker County both sit inside the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, which also covers Montague and Wise County. You need a permit from the district before drilling a new well.

If the property has a well, ask for:

• The well log: depth, date drilled, and who drilled it.
• Production: how many gallons per minute it delivers. A well that serves a house may not keep up with livestock or a garden.
• Registration with the district.
• A water quality test, especially if you'll drink from it.
• Whether the well is shared with a neighbor, and whether that agreement is in writing.

If there's no well, ask the district about its spacing and minimum tract size rules before you buy. The district has been revising these rules, and a small tract may not qualify for a new well. Some properties can connect to a water supply corporation instead; ask whether a line runs to the property and what the connection costs.

2. Septic

Outside city sewer lines, you'll need a septic system, and every system needs a permit. In Hood County, permits go through the Hood County Environmental Health Department in Granbury, which requires a site and soil evaluation by a registered sanitarian or professional engineer. In Parker County or elsewhere, TCEQ's lookup shows who issues permits for a given address.

Land with a house on it: ask for the existing permit and when the system was last pumped and inspected. Order a septic inspection as part of your option period.

Raw land: the soil decides what kind of system you can install. A standard system costs far less than an aerobic system, which needs a maintenance contract for as long as you own it. A soil evaluation before closing tells you which one you're buying.

3. Ag and wildlife valuation

What everyone calls the ag exemption is a special appraisal. Qualifying land is taxed on what it produces instead of its market value, which can cut the tax bill sharply. Under the common 1-d-1 appraisal, the land must have been used for agriculture at least five of the past seven years, at the intensity the county appraisal district expects.

Three things to know before you buy:

• It doesn't transfer automatically. Plan on filing a new application with the appraisal district after closing, and on keeping a qualifying use going: cattle, hay, or another use the district accepts.
• Changing the use costs money. If the land leaves agricultural use, the rollback tax recaptures the difference between the taxes paid and the taxes at market value for the three prior years. Building a home site on part of the land can trigger this on that portion. Ask who pays any rollback in the contract.
• Wildlife management is an option. Land already in 1-d-1 can convert to wildlife management and keep the lower valuation, with a written plan instead of livestock.

Check the property's current status with the Hood County or Parker County appraisal district before you write an offer.

4. Access and survey

A beautiful tract you can't legally reach is a problem you can't fix after closing.

• Frontage or easement? If the land doesn't touch a public road, access must come from a recorded easement. A gravel road the neighbors have always used is not the same thing.
• Read the title commitment. It lists every easement on the property: pipelines, power lines, and rights others have to cross your land.
• Get a current survey. It shows the true boundary, where the fences actually sit, and whether anything crosses the line. Old fences often don't match the deed.
• Check the road. Who maintains it, the county or the owners along it, and will it handle a horse trailer or a concrete truck in wet weather?

5. Minerals, floodplain, and restrictions

Minerals. In Texas, the minerals under the land are often owned separately from the surface. Hood and Parker County sit over the Barnett Shale, so many tracts have existing leases, pipelines, or pad sites. Ask what mineral rights convey, if any, and look at the title commitment for leases and surface use agreements.

Floodplain. Creeks and the Brazos River shape a lot of land here. Check the FEMA flood map for the property. Floodplain affects where you can build, whether a lender requires flood insurance, and what that insurance costs.

Restrictions. Much of the rural county has no zoning, but many tracts carry deed restrictions: minimum home size, limits on mobile homes, livestock limits, or rules on dividing the land. Read them before you plan around a barn, an RV pad, or a second home site.

6. Utilities and building

The cost of land isn't only the price. Getting a building site ready can add a significant amount before the first wall goes up.

• Electric. Many rural tracts are served by an electric cooperative. Ask which provider serves the property and get a quote to bring service to your building site; long runs add up.
• Internet. Coverage varies tract to tract. Check the address with providers before you count on working from home.
• Site work. Driveway, culverts, pad, and clearing all come before the foundation.
• Fencing. Note what exists, its condition, and whether it will hold the animals you plan to keep.

Before you make an offer

• Well log, production, and registration, or the district's rules for a new well
• Septic permit and inspection, or a soil evaluation for raw land
• Current ag or wildlife valuation, and who pays any rollback
• Recorded access and a current survey
• Title commitment reviewed for easements, leases, and pipelines
• FEMA flood map checked
• Deed restrictions read
• Utility quotes for your building site

Have a property in mind? Send us the address and we'll walk through all six with you.

Chelsea & Bailey · Texas Real Estate Twins · 702 W Pearl Street, Granbury, Texas