Horse & Ranch Properties

Texas Real Estate Twins is a Granbury brokerage for horse properties, working ranches, and acreage across Hood, Parker, and Erath Counties. Broker-owners Chelsea Matlock and Bailey Groves come from a multi-generational ranching family, and they still live the lifestyle they sell.

Chelsea and Bailey grew up on their family's ranch near Wichita Falls. Both graduated from Tarleton State: Chelsea with a B.S. and M.S. in Animal Science, Bailey with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. They opened their team in 2017. Chelsea and her husband run Blue Sky Horses, a horse breeding program. That means the questions she asks on a horse property are the ones she asks of her own: how many head the water supports, whether the stalls drain, which way the arena sheds rain, and what the ag valuation does if the use changes.

Recent sales include a 281.5-acre equine facility near Bowie, a 44-acre roping and boarding facility outside Glen Rose, a 50.68-acre show-barn property in Iredell, and two tracts split and resurveyed on Village Bend Road in Mineral Wells. Each one closed on the same groundwork: water, minerals, survey, access, and tax status confirmed before the contract, not after.

That groundwork is the difference. Due diligence on a farm or ranch looks nothing like a typical residential sale. Water, minerals, access, surveys, and tax status decide what the land is worth and what an owner can do with it, and most of them cannot be fixed after closing. Our farm and ranch clients get that work up front, on every deal.

Quick facts

Who we help

We represent buyers and sellers of five kinds of rural property. Each one gets priced and checked on what drives its value.

• Horse property. Valuing a horse facility is a different skill set from pricing a house. Barns, stalls, runs, arenas, turnout, and the water and drainage behind them carry value that a price per square foot never captures. We know how to value those improvements, whether we're setting the list price for a seller or negotiating the right price for a buyer.
• Working ranches. Carrying capacity, fencing and cross-fencing, pens and chutes, stock tanks, wells, hay ground, and the ag valuation that keeps holding costs down.
• Acreage and homesites. Tracts from 5 to 100 acres where the questions are survey lines, road frontage, septic suitability, well depth, and potential deed restrictions.
• Hunting and recreational land. Value here comes from habitat, water, cover, and access, not from the house. We look at wildlife management valuation and whether the land qualifies, high-fence versus low-fence, stock tanks and creeks, blinds and feeders that convey, lease history, and recorded access easements. Then we market the property to the hunters and recreational buyers who pay for those features.
• Land in the path of growth. Highway frontage and edge-of-town tracts where ETJ status, MUD or PID plans, utilities, and floodplain decide what the land can become.

What we check on every land deal

Every listing and every offer on rural land runs through the same list. Most of these items cannot be fixed after closing.

• Water and wells. Well count, depth, yield, registration, and which groundwater district rules apply. Source: Seller records, Texas Water Development Board well reports, the local groundwater conservation district.
• Minerals and surface. Who owns the minerals, whether they were severed, and what conveys with the sale. Source: Title commitment, prior deeds, county records.
• Ag or wildlife valuation. Current 1-d-1 status, the qualifying use, and rollback exposure if the use changes. Source: County appraisal district.
• Survey and boundaries. Whether an existing survey and T-47 affidavit can be used or a new survey is needed; fence lines versus deed lines. Source: Seller, surveyor, title company.
• Access and easements. Legal road frontage, recorded access easements, pipeline and utility easements. Source: Title commitment, plat, county road records.
• Floodplain. FEMA flood zone for the homesite, barns, and arena. Source: FEMA flood maps, survey.
• Septic (OSSF). Permit on file, system type, and age. Source: County OSSF office.
• City limits and districts. City limits, ETJ, MUD or PID, and deed restrictions. Source: City and county records, title.
• Horse facilities. Barn structure, stall and run condition, arena base and drainage, fencing, waterers, electrical. Source: Inspectors properly equipped for this property type.

What we do that other agents don't

Five practices we bring to every farm and ranch deal.

1. We pull the groundwater district rules and the state well reports before we list. Hood and Parker fall under the Upper Trinity GCD; Erath falls under the Middle Trinity GCD. Buyers see the well data in the listing packet, not at the option deadline.
2. We price horse facilities by what they hold. Stall and run counts, arena size and footing, mare motels, and living quarters drive what a facility is worth, so we count and compare them carefully.
3. We split and resurvey tracts when one buyer is not the best buyer. Some properties bring more as two tracts than as one, and we line up the survey work to make that happen.
4. We advise on ag valuation before it becomes a surprise. Whether land carries ag valuation, and whether it can keep it, changes the math for a buyer who plans to keep running cattle and for one who plans to build or develop. We look at the current valuation and the intended use, and we advise accordingly.
5. We bring in the right experts. Title commitments can hold water rights, mineral reservations, and easements that shape what a property is worth. We work with real estate attorneys and landmen who review those items, so our clients get qualified answers early, while there is still time to negotiate.

Selected ranch and land sales

All closed, newest first. Prices omitted; the TXRET sold pages list these as "Price Upon Request."

• Village Bend Rd, Mineral Wells (Tracts 1 and 2) · 68.3 acres (34.153 + 34.152) · Palo Pinto County · Raw land with Brazos River frontage, two tracts · Closed Aug 2025. What made it complex: Each tract surveyed out of a 99.458-acre parent tract, with about 950 and 850 feet of Brazos River frontage; new survey ordered during the contract; ag valuation in place.
• Sandy Creek Rd, Bowie · 281.5 acres · Montague County · Equine facility · Closed May 2025. What made it complex: Cash sale of a full training facility: 275x125 covered arena with sprinklers and roping chutes, 125x125 cutting pen, 14 stalls with runs, 3 additional living quarters.
• Hwy 6, Iredell · 50.68 acres · Bosque County · Horse property · Closed Apr 2025. What made it complex: 18-stall show barn with breeding lab, mare motel, 150x200 arena; well water and septic; bordered by high-fence hunting ranches.
• County Road 1008, Glen Rose · 44.06 acres · Somervell County · Roping and boarding facility · Closed Apr 2024. What made it complex: Re-marketed after a buyer's financing fell through; indoor arena, 32 stalls, mare motel, 24+ RV hookups, multiple residences on one well-and-septic site.
• Hwy 377, Cresson · 82.5 acres · Hood County · Transitional land · Closed Jul 2021. What made it complex: Undeveloped Hwy 377 frontage between Granbury and Fort Worth with no utilities on site; valued for subdivision or commercial use.

What land clients say

Three Google reviews that mention land or rural property, quoted exactly as written. TXRET holds 4.9 stars across 33 Google reviews.

"If you need acreage in North Texas and want someone who knows what to look for (she's a horse gal and gets it) - Chelsea is your gal 110%." — Alexa H., Google review, Dec 2022

"I was impressed with their knowledge of the local area around Weatherford and Granbury. Chelsea helped me get the land I have been looking for years." — Brent, Google review, Feb 2025

"She is extremely knowledgeable about rural property and markets." — Jay D., Google review, Feb 2021

The team

Chelsea Matlock, Broker-Owner (TX lic. 0696931). B.S. and M.S. in Animal Science, Tarleton State. Runs Blue Sky Horses, a horse breeding program, with her husband. (940) 704-6033.

Bailey Groves, Broker-Owner (TX lic. 0698488). Bachelor's in Business Administration, Tarleton State. Team ropes with her husband, a farrier. (940) 781-4829.

Chelsea and Bailey share the same ranching upbringing and the same experience, and they work every land deal together. We live the lifestyle we're selling, so we know what we're selling and whether a property will fit a buyer's needs. We also know how to market that lifestyle for our sellers.

Hood, Parker and Erath land market: quick facts

Texas rural land averaged $5,214 per acre in 2025, up 6.6 percent from 2024, with sales count up 8.2 percent (Texas Real Estate Research Center, Spring 2026).

• Statewide rural land price, 2025: $5,214 per acre, +6.6% year over year. Source: TRERC Rural Land, Spring 2026.
• Market conditions: Sellers anchored to 2022–23 pricing; more inventory and longer days on market for tracts without strong location or quality. Source: TRERC Rural Land, Spring 2026.
• Hood and Parker groundwater: Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (Hood, Parker, Montague, Wise). Source: Upper Trinity GCD.
• Erath groundwater: Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (Bosque, Comanche, Coryell, Erath). Source: Middle Trinity GCD.
• Ag valuation rollback: Change of use can trigger rollback taxes for the three prior years. Source: Texas Comptroller, ag and timber appraisal.

Frequently asked questions

Does the ag exemption transfer when I buy land in Texas?

Ag valuation stays with the land, not the owner, as long as the qualifying agricultural use continues. A new owner usually files a new application with the county appraisal district. Land must have been in agricultural use for at least five of the past seven years to qualify.

What are rollback taxes, and who pays them?

If ag-valued land changes to a non-agricultural use, the owner who changes the use owes a rollback tax for each of the three prior years: the difference between taxes paid on ag value and taxes that would have been paid on market value. The purchase contract should say who bears that cost if the buyer changes the use.

How do I know if a well will support horses or cattle?

Start with the well report filed with the Texas Water Development Board, the well's depth and yield, and the local groundwater district's rules. Hood and Parker Counties are in the Upper Trinity GCD; Erath County is in the Middle Trinity GCD. A flow test and water-quality test during the option period answer the rest.

Do I need a permit to drill a new well?

In most groundwater districts, new wells must be registered, and larger non-exempt wells need a permit. Spacing rules and fees vary by district, so we check the specific district before you plan a barn or homesite around a new well.

Do the mineral rights come with the land?

Often they do not. In much of Texas, minerals were severed from the surface by earlier owners. The title commitment and prior deeds show what the seller owns and what will convey; we have them reviewed early by the right attorney or landman so there is time to negotiate.

Do I need a new survey, or will the existing one work?

If the seller has a survey and nothing has changed, a T-47 affidavit may let the title company accept it. If tracts are being split, fences don't match deed lines, or improvements were added, a new survey is usually required.

How do I confirm legal access to a rural property?

Look for frontage on a public road or a recorded access easement in the title commitment. A gate and a gravel road are not proof of legal access. We also flag pipeline, utility, and road easements that cross the property.

How do I check whether land is in a floodplain?

We check FEMA flood maps for the homesite, barns, and arena, and confirm with the survey. Flood zone affects insurance cost, lending, and where you can build.

How is financing land different from financing a house?

Raw land and large acreage often need larger down payments, and many buyers use farm credit lenders or local banks that lend on rural property. Appraisals on unique horse facilities can be harder to support, so we line up comparable sales before you write the offer.

What should a horse facility inspection cover?

Beyond the house: barn structure and roof, stall and run condition, drainage, arena base and footing, fencing, gates, automatic waterers, electrical in barns, and the septic system for any barn apartments. A standard home inspector does not cover most of this, so we bring in people who know facilities.