How much is my land worth in Texas?

Step 1: Know what you actually have

• Total acres and usable acres (subtract floodplain, steep or rocky areas, easements)
• Legal and physical access: recorded road, easement or none
• Water and utilities at or near the property
• Surface only, or surface and minerals
• Liens, taxes and agricultural valuation status

Step 2: Find comparable sales

Comparable sales ("comps") are the heart of valuation. Look for sales of land of similar size, location and access in the last 12 to 24 months. Sources include county deed records (recorded sale prices appear in some counties), land listing sites, and a local land broker. Be careful with asking prices: they are not sales prices.

Step 3: Appraisal district value vs market value

Your county appraisal district (CAD) sets value for taxes. For land with an agricultural or wildlife valuation, the appraised figure is based on productivity and is far below market. Use it to confirm acreage and ownership, not as a price.

Step 4: Retail value vs cash value

Retail value is what a well-marketed tract might bring from a patient buyer. Cash value is what you can get quickly, certainly and with no costs. The gap pays for the buyer's risk and holding cost. Compare your net, not just the price:

Illustrative numbers only, not an offer or a market claim. Your actual comparison will differ.

Ask for a free valuation

Use the form above for a written offer and a plain-English explanation of how we priced the land. Compare it against your own comps. See also how cash offers work and selling acreage.

What are the nine factors that move land value?

What does a worked example look like?

This example is invented, to show the logic. It is not a valuation.

Suppose you own 20 acres. Three nearby sales in the last two years are 15, 22 and 30 acres, selling for $12,000, $10,500 and $9,000 per acre. Each had paved road frontage and an electric line at the road. Your parcel has road frontage but no water line, and about three acres sit in a creek floodplain.

A buyer would likely start near the middle of the range, about $10,500. They would then adjust. No water line takes off value, since a well or a line extension costs money. The three floodplain acres count for less than the rest. A smaller parcel might sell for slightly more per acre than a larger one, but your size sits in the middle. The adjusted figure might fall closer to $9,000 per acre on the usable acres, with a lower figure for the floodplain acres, so the total comes out well under 20 times $10,500.

Then a cash buyer would subtract for holding and resale costs. A broker’s listing price would be higher and would come with a commission and a wait. Each figure is correct for its purpose. What matters is that every buyer can show you the comparables and the adjustments.

What can you do to raise the value before you sell?

Some steps cost little and may help.

• Clear title problems. Unclear heirship, old liens and missing probate cost value.
• Pay or arrange taxes. Unpaid taxes complicate a sale.
• Order a survey if boundaries are unclear. It reduces risk for buyers.
• Gather well, septic and soil records. Facts reduce uncertainty.
• Resolve leases. A clear lease status helps.
• Clean up obvious issues. Dumping and abandoned vehicles lower buyer confidence.

Spending large sums before a sale rarely pays. If in doubt, ask a buyer which items matter most for your parcel.

What do the numbers say about Texas land prices?

The Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center tracks rural land sales. According to Land Report coverage, the statewide figure for 2025 was $5,214 per acre, up about 6.6 percent. A regional table for the fourth quarter of 2025, reproduced in a Farm Credit Administration slide deck, shows the spread.

These numbers describe rural land that sold during the period. They do not describe your parcel. A tract at a growing metro’s edge can sell for many times the regional figure, and a landlocked tract without utilities can sell for far less. The research center also reports that sales volume has been weak even as prices rose, so the averages reflect a thinner market.

How do appraisers and buyers actually set a price?

Three methods are common.

Comparable sales. The most reliable method for land. Find recent sales of similar parcels nearby, then adjust for size, access, utilities and other differences. In thin rural markets, comparable sales may be few and a few years old.

Income and use value. For farms, ranches and timber, buyers estimate what the land can earn. This supports prices where development value is absent.

Highest and best use. Buyers near growth ask what the best legal and practical use is, such as homes, warehouses or retail, then work back to what they can pay after costs and profit.

A direct buyer starts with comparable sales and then discounts for the costs and risks of holding and reselling. That is why a cash offer may sit below the top of a retail listing. In return you give up nothing to commissions, and you get speed and certainty.

How do you split a tract into zones before you price it?

A single price per acre hides the fact that different parts of one tract are worth different amounts. Appraisers and careful buyers often split the land into zones, then add the zones together.

This second example is also invented. Suppose you own the same 20 acres as above. Based on comparable sales, the usable ground is worth about $9,000 per acre. Three acres sit in a creek floodplain, and you think those acres are worth about $3,000 per acre because they cannot support a house.

Check the math: 17 times $9,000 is $153,000, and 3 times $3,000 is $9,000. The total is $162,000, or $8,100 per acre across the whole tract.

Now suppose there is no water line and a buyer expects to drill a well. If an assumed allowance for a well is $8,000, the figure becomes $154,000 ($162,000 minus $8,000), or $7,700 per acre. Your friend might say the land is “worth $9,000 an acre” and be right for the best acres. The blended number is lower, and a buyer will find that out fast. Better that you do it first.

Where do you find each fact you need?

You do not have to be an expert. A call to the utility and a quick look at a flood map can tell you more than hours of reading online.

How does value work for different types of land?

Raw acreage. Priced on comparable sales per acre, adjusted for access and utilities. Size matters, but not in a straight line. Very large tracts can sell for less per acre than medium ones, and very small ones can sell for more.

Agricultural land. Priced on soil, water, grass and history of use, and on what nearby farms and ranches have sold for. A low ag tax bill does not mean low market value. See how rollback taxes work if the use may change.

Residential lots. Priced per lot, with attention to utilities, deed restrictions, streets and any association dues. A lot with all utilities in place is a different product from a lot without them.

Inherited land. Value is the same as for any land, but an unclear title or several heirs can reduce the price a buyer will pay. Fixing the title can raise the net result. See selling inherited land.

Land near growth. Value reflects what a builder or user can do with it. Recent nearby sales on larger tracts are the best guide, and they change quickly. For more on that, see I-35 corridor land values and our pages on the I-35 corridor and the Texas Triangle.

What do owners often get wrong?

• Using the asking price of a neighbor’s listing as a sale price. A listing is a hope. A closed sale is a fact. Ask for sales.
• Counting every acre equally. Floodplain, steep slopes and rock lower value.
• Counting improvements at what they cost. A barn that cost a lot to build may add little if a buyer wants to clear it.
• Mixing up appraised value and market value. See the section above on the county appraisal.
• Assuming minerals add a lot. Many tracts have severed minerals, and activity matters more than the label. See selling or keeping mineral rights.
• Ignoring the cost of getting to a sale. Taxes, upkeep and time cut into what you keep.
• Trusting one opinion. Get at least two, and ask how each was built.

What should you ask an appraiser, a broker and a buyer?

Ask a licensed Texas appraiser:

• What methods will you use, and what comparables?
• What is the effective date of the value?
• Is the report for a tax, estate or sale purpose, and does that change the number?

Ask a land broker:

• What is a realistic list price, and how long might it take to sell?
• What recent sales support it?
• What would make it worth more or less?

Ask a direct buyer:

• What comps did you use and how did you adjust them?
• What costs did you subtract?
• Is your offer net to me?

Ask a CPA or an attorney:

• Which value do I need for my taxes or my estate, and who can provide it?
• Does an appraisal as of a date of death matter for my situation?

For inherited land, the tax value of the land at the date of death can matter later. Ask a CPA. Our article on capital gains and stepped-up basis explains the idea in general terms.

When is a formal appraisal worth the fee?

A licensed Texas appraiser is worth paying when the value is large, the tract is unusual, several heirs disagree, you need a number for an estate or tax purpose or you are comparing offers that are far apart. For a small, simple parcel, the fee may not be justified, and a broker’s opinion and a few comps can be enough. If you are not sure, ask the appraiser what the report would add beyond what you already know.

An appraisal gives you a defensible number. It does not guarantee that a buyer will pay it. The market decides the final price.

What is a good checklist for walking the land?

Walking the land with a notebook helps you see what a buyer will see.

• Where does the road meet the property? Is there a gate, a culvert or a shared drive?
• Which way does water run? Look for low areas, creeks and standing water.
• Where are the power poles and water meters? Note the closest ones.
• Is there evidence of use? Cattle, hay, wells, tanks, old foundations or trash.
• What do the corners look like? Are there fences or markers, and do they match the survey?
• Who uses it? A hunting lease, grazing lease or neighbor with an informal deal should be written down.

Take photos with dates. Share them with whoever is helping you value the land. If you cannot visit, ask a neighbor or hire a local surveyor.