Owner financing for Guadalupe County farms, orchards and growth land

Guadalupe County sits east of San Antonio on I-10. On the western edge, Schertz, Cibolo and Marion have filled with subdivisions, shops and warehouses. Farther east, around Seguin, McQueeney and Staples, farms, pecan orchards and ranches keep their character. An owner of ten acres at the county line and an owner of an orchard near Seguin may both hear the same question: would you carry the note?

We are a direct buyer of Texas land. We buy for cash, and we can also buy on owner-financed or other creative terms when a deal calls for it. What follows is a plain comparison for a seller deciding between terms and cash, built around what is distinct in Guadalupe County.

Which end of Guadalupe County is your land on?

The answer changes the whole discussion.

The western edge. Land near Schertz, Cibolo and Marion is priced for development. Utility proximity and highway access matter most. Buyers here are builders, investors and logistics users who want land before the next wave. They often have lenders and plans. A note is usually short and meant to bridge them to a loan.

The Seguin center. Seguin is the county seat and the center of pecan country. It has a university, the Guadalupe River and Lake McQueeney nearby. Land here mixes development hope with working value.

The rural east and south. Farm, pasture and ranch land, plus small communities such as Santa Clara, Kingsbury and Staples. Geronimo and the south have rural land where oil and gas activity and severed minerals can matter. Buyers here are farmers, ranchers and families, and the land is priced on use.

Western parcels are priced for development, eastern ones for farming. Hold that thought as we get to terms.

Why do Guadalupe County sellers consider owner financing?

None of those reasons removes the downside. You can still wait years, and a buyer can still stop paying. Guadalupe County has lower land prices than Comal or Hays counties, and buyers weigh farm and orchard value alongside growth potential. That mix is why terms are common here.

How do pecan orchards and crops change an owner-financed deal?

Crop timing is the special issue in this county. Pecan harvest runs from fall into winter, and closings often follow so the crop goes to the right party. With terms, the same question comes up every year for as long as you hold the note.

Think through these points before you sign:

1. Who owns this year’s crop at closing? Say it in the contract, with dates.
2. When are payments due? An annual payment due after harvest can match the buyer’s income, and a monthly schedule may suit a buyer with other jobs.
3. Who maintains the trees and irrigation? An orchard that is not kept up loses value, and you hold the lien on it.
4. What do the records show? Review tree age, irrigation and records. We ask for these on every offer.
5. What if a drought or a bad crop hits? A buyer whose income comes from one crop is exposed.

A buyer who takes over an orchard and lets it decline hurts your collateral in a way that no insurance policy covers. A larger down payment and a clause that requires reasonable care of the trees help. Ask a Texas attorney to write the care standard.

How do farm and hunting leases and tenants fit in?

Farm and hunting leases may continue after a sale. If a tenant farms your pasture or a hunting club leases the back forty, the buyer takes the land subject to the lease unless it ends. Put every lease in the contract, with the rent, the end date and who collects. If the buyer wants the tenant out, that is a negotiation to settle before closing and not after.

For a seller who carries the note, tenant rent can be a plus. It gives the buyer income that helps cover payments. A tenant who leaves can have the opposite effect. Ask for copies of all leases and look at the County Clerk records to see if any are recorded.

What are the Guadalupe County risks for a note holder?

Flood zones. The Guadalupe River and creeks carry flood zones. Lake McQueeney and the river corridor draw recreation buyers, and flood considerations follow them. Require insurance where available and ask for more down payment on river parcels.

Severed minerals. These are common along the southern edge. Check your deed for reservations, and decide in writing what passes. See selling or keeping mineral rights.

Growth timing. The western edge may be priced as if development is next year. If the buyer’s plan needs a utility extension that takes years, the buyer may stop paying. A short balloon limits how long you hold that risk.

Water. Rural tracts depend on water suppliers and wells. Ask who serves the parcel, and put the answer in the contract. The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, headquartered in Seguin, manages regional water resources.

Taxes. Taxes come first. If the buyer lets them go unpaid, the taxing units can act whatever your lien says. Require proof of payment each year.

Because Guadalupe County mostly lacks the aquifer rules that Bexar County has, a buyer’s plan is less likely to be blocked by one. It is more likely to be blocked by utilities, flood status or financing. That is where your due diligence belongs.

Which Guadalupe County records should you check?

1. Guadalupe Appraisal District. Confirm the account and valuation. Notices arrive in spring, with a protest deadline of May 15 or thirty days after the notice.
2. Guadalupe County Clerk, in Seguin. Search recorded deeds, farm leases and probate filings.
3. Guadalupe County Tax Office. Request a payoff statement.
4. Water supplier. Ask who serves the parcel.
5. Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. Ask about river or lake questions if the tract touches the water.

Suppose you sell a 35-acre orchard and farm with annual payments

This is a made-up example for the arithmetic. It is not a price for any parcel.

Suppose you own 35 acres of orchard and farm near Seguin and agree to $10,000 per acre. The buyer pays 35 percent down. You finance the rest at 6.5 percent. The buyer pays once a year on December 15, after harvest, on a 15-year schedule, and the balance is due after five annual payments.

• Price: 35 acres times $10,000 equals $350,000.
• Down payment: 35 percent of $350,000 equals $122,500.
• Amount financed: $350,000 minus $122,500 equals $227,500.
• Interest in the first year: 6.5 percent of $227,500 equals $14,787.50.
• Annual payment: about $24,195.
• Five payments: about $120,976.
• Balloon after year five: about $173,936.

If it goes to plan, you collect $122,500 plus $120,976 plus $173,936, about $417,400. That is about $67,400 of interest above the $350,000 price.

Suppose a cash buyer offers $308,000, which is 88 percent of the $350,000 price. The gap is $42,000.

An annual payment pays you slowly. If the buyer misses the December payment, you may not learn of trouble for a year unless the contract requires more frequent reports. Many sellers add a tax proof date each January, since taxes are due January 31. Ask a Texas attorney to draft the documents and a CPA about the installment tax result. See taxes on an owner-financed land sale.

Owner financing or a cash offer on Guadalupe County land

For more detail on net proceeds, see owner financing vs a cash offer.

What about ag valuation, rollback and back taxes at closing?

Orchards, farms and pasture can carry agricultural valuation, with rollback taxes if the use changes. A buyer who keeps farming may keep the valuation. A buyer who plants homes on the western edge may trigger rollback. Decide who pays before you sign. Our guide to ag exemption and rollback taxes covers the general idea.

Next, get the payoff from the Guadalupe County Tax Office. Back taxes come out of the closing money. On a financed sale, a small down payment may leave you with little after the payoff.

Then look for liens. If a loan sits on the land, ask your lender before you offer terms. See selling land that has a loan or lien.

On a cash sale, the title company pays taxes and liens from the proceeds and you see each one on the settlement statement. See selling land with back taxes.

What if the buyer stops paying on a Guadalupe County note?

You send written notice, give the cure period and then enforce your lien. With a deed of trust, Texas generally allows a trustee sale without a lawsuit. A contract for deed on land used as a home has stricter rules, so compare them in contract for deed vs deed of trust.

On an orchard, a default hurts more than it does on bare land. Trees need care, a crop can be lost and a missed season is gone. If you take the land back, you may be tending trees. Read what to do if a buyer defaults on owner-financed land before you decide how much risk to accept.

How do we help sellers in Seguin and New Braunfels?

For land near Seguin or New Braunfels, we review tree age, irrigation, leases and records, then send a written offer within 24 hours. A sale can close in 7 to 30 days with clean title and ready owners, and many sellers close after harvest. We charge no commission. Our how it works page explains closing costs. See the Guadalupe County land page for market detail, and our owner financing guide for Texas land for the general rules. If you still plan terms, read how to structure an owner-financed land sale.

Farm families with several heirs may also want our guide to selling ranch and rural land.

Next steps

Send us the location, acreage, crop and tree details, leases and any taxes owed. Tell us if you want cash now, a better price or income. We will give you a written cash offer to weigh against the terms you are considering.

By the Sell My Texas Estate team · Updated October 2026. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Talk with a licensed Texas attorney or CPA about your situation.