By Jared Groce

“Texas is in a perpetual state of drought, interrupted by the occasional 500 year flood.” I’m not sure who coined that phrase, but it sure rings true in 2024, for both the weather and the rural land market. North Texas land sales continue to trend downward, as is very typical in an election year. It is not that prices necessarily go down, but the number of transactions certainly do. Here are a few very inexpensive things a land seller can do right now to help in getting their land sold in a timely fashion:

· Pick up any trash or junk that may be laying around fields, fence lines, or buildings and ponds. Don’t bury it or throw it in another ditch, but haul it off. Scrap iron is worth money and recycling is good for us all.

· If your gates are broken or sagging, or your corner posts are pulled out of the ground, fix it. That is one less thing for a potential buyer to dislike about your property. Neat, clean fence lines make a property more attractive and helps you keep livestock where they belong.

· Blade your roads or lanes. All of the spring rains likely caused some washouts that make for an eyesore for potential buyers. Run your box blade over it a few times to smooth things out a little. Usually, there is enough gravel already there – it just needs to be put back in its place.

· Pile and burn downed tree limbs and trees. Those same spring storms caused a lot of damage to trees in the area.

To read more, pick up a copy of the August issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.