No, most of us just really worked hard and saved what we could.

All I inherited was dashing good looks.

and where did they dash off to?

OUCH!!

Ha!

A little advice IMO. My in-laws have been buying small tracts of land in Terrell County for a few years now. The area has lots of deer and the land is quite cheap compared to other areas. I was told the last 250 acres bought was @ $350 an acre. I realize the $$$$ involved, but if you consider all the hassle with finding a lease and worries of staying on a place for multiple years then that $$$ is justifiable. Get a few other trustworthy people to go in and the monthly note looks doable. Finding a tract that borders a large LF ranch and you'll have a decent ranch. Just my thoughts

Here we go. I assure you ain't no ranchers getting rich off you. You may be paying their land taxes at best. Hunters drive up the prices and get kicked to the curb to corporations because we can be huge headaches and we need to stop all our whining. Ever read a discussion board? lol

You got a 1.8 millon dollar ranch by saving what you could? Like I said...deep pockets!

I used to hunt in Val Verde county and it don't seem like too many years ago that they sold 100 acre tracts for $99 an acre...had signs up all along 90 west. Land in west TX used to be talked about in sections instead of acres, but most of the large ranches have been broken up.

Yes, when the place was bought land was not as expensive around this area as it is now. If people would invest in land instead of having to spending all their money on a fancy phone they don't really need. A fancy 4 wheel drive truck with leather seats they don't need. A 3000 sq. ft. house they don't really need. Eating out instead of at home more. Buying play toys they don't really need. Going on expensive vacations they don't really need. Then maybe, just maybe they could buy a piece on land that would eventually be worth quite a bit. Is this what your problem is?

C'mon Don,

My problem is trying to get mine paid for. Property up around Bandera has been pricey for quite some time, so, unless you're a really, really old fella, then I would suspect it still would've cost $1,000,000. At $2500 for 360 acres, that's still $900,000, and that would have been quite a few years ago, when $900,000 was like $1,800,000 now.

Still DEEEEEP pockets!!! If you earned it honestly, then more power to you, but I've learned in my many years that more often than not, something got dumped in your lap, or bank account I should say......

Assuming things about people who are honest hard working folks is not very smart. You sound a bit jealous of folks who have bought and paid for land by working hard.
I also know what land costs in Live Oak County. So I am going to "assume" you have deep pockets also to afford 240 acres?

It's all relative. Just comes down to what a person or family's priorities are, and what they choose to spend their money on.

One thing I agree with Don on - take away the big new house, new furniture to fill it, new cars in the driveway, and families would have a lot more money for other things or would be able to retire a lot earlier. I'm blessed, not envious(I think you meant envious when you said jealous, but lots of folks don't know the difference) I know we have a lot more than many, and it's been a struggle, but I sure wouldn't change it. I still have to lease mine out for hunting other than deer season to help pay the bills.

The average person can do a lot more with a lot less if they stop worrying about what other think about where they live and what they drive. It's just priorities and independence. This is still the greatest country on the planet and I'm living proof that people can make their own way if they set their mind to it, and I know I'm not the only one!!!

It also takes pretty good chunk of cash to just afford the down payment these days let alone the monthly land payments. That alone limits many folks from purchasing land when they spend so much on all the other things that really don't need (like you both posted).

I can tell you it's scary when you put your life's savings into something, but we got a great deal and viewed it as an investment. It's the best investment we ever made.

I was on 72 today on my way to and from TR. I know the area very well since I grew up to the east of Pawnee in northern Bee County and my grandparents had a farm north of your place about 12-15 miles in northern Live Oak. They did what you did only in 1938. Took them 30 yrs to pay it off and they had a terrible struggle to keep it dryland farming. How they did it is beyond me but they did.

STX,
Couldn't be too far east of Pawnee or you'd be in Karnes county. You still live in that area?

Pawnee is in Bee County. Yes I still live in the area just now in Western Goliad County. I grew up about 4-5 miles from Karnes County/Bee County /Goliad lines or about 12 miles east of Pawnee. The area you are in was all old farmland years ago. Several Cotton Gins in the area back then up until the 60's. There was one in Three Rivers that was still working in the mid 60's when there was a little cotton still grown around that area. The ones in Nell(due north of you off of HWY 882 barely in Bee County up in offset area of Live Oak County) and Pawnee burned down in the late 50's and early 60's. They were both old wooden structure gins. IIRC there used to be one along HWY 72 on southside of HWY close to your place. That whole area was all farmland back from the early 1900's till around the 80's. Lot of went in to improved grasses for cattle. Still some farming but not near what was there from the 60's back.

You have pretty limited experience then. I'm one that also practiced self denial on nice houses and cars and worked my butt off to attain land. Nothing was ever dumped in my lap, I just chose to never have a car payment and live in average houses.

Hwy, I will agree with most of what you have said. When I come across friends that generally own what I'll call a good size plot of land, generally a section or more, more times than not I find out through conversation that it has been passed down from generation to generation; not always the case but quite often the case; I'd dare to venture in my experiences, 75% or more of the time. If not the case (25%) or so of them time, they have either bought the land off of distant family members at below market values or from very good friends at much lower than market value. Again, from my experience and probably 10% or less of the time, do I run across somebody that hasn't recently purchased a section or more at today's prevailing avg. TX per acre market rates ~ $1,800 or so. In that scenario, you're easily talking upwards of $1.2M or so. In the circles I run, top 10% of US avg. earners or so, I simply do not know of enough persons with disposable income to afford that in total or on a bank note and still providing the basic essentials in life. In summary, for the most part, 90% or more of the time, I concur with your thinking Hwy for persons owning larger acreage.

Again, just because it isn't your experience, doesn't mean it doesn't happen a lot.

Just thinking about my neighbors, well over half in both Kerr co. and zavala co are new money landowners (that made their own money).

Reagan county is the only place I own land where it's still mostly old family. But it's changing even out there.

The oil and gas plays have made a bunch of first time recreational landowners also.

If I hadn't bought my place when I did (05/06) I would struggle to afford it today.

Think you missed the point of the original post saying that buying land for avg. guy is tough, I would say even for upper middle class guy buying more than 500 acres is a pretty tall task. I have no doubt that new landowners are popping up but likely fairly well off guys. I'm not jealous, I live within my means but please don't try to tell me there are tons of middle and upper middle class guys buying sections in TX left/right because I can assure you that's actually not the case.

It has also made a lot of landowners into larger landowners since many owned the surface and minerals on the land. Some just did improvements to what they had and put money away wisely for future use.

You're wrong.