Looking for a home with land near Fort Worth? What to check before you make an offer

• With acreage, a lot of what's already settled in a subdivision gets checked one item at a time: water, wastewater, boundaries, access and taxes.
• Septic systems are permitted and inspected by county. TCEQ tells you who the permitting authority is for each county.
• West and northwest of Fort Worth, private wells may fall under a groundwater conservation district with its own rules.
• A property outside city limits may sit in a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), or in none. That changes which rules apply.
• If the land has an agricultural appraisal, that's not an exemption: if the use changes, an additional tax can come due. The county appraisal district tells you how it applies.

On a subdivision street, water and sewer come from the city, lots are surveyed, and plenty of similar homes have sold nearby. With a few acres, every property is its own case. Two homes on the same road can have different wells, different septic systems and different rules.

None of that is bad news. It's part of buying space. What changes is that everything gets checked before you sign, because once you're under contract the clock runs: the option period (the days you pay for so you can walk away for any reason) goes fast when a well, a septic system and a survey all need attention.

When Veronica Yeary guides a purchase with acreage around Dallas-Fort Worth, this review starts before the offer is written.

There are smaller questions too, and they add up. Who provides the electricity, and is it a cooperative? Is there natural gas, or a propane tank, and who owns the tank? Does reliable internet reach the house, or will you need another option? Is trash pickup a service you contract on your own? None of these should stop a purchase, but each one belongs on your list before you write the offer, not after you move in.

1. Water. Ask whether the home is on a city system, a rural water supply corporation or a private well. If it's a well, ask the seller for any records, and have the water tested and the equipment checked by a specialist. In Parker, Wise, Hood and Montague counties, the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District operates; other counties around Fort Worth may have a different district. Ask them which rules apply to existing and new wells.
2. Septic. Texas calls it an on-site sewage facility (OSSF). Permits and inspections depend on the county: a local authorized agent or the TCEQ regional office. Ask the county for that home's permit record, and order a separate septic inspection. A general home inspector usually doesn't open it up.
3. The survey. It's the drawing that shows where the property starts and ends and what easements cross it. An easement is someone else's right to use part of the land, like the electric company or a neighbor's driveway. On a large tract, a new survey can take weeks, so order it early.
4. Flood zone. Look up the address on FEMA's official map (msc.fema.gov). With acreage, it's common for part of the land to be in a flood zone while the house isn't, or the other way around. That affects insurance and what you can build.
5. Access. Do you reach the property by a county road, a private road or across someone else's land? If it's private or shared, the title company checks for a recorded right to cross.
6. City, county or ETJ. Find out whether the property is inside a city, in its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ, a band around a city defined in the Texas Local Government Code) or outside both. That decides who issues permits for a shop, a fence or a second dwelling.
7. Taxes. Look up the property at the appraisal district for the county it's in. Several counties surround Fort Worth, and land a few miles out can fall in a different one than the city. Check whether it has an agricultural or open-space appraisal, and ask the district what you'd need to do as the new owner.
8. Seller notices. In Texas, the seller of a previously occupied home gives a disclosure notice about the property's condition, and if the property is in a special district that levies taxes or assessments, there's a notice for the buyer. Read both before you offer, not after.

If you'd like to go over a property together before you write an offer, book 30 minutes here.

1. Assuming the general inspection covers everything. A lot of buyers used to; today the well and the septic get their own inspections from specialists.
2. Reading "no restrictions" as "do whatever you want." No HOA doesn't mean no rules. The county, the ETJ, the flood zone and the easements all set limits.
3. Offering without knowing how you get in. Access without paperwork can stall a closing.
4. Budgeting taxes off the seller's bill. What the seller pays today may not be what you'll pay, especially with exemptions or an ag appraisal. More on that in why the tax bill on the listing won't be yours.
5. Leaving insurance for last. With acreage, barns or part of the land in a flood zone, the quote can shift a lot. Get it before you offer.

Picture a family in Arlington who want a few acres west of Fort Worth for a shop and some animals. They find a home they love, with a well and a septic system.

Before they offer, we check the FEMA map and see the back of the property sits in a flood zone, right where they pictured the shop. We ask the county for the septic permit and confirm who the permitting authority is. We look the property up at the appraisal district and see it has an ag appraisal, so the family asks what they'd have to do to keep qualifying, or what happens if they don't. With all of that, they write an offer with an option period long enough to inspect the well and the septic and order the survey.

This is an example to explain the process, not a real client or a promised result.

• County appraisal district: value, current exemptions, and whether there's an ag appraisal.
• FEMA flood map: msc.fema.gov, with the exact address.
• Septic permit: from the county authority TCEQ points you to.
• Groundwater district: if the home has a well.
• City, ETJ or county: who permits what you want to build.
• Official school district map: check it with the exact address.
• Seller and special district notices: before you offer.
• Insurance quote: before you offer.

If the area interests you, here's the Fort Worth page, and the guide to checking whether a house is in a flood zone.

What should I check before making an offer on a home with land in Texas?

The water, the septic, the survey, the flood zone, the access and the taxes. Each has an official source: the county, TCEQ, FEMA and the appraisal district.

Does a regular home inspection cover the well and septic?

Usually not in depth. The well and the septic get their own inspections from specialists. Schedule them inside your option period.

Who permits septic systems near Fort Worth?

It depends on the county. It may be a local authorized agent or the TCEQ regional office. TCEQ has a county lookup that shows which one applies.

What is an ETJ?

It's a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction: a band outside city limits where the city can apply some rules. Knowing whether a property sits in one tells you who issues certain permits.

If the land has an ag appraisal, do I keep it when I buy?

Ask the county appraisal district what you need to do as the new owner. It's a special valuation, not an exemption, and if the use changes an additional tax for prior years can come due.

A home with land is bought calmly, with the list in hand. When each item is checked before the offer, the offer is stronger and the option period holds no surprises.

Here's what happens next: we talk for 30 minutes about what you want to do with the land, and that tells us what to check first.

Let's talk for 30 minutes about your situation, not houses: veronicayeary.com/en/book

Call or text 469-441-8890 · veronica@veronicayeary.com