Land For Sale in Texas-Roll Back Taxes: Beware

u buy land for sale in Texas beware if younew owner of the land with that tax burden, how
change the use of the land you could becomefair is this.
responsible for tens of thousands of dollars inI have yet to get anyone in the county appraisal
taxes that have nothing to do with you.district office to explain to me how this could
If you are in the market for some nice pasture,possibly be fair, the only thing you will here from
ranch, or hunting land for sale in Texas you maythem is do it and pay us. What I don’t
want to sit up and read this carefully. In Texasunderstand is how the Texas legislature could let
the tax base is lowered dramatically for what isthis go on but that’s a discussion for
called Ag land or agriculture land, this is to giveanother day like so many things. I advise you if
farmers and ranchers a much needed tax breakyou are looking for land for sale in Texas and it
and I have no problem with this tax relief fordoes not matter what county in Texas you need
them and most Americans do not have ato make sure of the use of the land, how the
problem with it either. In Texas there is a littleTexas County Appraisal District Office has the
known tax law or tax code that you will not beland valued now and over the past five years and
told about by the local County Appraisal Districtif it has been in Ag exemption you need to keep
until its to late, it is call a roll back tax and if youit that way or find another tract of land.
get charged by the Texas County tax assessor itI will give you one example on a land tract I
could bankrupt you depending on the value of thebought less than an hour from Dallas all we did
land you bought and what the tax bill would havewas put a bulldozer on the property and clear the
been over the previous five years for the land.fences that were all grown up and clear out some
If your wandering yes you did here me right theof the mesquite trees that you can’t
Texas County Tax Collector will charge you theeven drive a tractor over without busting a tire.
new owner of the land not the old owner thatThis was enough for the Appraisal District to hit
was in possession of the land and yes I did sayus with over a $ 75,000.00 dollar tax bill for what
five years worth of back taxes on your land forthe taxes would have been had it been
sale in Texas. Want to know all you have to docommercial the previous five years so we had to
to get nailed with this tax, just change the use ofrun fast to our attorney to get out of that one
the land from agriculture to anything commercialand it was because we had a good attorney.
or just not with the Texas Ag exemption. If youSo if you are looking at land for sale in Texas,
do change the use of the rural land the Texasmake sure of your land use prior to closing and
County Collector will calculate what the tax billsigning a contract, if it is in Ag exempt keep it
would have been for the previous five years andthat way or be prepared to pay dearly.
yes again that was five years and hit you the