Sell a Farm or Ranch in Wilson County With a Land Specialist

If you're getting ready to sell a farm or ranch in Wilson County, you already know the buyer will ask more than a homebuyer would. Is the ag valuation current? Where does the water come from? Do the minerals convey? How many acres are actually usable? Your listing needs those answers before the first call comes in.

James Peterson ALC leads farm, ranch and acreage sales at Texas Ranch & Home under the UC Ranch Properties name. He's an Accredited Land Consultant, a designation from the REALTORS® Land Institute for land specialists. He's also a licensed drone pilot, so the aerial footage on his listings is flown by the person who priced the land.

You get a price built from the land up, a marketing package that shows the place from the air and the ground, and a buyer pool that reaches past San Antonio. You also get someone who'll drive the fence line with you before he says a word about price.

A ranch sale starts on the ground. James drives the property with you in the four-seater RTV when the terrain calls for it. He looks at the entrance and the road frontage first. Then come the fencing, the pens and barns, the water and how much of the acreage a buyer can actually use.

Before listing, you'll gather the paperwork a land buyer asks for. That usually means the deed and legal description, any survey, the Wilson CAD record and your ag or wildlife valuation status. On a hay operation it also means production records, fertilization history, soil test results and a list of any equipment that goes with the sale.

Small repairs before listing often pay for themselves on ranch land. A broken gate, a sagging fence along the road or an access road that turns to mud after a rain gives a buyer a reason to walk away. It also gives them a reason to ask for less.

Ag valuation needs a plan. The valuation doesn't transfer to a buyer automatically, and a new owner applies with Wilson CAD in their own name. If the land's use changes after the sale, rollback taxes can reach back three years. The contract should say who carries that exposure, and Wilson CAD or a tax professional has the final word on the numbers.

The ranch then goes to market with drone video, on-site video and photography. The footage shows the water, the fences and the improvements. It goes on the MLS, the Land Broker Co-op, the RLI land network and both of our websites. Large parcels get a 4 by 8 sign that can be read from the county road. See where rural listings go.

Ranch buyers usually finance differently than homebuyers. Many use lenders who specialize in agricultural and rural property, with larger down payments and appraisals that weigh productivity and water. Knowing that shapes how we compare offers and how much time the contract allows for financing.

Call James Peterson ALC at (210) 740-1295 to set a time to drive the property. If there's a home on the place, Barbara Peterson at (210) 540-6487 handles that side with him. You can also tell us about your farm or ranch online. Our farm and ranch selling page covers how we sell working land across all five counties, and our Wilson County page covers the county itself.