RURAL LANDOWNERS LEARN ABOUT MARKET TRENDS AT WASHINGTON CO. WILDLIFE SOCIETY PROGRAM
Washington County landowners heard updates on rural land in Texas on Friday during the Washington County Wildlife Society’s annual winter meeting.
Research Center staff at Texas A&M University,
speaks to guests at the Washington County Wildlife
Society Annual Winter Meeting on Friday at the
Washington County Expo.
Dr. Lynn Krebs, a research economist with the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University, gave an overview of regional demographics in the state, economic drivers, and rural land sales and associated local market trends.
Dr. Krebs said the median land tract size in acreage has been declining in Texas since 2000 for many factors, such as land getting broken up through subdividing and other natural reasons like deaths in the family and passing down land to multiple children. Meanwhile, rural land prices have shot up drastically since COVID.
Dr. Krebs said rural land sales have slowed over the last couple of years but expects they will rebound this year due to lower median land prices, driven by greater diversity in the type and quality of tracts available.
In terms of the population growth coming to Texas, Dr. Krebs presented data showing that from 1970 to 2024, the state has grown by 277 percent, outpacing the rest of the nation’s growth at 167 percent and accelerating in the past few years. While Washington County has seen steady growth, he said its rate of change has not been overwhelming compared to areas like Magnolia and Montgomery.
Other information covered in Dr. Krebs’ discussion included a glimpse at land markets around the state, sale patterns for the region, and the correlation between high home prices and declining birth rates.
Dr. Krebs encouraged anyone interested in finding out more information on rural land in Texas to visit the Texas Real Estate Research Center’s website.
The meeting also included the election of Wildlife Society officers and a beef and chicken stew dinner catered by Sandtown Catering.
The Washington County Wildlife Society works to enhance and conserve wildlife through education, youth scholarships and support of programs like the Texas Brigades.
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