February 2025

How To Find Land For Sale In Polk County, Texas

Looking for land for sale in Polk County, Texas? This article offers an overview of how to find your perfect property and do your due diligence, plus the benefits of living in Polk County.

If you're looking for land in Polk County, Texas you are in good company!

Located at the gateway to Texas’ Forest country and the Gulf Coast, less than a one-hour drive from Houston, and surrounded by beautiful pine forests, rolling hills, the state’s second-largest lake, Lake Livingston, this rural place offers all the peace and quiet of country living within close proximity to big city amenities.

Imagine having total freedom to design your land and home without the constraints or hassles of homeowners associations, zoning restrictions, or urban sprawl, while enjoying cheaper land, generous tax credits, and easy access to Texas’ largest city and international airports.

Whether you’re looking to start a family homestead or hobby farm, retire, live off-grid or invest in a recreational or ranch property, Polk County is your kind of place.

This article will share how to find and buy land in Polk County and how to turn it into the Texas homestead of your dreams.

How To Find Land For Sale In Polk County

In Polk County, as in most places, the search for land typically starts with some exploring, whether on the internet or on a drive through the county’s back roads. Here are some key websites to browse:

RaydientRural.com: Our company, Raydient Rural, is the real estate subsidiary of Rayonier, the largest landowner in the county. While most of Rayonier’s land is commercial timberland, properties that are ideal for real estate are made available for sale.
LandWatch.com: LandWatch is a national website that provides a vast database of rural properties available throughout the U.S. Narrow your search by state, county, acreage, budget and land specifically (so you don’t end up with properties with structures on them). A word of advice: use caution if you search by use. While most land properties will be suited to camping, for example, only a few may be listed under the camping heading.
LandFlip.com: LandFlip is another extremely popular site for rural land buyers because it makes it easy to narrow in on specific classes of parcels. It includes a map feature in which you can browse and click on properties.
LandsofAmerica.com: Lands of America, another “top-tier rural property marketplace,” allows you to search for a range of price points and property sizes at the same time within the county.

When you’re ready to narrow your search, work with a real estate or land agent who is experienced with land.

This person will have a knowledge of what land is available, will understand what factors to consider as you look at properties and will have a network of contacts, such as institutions that finance land purchases.

An agent who is familiar with land sales will also be familiar with the local land purchase prices and can pull a comparative market analysis (CMA) to ensure you make the right offer on the property.

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How do you find a good real estate or land agent for a land purchase?

Buying land is different than buying a typical single-family home, so having the right agent to guide you is critical.

Here are some resources to help you find the right real estate or land agent to help with your search.

Contact the Texas Association of Realtors for a recommendation.
Ask others who have recently purchased land in the area for referrals.
Find out who is listing land for sale in the area. This person may also work with land buyers.
If you have a home builder in mind, that company may recommend an agent it regularly works with.

For more insider land-buying tips check out our article and interview with a local land agent in: How To Buy Land in Texas

Benefits of Living In Polk County, Texas

Polk County has become a sought-after location for commuters and families seeking a slower-paced country lifestyle within close proximity to modern conveniences.

It's also a prime agricultural location and home to Texas’ oldest Indian reservation, home of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, who have resided in the county since the 18th century before Texas was a state.

Looking for local fun and recreation?

From boating, swimming, and fishing in Texas’ second largest lake, to hiking, antiquing, golf, hunting, bird watching, casino-style gaming and mountain biking, Polk County has something for everyone. Here are some of the area’s sought-after highlights:

Lake Livingston: As the second-largest lake in Texas, Lake Livingston attracts thousands of tourists and locals to its sandy beaches, clear waters, and spectacular pine forests. The park offers a variety of hiking trails, boat docks, nearby rentals, fishing (the lake is known for its white bass, camping, sheltered picnic areas, mountain biking trails, and bird watching.
Sam Houston National Forest: Just a short drive from Polk County is Sam Houston National Forest, home to the famous Lone Star Hiking Trail. Visitors can also enjoy lake access, camping, hiking, some of the best mountain biking trails in the area, bird watching, and deer hunting.
Big Creek Scenic Area and Trails in Sam Houston National Forest: A specially designated area within the Sam Houston National Forest, Big Creek encompasses 1,460 acres of creeks, lush pine-hardwood forest, and varied flora and fauna perfect for hiking and bird watching.
Alabama-Coushatta Tribe Lake Tombigbee Campgrounds: Located on the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe reservation, Texas’ oldest Indian reservation, the campground offers cabins, RV sites, teepees, campsites, a bathhouse, pavilion for private events, grills, hiking, playground, and access to 46-acre Lake Tombigbee with boat rentals, fishing and swimming.
Polk County Memorial Museum: Go back in time at Livingston’s only history museum, adjacent to Heritage Park. Displays feature artifacts of of Giant Mastadons, the Native Americans & Pioneers, Riverboats on the Trinity, the Civil War, life in the timber country, social development and a Main Street collection.
Historic Downtown Livingston: Go back in time, eat, shop and enjoy historic downtown Livingston. From quaint shops featuring antiques and local art, to live music, delicious cuisine, seasonal festivals, and historic buildings, downtown has something for everyone.
Livingston Municipal Golf Course: This challenging 9-hole course is open the public with membership options available and Pro Shop on site.
Naskila Gaming Casino-Style Entertainment: 17 miles south of Livingston you will find the newly opened Naskila Gaming facility, a casino-like entertainment center with 24-hour gaming, food, and campsites run by the local Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas.
The Livingston Farmer’s Market: Located in Livingston this seasonal, open-air market runs April - November on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 7AM until noon (or sellout). Local farmers offer vegetables, organic foods, fruits, crafts, eggs, specialty foods and local delights.

All this within less than an hour's drive to Houston.

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Doing Your Due Diligence

Once you find the property you want, make sure you work with your land agent to ensure the property will suit your intended use for it.

Here are some things to consider

Budget

Before you proceed to make an offer on a property, ensure you have your financing in line.

While many banks do not finance land purchases, farm credit institutions specialize in land. A few especially land-friendly institutions that will lend to Polk County land buyers include:

You can also purchase land in cash and the USDA offers some grants to land buyers.

Your lender can help you create and understand your land-buying budget.

To learn more about financing, read our interview with a land loan officer for some general tips on getting approved for a land loan.

Boundaries

Only a survey will ensure the boundaries of the property are correctly marked. The survey will verify that the property lines are accurate, exactly how much land the property includes and whether any structures or encumbrances are on the property.

Land buyers typically take on the cost of getting a survey. However, Raydient Places + Properties has survey work completed even before its Rural Places are listed for sale.

A Title Policy

A title policy is a one-time expense that will ensure you are protected if someone else tries to claim they own the land after you purchase it. The title company will research, for example, whether there are any liens on the property and confirm that the seller truly owns it.

Related reading: Looking For Land? Don't Buy A Lemon

An Appraisal

An appraisal is required by lenders and will determine the value of the property to ensure the purchase price is appropriate.

For smaller loans (less than $250,000), your lender may use an in-house appraiser to determine the value. Federal law requires that you use a state-certified appraiser for purchases above $250,000.

A Timber Inventory (if applicable)

If you’re buying timberland, a timber inventory will determine how much timber is on the property and give you an estimated value.

A Word on Mineral Rights

Though Texas is infamous for its mineral rights, according to local agent Karen Stout of Homeland Properties, it’s very rare that a property has mineral rights. Here’s an excerpt from our interview with Karen from rethinkrural.com:

If you want to know for certain if your property has rights, you can check the property’s title commitment, but this is not a guarantee because even if the deed conveys mineral rights, there may be a previous landowner who reserved the rights, which would trump what the deed says.

The only way to know for sure if a property has mineral rights is to hire a professional landman to conduct an intensive mineral title search, which can be costly. You can find a landman by contacting the American Association of Professional Landmen.

According to Stout, oil companies favor larger properties (100 acres and up) for installing wells because it fairs better for their operations. And if they do install a well, they will compensate you for surface damage.

No Zoning Restrictions in Polk County

Great news for land buyers: there is no zoning on raw, unimproved land in Polk County. This gives ample flexibility to create the rural property, homestead, or country home of your dreams.

Looking for More Support?

Raydient Rural has several rural properties available in Polk County, Texas, ranging from small to large acreage.

Click the link below to view available properties and stay tuned for future articles on how to transform raw land into a homesite in Polk County, Texas.

We also have loads of articles on everything-land-buying, including:

Explore our Land Buying section to learn more.