Letter From the Broker  ·  June 2026

Summer Is Here: Where Texas Rural Land Prices Are Headed in 2026

A timely rain, a strong market, and an honest look at where rural land prices are headed.

Where Texas Rural Land Prices Stand This Summer

Summer is upon us, and we have certainly been blessed when it comes to rainfall. It was much needed, couldn’t have come at a better time, and ranches across the state are looking as good as they have in a long time! As we continue to unpack our takeaways from our yearly land conference in more detail, this month we’ll take a deeper look at the following two points.

Projected to keep rising through 2026, with a slight plateau into 2027.

When talking to our buyer or seller clients, the first question we typically get is about the price of a piece of dirt. Not only what is this property worth today, but where is the market headed on price. As shown in the two points above, the data is hard to ignore. But what does this mean for buyers and sellers?

Is Now a Good Time to Buy Land in Texas?

For buyers, I believe the overarching message is clear: rural land in our state is a safe, tangible, and great long-term investment. The answer to the age-old question of “is now a good time to buy?” has been, and always will be, YES! Sure, there are ebbs and flows when it comes to price, but if your goal is to invest in land and hold it for a minimum of 2–3 years, there is no time like the present to find the right property.

How Should You Price Your Land to Sell?

For sellers, the good news is that land prices continued to rise in 2025, and all indications are that the same will be true for 2026. While the rural land economists’ modeling systems show a slight plateau in 2027, they were quick to express that their gut told them otherwise, and they expected the upward trend to continue.

While this is reassuring news for sellers, where I think sellers can miss the market when listing their property is by getting lost in the positive data trends on price, coupled with focusing on the asking prices of comparable properties in their area.

Are price-per-acre trends up? Yes. Is transaction volume up? Sure. However, this should not be viewed as a free pass to park an asking price on your land that is unsupported by sold data — not if you are serious about selling. If you want to sell your property within the average time on market for your area, it will require sound, data-driven pricing to engage a serious buyer.

So that’s a quick look back and look ahead at rural land prices in our great state. No doom and gloom by any stretch, and plenty of opportunity out there for buyers and sellers alike. The pricing topic is a dynamic one, and the conversations are very different depending on whether you’re wearing the buyer or seller hat. Regardless of which camp you fall in, we’d like to chat with you about your buying or selling goals — and we promise to add value to your experience.

See ya next month!

— Charles Armstrong

Common Questions on the Texas Land Market

Is now a good time to buy land in Texas?

Rural land in our state is a safe, tangible, and great long-term investment. The answer has been, and always will be, YES — if your goal is to invest and hold for a minimum of 2–3 years, there is no time like the present.

Are Texas rural land prices still rising in 2026?

Land prices rose 6.5% in 2025 and are up another 6.4% through Q1 2026. Prices are projected to keep rising in 2026, with a slight plateau into 2027 — though the economists expected the upward trend to continue.

How should I price my ranch if I want to sell?

It will require sound, data-driven pricing to engage a serious buyer. Sellers tend to put too little weight on sold values and too much weight on what their competition is priced at — rising trends are not a free pass to set an asking price unsupported by sold data.

More From Capital Ranch Sales

› Browse current Texas ranches & land for sale

› Request a free, no-pressure ranch valuation

› Our data-driven pricing & marketing approach

› Read more Letters from the Broker

Let’s Talk About Your Goals

Whether you’re buying or selling, we’d like to hear what you’re working toward — and we promise to add value to your experience.

Browse Ranches for Sale
Request a Free Valuation

Charles Armstrong

Broker & Founder

Charles Armstrong is the Broker and Founder of Capital Ranch Sales, a Texas farm and ranch brokerage helping buyers and sellers make land their legacy across every ecoregion of the state.

LAND. LEGACY. LIFESTYLE.

The Trusted Name in Texas Ranch Real Estate