Selling Texas land when you live out of state or abroad

Yes, you can sell without coming to Texas

Almost every step of a Texas land sale can happen from a distance. You can list or market the land, sign the contract electronically, and deal with the title company by phone and email. The one step that needs care is signing the deed, because it usually has to be acknowledged before a notary or similar officer before it can be recorded.

You have three ways to do that:

The acknowledgment rules come from Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 121.001, and online notarization from Government Code Chapter 406, Subchapter C. The recording rule for a power of attorney is in Estates Code Section 751.151. Title companies usually want to review a power of attorney well before closing, so send it early.

If you're signing outside the U.S., talk to the title company first. The FBI lists deeds notarized in a foreign country as a red flag for fraud, so expect extra identity checks whichever method you use.

What the title company will need from you

• Proof of identity, usually a government photo ID, and possibly a video call.
• Proof you own the land: your deed, and if the land came through a family member, the documents that put it in your name. Our guide to selling inherited land covers that.
• Details of any liens, such as a mortgage or unpaid taxes, so they can be paid from the proceeds.
• Your taxpayer ID number for IRS reporting, and your FIRPTA status (below).
• Bank details for your proceeds. Confirm wiring instructions by calling the title company at a number you looked up yourself, never one from an email.

These checks can feel slow when you're far away. They exist because scammers pose as out-of-state owners to sell land they don't own. Our guide to vacant land fraud in Texas explains how that works and how to protect yourself.

If you live outside the United States

FIRPTA withholding

The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act applies when the seller is a foreign person: generally a nonresident alien individual or a foreign company. U.S. citizens and resident aliens, which generally includes green card holders, are not foreign persons, even if they live abroad. They sign a certificate saying so, and nothing is withheld.

For a foreign seller, the rules are strict:

• The buyer is the withholding agent and can be liable for failing to withhold. In practice it's usually handled through the closing.
• The rate is generally 15% of the amount realized, which for a cash sale is roughly the full sale price.
• The buyer sends it to the IRS with Form 8288, generally within 20 days after closing.
• The main exception won't usually help. It covers an individual buyer acquiring a residence for $300,000 or less, which rarely describes vacant land.
• You can apply to reduce it with Form 8288-B, a request for a withholding certificate based on the tax you'll actually owe.

The withholding is a prepayment. You file a U.S. income tax return reporting the sale and claim credit for the amount withheld. Include your U.S. taxpayer ID number on the paperwork, or getting the credit gets harder.

Texas has no state income tax, so there's no state withholding. Federal rules are detailed, and an international tax professional is worth consulting before you sign.

Limits on some foreign buyers

Since September 1, 2025, Texas law (SB 17, Property Code Sections 5.251 to 5.259) bars certain buyers from acquiring Texas real property. It covers governments and companies tied to designated countries, and certain individuals connected to them, such as people domiciled there. Designated countries are those named as national security risks in recent U.S. intelligence threat assessments, plus any the governor designates. U.S. citizens and permanent residents are exempt. The law limits who can buy, and a foreign owner can still sell.

Can someone take your land while you're away?

Absentee owners worry about adverse possession, where someone who occupies land long enough can gain title to it. Texas sets several periods:

In every case, the possession has to be peaceable, visible and hostile to your ownership. Texas courts require use that is actual, continuous and notorious, and of a kind that unmistakably claims exclusive ownership. Sharing a driveway or field with the owner doesn't count. Paying the taxes alone doesn't either.

Can a neighbor claim your land by mowing it? Occasional mowing on its own is unlikely to meet that test. Grazing inside a fence that happens to enclose your land, rather than one built to take it in, generally doesn't qualify either. A neighbor who fences your land in and treats it as their own for 10 years is a different story.

The simplest protection is written permission. Permission defeats a claim, and Texas A&M's Real Estate Center suggests recording it in the deed records. If you find a fence in the wrong place, or someone living on or farming your land, talk to a Texas real estate attorney promptly.

Keeping land you can't see out of trouble

Taxes and notices

Texas tax notices go to the address in the appraisal district's records, or to an address you ask for in writing. If the bill goes astray, you still owe it: under Tax Code Section 31.01, failing to receive a tax bill doesn't change the tax, penalties, interest or due date. Update your mailing address with the appraisal district every time you move. If you've already fallen behind, our guide to selling land with back taxes explains how they're paid at closing.

Weeds, trash and dumping

Empty land attracts tall grass and illegal dumping, and the cleanup usually falls on the owner. Inside a city, if you don't fix a weed or rubbish violation within 7 days of notice, the city can do the work, charge you, and file a lien on the land that accrues 10% interest and ranks behind only tax liens and street improvement liens (Health and Safety Code Sections 342.006 and 342.007). The notice can be a letter to your appraisal district address or, if you can't be reached personally, a notice posted on the land. Counties can abate similar nuisances in unincorporated areas and assess the cost as a lien.

A locked gate, a posted sign and a neighbor who has your phone number go a long way. Check the county records for liens before you list, so nothing surprises you at closing.

A remote sale, step by step

1. Confirm the title is in your name and that every co-owner will sign.
2. Check the tax status and your mailing address with the appraisal district.
3. Decide how to sell: through an agent, on your own, or to a land company.
4. Sign the contract electronically, naming a Texas title company.
5. Review the title commitment and deal with any liens or gaps in the records.
6. Agree the signing method with the title company: mail-away, online notary or power of attorney.
7. Sign, return the originals if needed, and confirm wiring instructions by phone.

Showings and someone on the ground

Land buyers want to walk the property, see the corners and check the access. When you're far away, you have a few ways to cover that:

• A local land agent who shows the land, fields calls and handles negotiations, for a commission.
• A trusted neighbor or relative who can open a gate and meet a surveyor.
• Good information up front: a survey, marked corners, aerial maps and recent photos, so buyers can do much of their homework online.
• A land company like ours. You tell us about the land, and we research it and agree on a price with you.

If you're weighing selling it yourself, our guide to selling land in Texas without a realtor covers each step. If you'd like help from here, tell us about your land. We're a North Texas family business working with owners across the state, and if we agree on a price, a Texas title company closes the sale with you signing from wherever you live.