Homes For Sale In Celina, TX With Land

Homes for sale in Celina, TX with land. It sounds so awesome doesn't it? Grabbing a place in a small town with LAND. But is it that great? Let's talk about that and find out. After all, there must be some negatives to owning a home in Celina, Texas with land, right?

First and foremost, how much land do you want? The search "homes for sale in Celina, TX with land" doesn't tell me how much land we're talking about. For some, that would be a home for sale situated on an acre. For others, perhaps the term "land" means fifty acres. When my family decided to move to Celina, it meant twelve acres. The term "ranchette" is what they call it. Technically, it was a home for sale in Celina, TX with land. And for me, it's amazing. BUT, there are things to consider before making the decision to buy a home for sale in Celina.

PROPERTY TAXES

One of the most important things to consider when looking at homes for sale in Celina, Texas, especially with land, is the amount you will pay in property taxes. Currently, the rate in Celina is 2.55%. This rate is not the lowest in North Texas, but it's far from the highest. In fact, Little Elm (Denton ISD portion) Argyle, Coppell and others are all higher. However, the offset is the extraordinary property values in Celina that have been, and are expected to continue to rise. In essence, you are making an investment every time you purchase real estate. The higher the value, the higher the taxes. If you stop right there and say 'oh, I don't want higher taxes" then fine. But, the part of that statement you are also silently making is "and I don't want a higher value property with tons of equity. I also don't want a much higher resale value or an asset I can borrow against." Think about it. You're paying a LITTLE more in taxes, but gaining MUCH more.

When you search for homes for sale in Celina, TX with land, remember that anything over an acre is going to start opening up to "agricultural exemptions.' As a side note, there isn't really an "agriculture exemption" but rather a different way of valuing land based on it's agricultural productivity rather than it's market value. However, it is commonly referred to as an "agriculture exemption.

For example, take my twelve acres in Celina. Since we have a certain number of livestock and since we grow hay on all of the property, we have an agricultural exemption on eleven of the acres. The tax for this eleven acres is considerably less than it would be if the land were not used for growing hay, livestock etc. This is something to take into consideration.

UTILITIES

When you live in a more rural area, or on a property in a city like Celina, TX with land, you will likely have more of a rural set of utility providers. In my case, we are part of an electric co-op for electricity. As far as billing, rates and service, one would be hard pressed to find any differences between a rural co-op and an urban power provider.

Another thing to consider is when searching for homes for sale in Celina, TX with land is the water service. There is a "special utility district" or SUD, for water which essentially means we don't get "city" water. An SUD is primarily created for the purposes of providing water and possibly sewage, trash collection and fire services to areas that are not easily serviced by a city. These districts may be in the ETJ (extraterritorial jurisdiction) of a nearby city or even within that city's corporate city limits. In my personal experience, the SUD rates for services such as water are usually much lower than the "city" water rates.

When you live in a more rural area, it is completely possible to have a water well on your property. At times this can serve as a primary source of water or it can be used for irrigation and ranch or farm purposes. Having a well means there is a certain amount of maintenance that comes along with it. Generally speaking, they require minimal care, but when a well pump goes out or if the electricity to your well goes out (a cut or break in the line or water entering the underground conduit) then services by either a well company or electrician may be required.

Finally, many homes that you will find when searching "homes for sale in Celina, TX with land" are heated by an onsite propane tank that you must keep filled up. The propane also heats your water and fuels your stove, range and oven. The tanks are typically 500 -1000 gallons. As you can expect, winter and cold weather use takes the propane faster than summer months when it may only be water heaters and cooking that uses it.

In my experience, using propane is so much better than using either electric heaters, electric hot water heaters and for cooking. And the propane lasts for a long time at my home. I would estimate that we fill up the tank twice per year to 75 percent full. That means 1500 gallons at about $2.00 per gallon. Considering the number of square feet we heat, the number of hot water heaters and the daily use of kitchen cooking equipment, that is a heck of a deal.

ANIMALS

Depending on where you find homes for sale in Celina, TX with land, you may or may not be able to have different animals and livestock. Usually with smaller properties around an acre in size, having cattle, horses and other large animals isn't usually possible. Smaller animals such as goats, pigs and sheep may be totally possible. If you opt for a larger property, then having larger breeds of animals is possible and may be an integral part of keeping your taxes lower. However, you still have to maintain those animals so feed, cleanup, vet bills and such are all considerations that you need to make before searching for homes for sale in Celina, TX with land.

In my case, we (as of the time of this post) have two horses, a cow, a bull, two donkeys, seven pigs, two ducks, three goats, nine dogs, one rabbit and a mouse. Yep, a mouse. That means lots of hay, tons of feed, lots of poop shoveling and some vet bills. The good news? Lugging feed, shoveling poop and doing work such as that is AWESOME. Clearly, it's not for everyone, but if you enjoy being outdoors and getting close to nature, it's the best. And gym? Who needs one? Ranch work is real work; and, totally worth it.

EMERGENCY SERVICES

When you are considering moving to the country, do your research, or better yet, ask an expert like me to help you understand how the emergency services work. In my case, the ranch is located barely within the City of Celina, Texas ETJ. That means we get Celina Fire Services, but Collin County Sheriffs Office for patrol and law enforcement issues. Of course, this arrangement could be different depending on the actual location of the property, but it is something to consider when searching for homes for sale in Celina, TX with land.

CONCLUSION

There are considerations when searching "homes for sale in Celina, TX with land" but those considerations are not major, they are just a little different than if you were making a lateral move from one suburban home to another. And, of course there are other considerations as well, such as school district if you have kids, commute if you work downtown or in another city and more. But, those are topics of OTHER posts that you'll have to read on my website, or better yet, just call me and let's talk.

I'll say this, moving to the country was everything I thought it would be, and more. I believe it will be for you, as well. Now, stop searching for homes for sale in Celina, TX with land and call me. 214-783-5440.

Ron Lyons

Ron@RonLyons.com