Texas rural land sales soared to record $1.7B in pandemic, new study says

Sales of ranches and rural property in Texas soared in the latter part of 2020 as pandemic fears and urban unrest spurred city-dwelling buyers to descend on country locations.

Statewide rural land purchases jumped to a record $1.69 billion, totaling 552,707 acres, according to a report by the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University. 

There were 7,684 rural land sales statewide, which is up 28.9% from 2019, and demand continues to be strong so far this year, Charles Gilliland,…