General warranty deed
Gives the buyer the most protection - the seller guarantees clear title all the way back through the chain of ownership (in Texas, all the way to the original land grant).
Land / Buying land
Buying land - the documents that matter.
When you buy land, a few documents do the heavy lifting - and a land purchase is not the place to go it alone. A title company and a real estate attorney handle this every day.
The deed: which one you get matters
A deed is the document that transfers ownership. Texas has different kinds, and they protect the buyer very differently.
Special warranty deed
Guarantees title only for the seller's own period of ownership, not what came before. Common in commercial, foreclosure, and estate sales.
Quitclaim
Transfers only whatever the seller happens to have (which might be nothing), with no guarantee. In Texas a quitclaim is barely a 'deed' at all, and title companies often won't insure it - when no warranty is intended, a 'deed without warranty' is the cleaner instrument. Which document you get matters; ask before you sign.
Title & survey
- A title search and title insurance check who really owns the land and whether there are liens, easements, or claims against it, then insure you against certain covered defects. But read the fine print: recorded easements and boundary/survey issues are usually listed as exceptions the policy does NOT cover unless you add a survey endorsement.
- The title commitment - you'll see it before closing - lists what's covered and what's excluded. The exceptions (Schedule B) are the part to read closely; agreeing to them limits what you can later claim.
- A survey shows where your boundaries actually are, plus easements and encroachments. It's not always legally required, but for land it's worth it - fences and old descriptions are often wrong, and without a current survey you may be uninsured against boundary problems.
Before you sign
Rural land due-diligence checklist
Walk through this with your title company and attorney before you buy a piece of Texas land:
- Survey - get a current one; know your real boundaries and encroachments.
- Title commitment + title insurance - read the exceptions in Schedule B.
- Mineral vs. surface - find out what's severed, leased, or reserved (see Mineral rights).
- Legal access - confirm a recorded easement or road frontage; beware landlocked tracts (see Boundaries & access).
- Water - well availability and your groundwater district's rules, plus any surface-water rights (see Water rights).
- Floodplain - check FEMA's flood maps before you count on building.
- Septic (OSSF) - confirm the land will support a permitted system if there's no sewer.
- Deed restrictions / ETJ / city limits - read recorded covenants and learn which city or ETJ rules apply (see What you can build).
- Property taxes & valuation status - is it under ag or wildlife valuation, and what would a change-of-use rollback cost you? (see Property taxes).
- Endangered species / wetlands - some areas carry federal habitat or wetland restrictions; ask if it's relevant.
Keep going
Where to get real answers
Deeds, title, and surveys are the everyday work of a Texas title company and a real estate attorney; TRERC has neutral plain-English explainers. For the home-buying process and closing costs, see our timeline and closing-cost guides.
- Data vintage:
- As reviewed June 2026
- Last reviewed:
- June 15, 2026
- Texas Real Estate Research Center (Texas A&M) - Neutral, plain-English landowner research
- Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC)
- Texas State Law Library
Caution: Not legal advice. The right deed, the title exceptions, and what a survey shows are specific to your transaction - use a Texas title company and a licensed real estate attorney.
Spot something that needs a Texas check?
This first pass is built to be polished over time. Send the page name, county, parcel context if relevant, and the official source you are looking at.
Email Texas Porch.