What does it take to make money on Texas land when appreciation alone is no longer enough?

In this episode of the Texas Land Guys podcast, Tom Dosch sits down with Tripp Rich to break down how Ascent approaches land investing across Texas. They explain why flexibility, speed, local market knowledge, and buying at the right basis matter more than ever, especially as developers, landowners, and lenders navigate a more complicated market.

Tom and Tripp walk through real deals in Georgetown, Manor, and McKinney, showing how Ascent has used quick closings, all-cash acquisitions, partnerships, assemblages, and multiple exit strategies to create value. They also discuss the growing number of distressed land situations, why waiting too long to sell can destroy leverage, and how Ascent can work with brokers and developers who need a capital partner.

Key Takeaways:

• Ascent can be flexible on deal structure, acreage, use type, and closing timelines.

• Speed and certainty can create opportunities when sellers need to close quickly.

• Georgetown, Manor, and McKinney show how multiple exit strategies can reduce risk.

• Ascent can help developers acquire larger or multi-phase sites without holding all the land themselves.

• More distressed land opportunities are beginning to appear as loans reach later extensions.

• Sellers facing debt pressure should start evaluating options well before their deadline.

• Ascent typically targets land investments around $5 million to $15 million.

• The team focuses primarily on opportunities within the Texas Triangle and major growth markets.

• Ascent buys land all cash and generally avoids using debt on its land investments.

• Brokers and developers can bring opportunities directly to Ascent even if DMRE is not brokering the deal.

In This Episode:

• [00:00] Introduction

• [03:07] Why Ascent is active in today’s market

• [06:12] Inside the 220-acre Georgetown deal

• [13:55] How the Manor deal came together

• [18:07] Assembling land near the McKinney airport

• [21:28] How brokers can work with Ascent

• [24:59] Helping developers free up capital

• [26:49] Breaking down multi-phase developments

• [30:11] Where the opportunities are in today’s market

• [32:47] Distressed land and increasing bank pressure

• [34:49] Why sellers should not wait until the last minute

• [37:17] Ascent’s ideal deal size and investment criteria

• [41:08] What Ascent wants brokers and developers to send

Resources and Links

Podcast

• Texas Land Guys Podcast

• https://dmre.com/

Tripp Rich

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/tripp-rich-52b35b60

• https://dmre.com/

• https://ascentinv.com/

• https://100xharvest.org/

Tom Dosch

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-dosch-37263b3b/

• https://dmre.com/

• https://ascentinv.com/

• https://100xharvest.org/