Flooding here comes from rain, not the Gulf

Hidalgo County is inland, so the risk is not storm surge. It is rainfall that has nowhere to go. During Hanna in July 2020, the National Weather Service reported that poor drainage left 18 inches to 4 feet of water in many areas of Hidalgo and Cameron counties, with water inside homes in Edinburg and 1 to 3 feet in streets in Mission and Pharr. Dolly's rain in 2008 was concentrated over the same ground.

Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 notes that many homes here flood because storm water cannot drain fast enough, often outside the mapped floodplain. That matters at sale time: a house can be in an unmapped zone and still carry a flood history the seller has to disclose, along with cut drywall, mold, or a stalled insurance claim. The district is the floodplain administrator for unincorporated areas; each city handles its own.

Colonias, contracts for deed, and the missing deed

Much of the housing outside Hidalgo County's cities sits in colonias — subdivisions where developers sold lots on long-term contracts for deed and kept legal title until the last payment. Hidalgo County has hundreds of them. Families paid for years, built homes themselves, and some never received or recorded a deed.

Texas now regulates these contracts under Property Code chapter 5, subchapter D. The seller must record a residential executory contract within 30 days, a recorded contract is treated the same as a deed with a vendor's lien, and if it was never recorded the seller must deliver a recorded deed within 30 days of the final payment. Those duties carry over to the seller's heirs and estate. In practice, a paid-off lot can still show the original developer, or a deceased seller, as the record owner. That gap has to be closed before any sale can close, and a title search is the first step.

Plats and utility certificates outside city limits

Because Hidalgo County is on the border, Local Government Code chapter 232, subchapter B applies. Land divided into two or more residential lots needs an approved plat (a lot of five acres or less is presumed residential), and a utility may not connect water or sewer service to subdivided land without a certificate from the commissioners court, or connect electricity or gas until adequate water and sewer service is confirmed. There are narrow exceptions for older lots sold before September 1, 1995.

The Hidalgo County Planning Department reviews and issues those light and water certificates and investigates plat note violations. Since January 1, 2025, it no longer grants development permits or utility clearances for travel trailers or RVs used as primary residences. A lot split off a family tract without a plat, or a house that never got its utility clearance, is very hard to finance. It can still be sold, but the platting question has to be answered first.

Hidalgo County property we buy

  • Houses that took on water during Hanna, Dolly, or a lesser storm, repaired or not
  • Concrete-block and stucco homes with roof, plumbing, or foundation problems
  • Colonia homes and rural lots outside city limits
  • Property bought or sold on a contract for deed, recorded or not
  • Lots split from a larger tract without a plat or a light and water certificate
  • Owner-built houses with unpermitted additions or conversions
  • Manufactured homes on owned land
  • Rentals with tenants in place in McAllen, Edinburg, Pharr, and Mission
  • Inherited houses where the estate was never opened

Courts, records, and closing in Hidalgo County

Edinburg is the county seat. The Hidalgo County Appraisal District sets appraised values, the Hidalgo County Tax Office handles tax statements and payoff figures, and Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 levies its own property tax. Deeds, liens, releases, recorded contracts for deed, and affidavits of heirship are filed with the Hidalgo County Clerk, whose land records are searchable online.

Hidalgo County has two statutory probate courts. They admit wills, determine heirship when someone died without a will, and hear lawsuits tied to an estate. If a case is already open, send us the cause number. A title company closes the sale, and Texas has no transfer tax on the deed.

Frequently asked questions

I paid off my lot on a contract for deed but never got a deed. Can I still sell?

Usually yes, once record title is fixed. Texas law requires the seller — or the seller's heirs or estate — to deliver a recorded deed after the final payment. A title search shows what is on record, and we can buy once there is a clear path to a deed.

Do you buy houses in colonias outside city limits?

Yes, including lots with incomplete utilities, unpaved access, or platting questions. Tell us what utilities the house has and how the lot was bought.

My house flooded during Hanna. Do I have to repair it first?

No. We buy flood-damaged houses at any stage, including ones where nothing was done. Share what flooded and any claim history.

Can you buy a lot that was split off a family tract without a plat?

Possibly. It depends on whether the lot can get a utility certificate and what is recorded. We work through it with the title company before closing.

My parents' house in Edinburg was never probated. Can you still buy it?

Often yes, but title has to pass to the heirs first through probate, a muniment of title, or an affidavit of heirship the title company accepts.

Do you buy rentals with tenants in McAllen or Pharr?

Yes. The lease and the security deposit transfer to us at closing, so no eviction is needed.

Hidalgo County property and court resources

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