The Land Report

Texas 2016

The Magazine of the American Landowner is an essential guide for investors, landowners, and those interested in buying or selling land. The award-winning quarterly is known for its annual survey of America's largest landowners, The Land Report 100.

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74 The LandReport | T E X A S 2 0 1 6 LANDREPORT.COM Brian Patten, who has spent years working closely with his grandfather, second's his cousin's point. "When you've got your own customer financing program like we do, a lot of buyers see it as a convenience, a way to close a deal. I look at it as a responsibility. These customers are going to be with our family for 15 or even 20 years," he says. This long-term approach is precisely the mind-set that made Mike Patten pull the trigger on bringing Texas Grand Ranch to market. "Compare Texas to any state in the Union. It's an economic powerhouse. That said, Houston is its engine room," Mike says. "Back in the 1980s, when Harry and I first came to Texas, Houston wasn't a one-horse town, but it had definitely hitched its wagon to the oil-and-gas industry. Man, has it come a long way over the last 25 years. The oil-and- gas industry is still a major player — look at the number of Fortune 500 companies with headquarters in the Energy Corridor — but it's become so diversified. The Port of Houston is massive, and the Texas Medical Center is the world's largest. What about The Woodlands? The first time Harry and I came to town, no one even mentioned The Woodlands or Sugar Land. Now Greater Houston extends 50 miles from north to south and 50 miles from east to west." As Mike points out to me, the genesis of Texas Grand Ranch dovetails perfectly with the Space City's robust economy. "Some of our buyers want a weekend getaway that's less than an hour from home. Others recognize Texas Grand's investment potential. Most of our buyers are looking to relocate out of Harris County or The Wood- lands. They like the fact that you're just half an hour from Intercontinental Airport. And you're even closer to The Woodlands via the interstate. Shopping, fine dining, state-of-the- art medical facilities — everything you could need is just minutes away," he says.

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