Tracking land ownership in self-help homestead subdivisions in the United States: the case of Texas “colonias”

In Texas, there are some 1500 so-called colonias housing an estimated 400,000 people mostly in peri-urban areas of the border region with Mexico. At the outset colonias are unserviced or poorly serviced low-income housing settlements in which lots have been sold by developers upon which residents place trailers, construct manufactured homes, or engage in self-build. Recent research is beginning to identify similar types of semi-formal homestead sub-divisions elsewhere in the United States, suggesting that this is a widespread and growing phenomenon. However, while many such sub-divisions are sold out, the proportion of lots actually occupied varies greatly, with anywhere between 15 and 80 percent of lots being left vacant. This creates multiplex problems for effective provision and cost recovery of physical and social infrastructure, as well as for effective formation of social capital necessary for active community participation and mutual aid in local development projects. Sometimes, the land allocation process also has led to confused occupancy and to conflict about rightful lot ownership. Although recent research has led to a better understanding about the nature of these sub-divisions, it is often difficult to trace the ownership of individual lots. This is especially the case with absentee owners. As the first step towards data collection about non-owners and about “clouded” land titles, this paper identifies and tests the effectiveness of various methods that can be used to trace this “invisible” population. Working in 20 such colonias in Texas, we show that property tax records offer the most complete and effective method of tracing absentee owners to their current address. The paper also offers suggestions about the possible effectiveness of different types of survey method to gather data about lot ownership and land market performance in homestead subdivisions. As an example of the application of this methodology, survey data are presented comparing colonia residents with absentee owners. The broader application of the methodology elsewhere in the United States as well as in some less developed county contexts is discussed.