A Country Retreat on 20 Ag-Exempt Acres
$649,000
Dike sits in Hopkins County, in the rolling hardwoods and pasture of East Texas about ten minutes from Sulphur Springs — 20.17 ag-exempt, cross-fenced acres of farmstead land with a stocked pond and wooded trails.
This is the kind of place that blends comfortable living with real working land. The 2000-built home is spacious and easy — a main-level primary suite, soaring ceilings over a gas fireplace, a big kitchen open to the living area, and a bonus room above the garage with a wet bar, ready to be a game room, guest space, or work-from-home office. Outside is where it earns the word retreat: an iron-fenced swimming pool for the summers, a stocked pond to fish, wooded trails to walk, and a detached shop with utilities for equipment, projects, and hobbies. And it's genuinely productive land — roughly 20 ag-exempt acres of mature hardwoods and open pasture, cross-fenced and ready for livestock, with road frontage and access from both sides of the county road. 3 bd / 4 ba, 2,612 sq ft, built 2000, on 20.17 acres.
Listed at $649,000. Listing courtesy of Kristin Thompson, Century 21 First Group.
Homestead Potential
Water & Infrastructure
Water here works for both fun and function. A stocked pond means fishing off your own bank and a ready source for livestock and irrigation, while the swimming pool handles the hot East Texas summers. The home runs on the well and septic typical of rural Hopkins County; confirm both as usual, but the pond is the standout — a real asset on a working property, watering animals and giving the family a place to cast a line. Northeast Texas gets generous rainfall, so the pasture and hardwoods stay green through much of the year.
Crop & Income Potential
This is genuine farmstead ground with a tax advantage already in place. The roughly 20 acres are split between mature hardwoods and open pasture, cross-fenced and ready for cattle, horses, goats, or a rotational-grazing setup from day one. Crucially, the land is already ag-exempt — the agricultural valuation that keeps property taxes low is established, a real financial head start most buyers spend years earning. There's room for a garden, hay, an orchard, or a small herd, and the hardwoods add shade, firewood, and hunting. It's productive, flexible land, not just acreage for looks.
Sustainability
The pieces of a self-reliant country life are already assembled here. The detached shop with utilities is a genuine workshop for repairs, projects, or a home business; the pond and pasture support raising your own food; and the ag exemption keeps the carrying costs sensible while you build the place up. The 2000 construction means solid, low-maintenance systems, and there's ample room and southern sun to add solar, expand the garden, or grow a herd. It's set up to be lived on and worked — with resort-style comforts like the pool and the bonus room that make daily life genuinely enjoyable, not just functional.
The Boundaries
A few smart things to confirm before you buy, and they're straightforward here. Verify the ag-exemption status with the Hopkins County appraisal district and understand what you'll need to keep doing — grazing, hay, and the like — to maintain it, since it's a valuable classification worth protecting. Get a current survey to confirm the 20.17-acre lines, the frontage on both sides of the county road, and where the pond and cross-fencing sit. Have the well, septic, and pool systems inspected as usual, and confirm what conveys with the shop. None of it is a concern on a property this well kept — it's just the homework that keeps a great buy a great buy.
Beyond the Property Line
Local Flavor & Small-Town Character
Dike is a small rural community in Hopkins County, in the gently rolling dairy-and-cattle country of Northeast Texas, about ten minutes from Sulphur Springs. Sulphur Springs itself is a genuinely charming small city — known for its historic downtown square, a strong dairy-and-cheese heritage, and a lively events calendar — and it anchors a friendly, deeply agricultural region. You're roughly ninety minutes northeast of Dallas, so the metro is there when you want it, but daily life here is small-town and land-centered.
Agricultural Resources & Neighbor Networks
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension keeps a Hopkins County office in Sulphur Springs, and this is serious cattle and dairy country — one of Texas's most notable dairy regions — so the network of feed stores, large-animal vets, sale barns, and equipment runs deep and close. AgriLife's programs on pasture, cattle, and small-acreage management are exactly what a new farmstead owner wants, and a great resource for keeping that ag exemption in good standing. For livestock or a hobby farm, you're in one of the best-supported ag counties in the state.
Outdoor Recreation & Natural Surroundings
Recreation here starts at home — your own stocked pond, wooded trails, and pasture make for easy fishing, walking, and hunting without leaving the property. Beyond it, Northeast Texas is lake country: Lake Fork, one of the state's most famous bass lakes, and Cooper Lake State Park are both a short drive, with boating, camping, and more fishing. The rolling hardwoods and farm roads are great for cycling and wildlife watching, and Sulphur Springs' parks and festivals round out the calendar. It's an easy, outdoorsy place to spend time in every season.
Listed on Zillow
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