What “complex inheritance arrangement”? They hardly ever follow the law regarding title and transfer. East Texas Holderpeople rarely record land transfers in inheritances.
Anytime trying to purchase land connected to such undivided heirships is a title nightmare and invariably there is one in the bunch that refuses to go along thinking they should get 10 times the value.
The 9 acres is probably one of 15 heirs and likely 1/2 mile long and 50 feet wide an not useful for doodley except extorting the power company.
I’ll bet there are a lot more than 15 heirs. I used to work for a company that was always having to try to clear up these small pieces of land. It’s usually black folks but I was involved with one that had 14 heirs, all white. Since the land is usually only worth a few hundred bucks per “share”, if we got it where there were only a few we couldn’t find, we’d bond around it.
One of the biggest hurdles to get over is when there are a bunch of kids who are heirs. You have to get a judge to approve it and he or she usually wants some money put in a trust fund. Most of the times it’s better to just walk away.
Back in 1946 a man platted out a “subdivision” south of Houston and sold lots. It’s hundreds of acres. Nothing was ever done. The streets were laid out but none were ever built. No utilities, nothing. Now every lot is wooded. Oil companies have been trying for years to buy the lots but they can’t locate owners who are still alive or all their heirs. My cousin owns one lot and they offered her $300. She laughed.