James Van Der Beek 's friends stepped up to help him secure a down payment on his family's Texas ranch before he passed away ... his rep revealed. People spoke to the rep about the $4.7 million Texas Ranch, which, as we reported, he bought on January 9 ... and the rep told the outlet his family wanted to stop paying rent and start paying a mortgage, and some helpful friends made that dream a reality. As we mentioned ... James and his family moved to the ranch in 2020 -- but, they were only