Buyers Resources
Most buyer guides are written for the whole country. Texas is different enough that the generic version will cost you money. Here is what actually matters here.
You cannot look up what the neighbors paid
Texas is a non-disclosure state. Sale prices are not filed with the county and are not public record. Zillow and Redfin show estimates, not closings, and in this market those estimates are frequently wrong by a wide margin.
This has a direct consequence: you are dependent on MLS data for comparable sales, and the only people with that data are licensed agents. In a disclosure state you could check your agent's math against county records. Here you cannot. Ask to see the actual comparable sales your offer price is based on, and ask which ones were rejected and why.
The option period is the most valuable thing in your contract
Texas contracts include a paid option period: for a fee, you get an unrestricted right to terminate for any reason or no reason during a set number of days.
That is a stronger position than most states give a buyer, and it is where inspections, negotiations, and second thoughts belong. Two things people get wrong:
The clock is short and it does not care about your schedule. Have your inspector lined up before the option period starts, not after.
Waiving it to win a bidding war is a real risk, not a formality. In a competitive situation you may be advised to shorten it. Understand what you are giving up before you agree.
Foundation is the number one deal killer here
San Antonio sits on expansive clay soil that swells when wet and shrinks when dry. Over decades that movement works on slab foundations, and this region sees more foundation repair than most of the country.
What that means practically: doors that stick, cracks in sheetrock at the corners of door frames, and separation at brick mortar joints deserve attention rather than a shrug. On any house where the general inspection flags movement, pay for a separate structural evaluation. It costs a fraction of what a repair costs, and an existing engineered repair with a transferable warranty is worth more than a house that has never been looked at.
MUD districts and why two similar houses have very different tax bills
Much of the newer growth on the far west and northwest sides sits inside Municipal Utility Districts, which levy their own tax on top of city, county, and school district rates to pay for the infrastructure the developer installed.
A MUD is not a reason to avoid a neighborhood. It is a reason to compare total tax rate, not sale price, when you are weighing two houses in different subdivisions. On a monthly payment the difference can be substantial, and it is the single most common surprise for buyers moving here from out of state.
Ask for the specific tax rate on any address you are serious about. Do not rely on a rate quoted for the neighborhood generally.
Property taxes reset when you buy
Texas has no state income tax and comparatively high property taxes.
If the seller has owned the home a long time, their assessed value has been protected by the homestead cap, which limits how much the taxable value of a homestead can rise each year. That protection is theirs, not yours. When the property sells, the assessment can reset toward market value.
So the seller's current tax bill is not a reliable estimate of your future tax bill. Ask your lender to escrow based on a reset assessment rather than last year's number, or you will face a payment increase after the first year.
And file your own homestead exemption once you close. It is free, it is a form, and people forget.
Flood zones and creeks
San Antonio floods in specific, well documented places, and the pattern follows the creek system rather than the coastline logic people expect. Salado, Leon, Olmos, and the smaller tributaries all have histories.
Flood zone determination is part of the lending process, but the map tells you whether insurance is required, not whether the street floods. Ask neighbors. Ask what happened in the last big rain event.
School districts move prices
Alamo Heights ISD, NEISD, NISD, and Boerne ISD carry different reputations and different price premiums, and boundaries do not follow the neighborhood names people use in conversation.
Verify the attendance zone for the specific address, not the subdivision. Boundaries change, and a house across the street can feed a different school.
If you are military
Joint Base San Antonio drives a large share of this market, and PCS season concentrates activity in late spring and summer. If you are using a VA loan, the appraisal has requirements a conventional appraisal does not, and building that into your timeline avoids a scramble.
The practical questions to ask an agent here
- What comparable sales is this price based on, and which ones did you reject?
- What is the total tax rate at this address, including any MUD?
- Has this foundation ever been repaired, and is there a transferable warranty?
- What is the flood history of this street, not just the flood zone?
- Which school does this specific address attend, verified today?
Keep reading
- How much below asking should I offer in San Antonio? — why the percentage rules do not work in a non-disclosure state, and the three things that actually set your number.
- How to buy a foreclosure in San Antonio — Bexar County auctions are the first Tuesday of the month at 100 Dolorosa, cash only, no inspection, no title policy. What that means in practice, plus REO, pre-foreclosure, and short sales.
- Why isn't my San Antonio house selling? — written for sellers, but it is the clearest picture of how listings get priced here.
Ready to look?
Robert "Bobby" Cortez | Residential sales and purchases
TREC License #546997
(210) 454-8806
homes@thetreygroup.com
About The Trey Group
The Trey Group is a San Antonio real estate team operating under eXp Realty, serving Bexar, Comal, Kendall, and Guadalupe counties. J.J. Gorena handles commercial real estate and franchise tenant representation, TREC #522975. Robert "Bobby" Cortez handles residential sales and purchases, TREC #546997.
