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The New Braunfels Buyer's Guide.
Everything you need to know about buying a home in New Braunfels and the Hill Country: financing, inspections, contracts, closing. Enter your email to unlock the full guide.
Step 1
Get Pre-Approved First
A pre-approval letter tells sellers you are a serious, qualified buyer. Without one, most listing agents in New Braunfels will not present your offer. It is not a formality, it is your entry ticket. Get it before you tour a single property.
The process takes 24 to 72 hours. Your lender will pull credit, verify income, review bank statements, and confirm employment. They need two years of W-2s or tax returns, two months of pay stubs, and two months of bank statements. With rates currently in the 6-7% range, your debt-to-income ratio needs to land under 43% to qualify for most conventional products.
A strong pre-approval also sets your ceiling. It tells you exactly what you can afford, not what a bank will lend you, which are two different numbers. Glen works with several local lenders who close on time and can turn around a pre-approval within a business day.
Step 2
Know Your Budget
On a household income of $150K, most buyers qualify in the $400K-$500K range with 20-30% down. That puts your monthly payment, principal, interest, Texas property taxes, and homeowner's insurance, between $2,800 and $3,500. The Comal County median sale price sits around $445K, so most qualified buyers are shopping right in the core of the market.
Texas has no state income tax, but property taxes are higher than the national average. In Comal County, expect an effective rate around 1.8-2.2% depending on the jurisdiction and exemptions. Insurance runs $2,500-$4,000/year depending on coverage and location. These are not optional line items, budget for them upfront.
Glen recommends running the numbers with a mortgage calculator before your first showing. Know what your monthly ceiling actually is, then back into a purchase price. That keeps you focused on the right homes from day one.
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Contracts, inspections, closing costs, homestead exemptions, and more. One email, instant access, no PDFs.
Texas Rules
Understanding the Texas Contract
Texas uses standardized contract forms published by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). Unlike many states, agents cannot draft custom contracts, they fill in the blanks on promulgated forms. This protects you. Every buyer in Texas works with the same legal framework, and your agent's job is to fill it in correctly and advise you on every provision.
The most important feature of a Texas contract is the option period. This is a 7 to 10 day window after execution during which you can terminate the contract for any reason: inspections, cold feet, anything. You pay a non-refundable option fee of $100-$350 directly to the seller to buy this right. It is the single best buyer protection in Texas real estate.
Earnest money is separate. This is typically 1-3% of the purchase price, deposited with the title company within a few days of execution. It shows the seller you are committed. If you close, it applies toward your purchase. If you terminate during the option period, you get it back. Glen walks every buyer through each line of the contract before you sign.
Disclosure
The IABS Form
Before any substantive conversation about real estate, Texas law requires your agent to provide the Information About Brokerage Services (IABS) form. This is not a contract. It does not commit you to anything. It is a one-page disclosure that explains the three types of agency relationships in Texas: buyer representation, seller representation, and intermediary.
The form explains what each role means, what duties your agent owes you, and the difference between a client and a customer. As Glen's buyer client, you receive full fiduciary representation: loyalty, confidentiality, and informed advocacy. The IABS ensures you understand that relationship before any business begins.
Commissions
Buyer Agent Fees After the NAR Settlement
Since the 2024 NAR settlement, buyers must sign a written buyer representation agreement before touring homes. This is now the law: no handshake deals, no informal arrangements. The agreement spells out what your agent will do, how long the relationship lasts, and exactly what compensation looks like.
In practice, sellers in New Braunfels still frequently offer a 2-3% buyer agent concession as part of the listing. That means in most transactions, the seller covers your agent's fee. When they do not, the buyer rep agreement defines your obligation clearly, no surprises. Glen writes the agreement in plain language so you know exactly what you would owe in every scenario before you commit.
The settlement changed the paperwork. It did not change Glen's approach: full transparency on compensation from the first conversation.
Where to Live
Finding the Right Neighborhood
New Braunfels is served primarily by two districts: Comal ISD (A-rated) and New Braunfels ISD. School zones shift at the street level, and the district boundary does not always follow the lines you would expect. If schools matter to your family, verify the zone by address, do not rely on the listing description.
For luxury acreage and Hill Country views, Vintage Oaks and Copper Ridge lead the market. For new construction with strong resale, look at Mayfair and Havenwood. Each neighborhood has its own HOA structure, lot sizes, and build-out timeline. Glen knows which builders deliver and which ones cut corners, that knowledge saves you money and headaches.
Explore the full neighborhood breakdown on the neighborhoods page.
The Offer
Making an Offer
Price matters, but it is not the only lever. A strong offer includes the right earnest money (1-3% of the purchase price), a reasonable option fee, and terms that align with the seller's priorities. Closing timeline, leaseback provisions, and appraisal gap coverage can make a lower-priced offer more attractive than a higher one with messy contingencies.
Glen pulls recent comparable sales for every property before writing an offer. You will see what similar homes sold for, how long they sat, and whether the seller priced aggressively or left room. That data drives the strategy, not guesswork, not emotion. You will know exactly what the house is worth before you commit a number to paper.
In a competitive situation, Glen advises on escalation clauses, appraisal gap language, and timeline concessions. In a buyer's market, he negotiates repairs, closing cost credits, and rate buydowns. The strategy changes with the market. The preparation does not.
Inspections
Inspections and the Option Period
A standard home inspection in New Braunfels runs $259-$314 depending on square footage. Specialty inspections, WDI (termite), foundation, septic, pool, add $50-$200 each. Budget at least $400+ for inspections on a standard home. On older properties or acreage with a well and septic, plan for more.
All of this happens during the option period, your protected window to discover problems and decide whether to proceed, negotiate repairs, or walk away with your earnest money intact. Glen schedules inspections within 48 hours of execution so you have maximum time to review results and negotiate.
Glen will not advise waiving inspections. Ever. The option period exists to protect you, and a few hundred dollars in inspection fees can save you tens of thousands in surprise repairs. Use the full window.
Closing
Closing Day
Timeline depends on your financing. Conventional loans close in 30-45 days. FHA and VA loans take longer. 71-77 days is typical due to additional appraisal and underwriting requirements. Cash purchases can close in as few as 10-14 days. Your contract specifies the closing date, and Glen monitors every milestone to keep it on track.
Buyer closing costs in Texas typically run 2-5% of the purchase price, on a $400K home, that is $8,000 to $20,000. This covers lender fees, title insurance, escrow setup, recording fees, and prepaid taxes and insurance. Your lender will provide a Closing Disclosure at least three days before closing so there are no surprises at the table.
Bring a government-issued photo ID, a cashier's check for the amount on your Closing Disclosure (or wire funds in advance), and proof of homeowner's insurance. The title company handles escrow, the deed, and recording. You will sign, pick up the keys, and own a home in New Braunfels.
After Closing
File Your Homestead Exemption
Texas offers a $140,000 school district homestead exemption that directly reduces your taxable value. File it with the Comal Appraisal District as soon as you close. You can file online or by mail, it takes five minutes, and it saves you real money every year for as long as you own the home.
If you are 65 or older, additional exemptions apply, including a school tax freeze that locks your school district taxes at the current level permanently. These exemptions stack. They are not automatic, you have to file for each one. Glen walks every buyer through the homestead form after closing to make sure nothing gets missed.
Ready to Start?
Talk to Glen.
Pre-approval, neighborhoods, strategy. One conversation covers it all.