New Braunfels, TX real estate: buy or sell with a local AXEN agent
New Braunfels sits in two counties and on two rivers, and parts of it sit over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. Which appraisal district handles your home depends on which county line the lot falls on, not your mailing address. Outside the city you may be on a septic system permitted by the county, with a different water and electric provider.
New Braunfels neighborhoods buyers ask about
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Buying a home in New Braunfels: what to know
The rules that apply everywhere in Texas are on the Texas page. These are the New Braunfels details that trip people up.
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Two counties, two appraisal districts. The Comal appraisal district appraises the Comal County side and the Guadalupe district appraises the Guadalupe side. The Comal County tax assessor-collector collects the city's property taxes. Confirm the county before you compare two homes.
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Outside the city line, you pay no city tax and get no city services. Property outside city limits, including in the extraterritorial area, does not pay City of New Braunfels property tax. On the Comal side you will see county lines like lateral road and flood control, an emergency services district, and sometimes a named utility or improvement district.
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Short-term rentals are tightly limited here. They are not allowed in any residential zoning district. In non-residential districts other than a few commercial ones you need a special use permit, and they are not allowed in the floodway. A permit and an annual life safety inspection are required before you advertise, plus liability insurance, off-street parking per sleeping area and monthly hotel tax.
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River lots mean floodway questions, not just floodplain questions. The Comal and Guadalupe both run through town. New construction on vacant land in the floodway is allowed only if it meets the performance standards, and every new building in a special flood hazard area needs an elevation certificate.
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Outside the city, plan on a septic system and a different utility. New Braunfels Utilities serves most of the city with water, wastewater and electric. Outside the city, water and wastewater may come from one of several regional providers and electric from a cooperative. In unincorporated Comal County you need a county septic permit, a site and soil evaluation and plans that meet state rules.
Selling a home in New Braunfels
Pull the full septic file.
For a home on septic, buyers want the county permit, the licence to operate, the designer's plans and the maintenance contract if it is an aerobic system. The state also tells new owners to notify the local permitting authority after closing, so give the buyer the permit number.
Do not promise a buyer can keep renting it short-term.
Permits are annual and tied to a passing fire inspection and current insurance, and short-term rentals are banned in residential zoning and in the floodway. Show the buyer the permit and let them confirm with city planning.
Have the elevation certificate for river and creek lots.
If the home is in a special flood hazard area, the certificate showing the lowest floor elevation is the first thing a buyer's insurance agent will ask for.
New Braunfels real estate questions
Which appraisal district and which taxing units apply to my home?
It depends on the county line, not the mailing address. The Comal district covers the Comal County side and the Guadalupe district covers the Guadalupe side. A typical Comal-side bill includes the county, lateral road and flood control, a school district and the city if you are inside it.
Is my property over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone?
It may be. Comal County is in the state's Edwards Aquifer protection programme, and land near New Braunfels shifted from transition zone to recharge and contributing zone in 2005. If your site is in a regulated zone, the state has to approve a protection plan before construction.
Can I buy a place on the river and rent it out to tubers?
Very likely no. Short-term rentals are not allowed in residential zoning districts and they are not allowed in the floodway at all, which rules out a lot of river frontage. In most non-residential districts you need a special use permit approved by the city.
The listing says city water. How do I confirm?
New Braunfels Utilities serves most of the city under its water and sewer certificate, and it recently trimmed that boundary. Outside the city the provider could be one of several regional water suppliers, and sewer may be a county-permitted septic system instead. Verify with the city's provider list and the appraisal district account.
Why does the county line matter so much here?
Because it changes which appraisal district values your home, which tax units appear on the bill and which office answers a protest. Two homes a few streets apart can sit in different counties with different processes, even though both have a New Braunfels address.
Buying or selling in New Braunfels? Talk to a local agent.
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