We Buy Houses in San Antonio, Texas

Inherited a house? Bexar County probate runs through three courts

Bexar County has three statutory probate courts, and one of them will almost always be involved before a house in an estate can change hands. Depending on whether there is a will, the person selling usually needs letters testamentary or of administration, a muniment of title, or, where there is no will and no debt, an affidavit of heirship recorded with the county clerk. That paperwork is what a title company asks for, and it is the step that stalls most inherited-house sales.

We can sign a cash contract while the case is still open and set the closing for after the court grants authority, so the heirs are not paying utilities, insurance and taxes on an empty house while they wait. If the family lives out of state, the title company can handle a mail-away closing.

Source: bexar.org

Open code violations with the City of San Antonio

Code Enforcement Services, part of the City's Development Services Department, handles property maintenance complaints: tall grass, outside storage, junk vehicles, structural problems. Most cases start with a neighbor calling 311. Left unresolved, a case can turn into fines, and the City can do the work itself, such as mowing or boarding up, and bill the property for it.

An open code case does not stop a cash sale. We buy the house as it stands, and the violation becomes our responsibility after closing. Tell us the case number when you call and we will look it up before we make the offer, so the number already accounts for it.

Source: sanantonio.gov

Historic district homes need City approval for exterior work

San Antonio has 30 local historic districts, including King William, Monte Vista, Dignowity Hill and Lavaca, where many of the older houses we get calls about sit. Inside those districts, exterior repairs, alterations and demolition need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Office of Historic Preservation before the work starts. Replacing windows, rebuilding a porch or re-siding a house to get it ready for a listing means drawings, photos and a review first.

Selling as-is skips that entirely. You do not repair anything, so there is nothing to submit, and the approval process becomes the next owner's project.

Source: sanantonio.gov

Behind on property taxes to Bexar County

The Bexar Appraisal District sets your home's taxable value each spring, and the protest deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the notice is mailed, whichever is later. Texas property taxes that are unpaid on February 1 become delinquent and start collecting penalties and interest every month, and the taxing units can eventually sue to foreclose.

If you are behind, a sale can stop that. The past-due taxes, penalties and interest are paid off at closing out of the sale price, so you do not need cash in hand to clear them first. We will ask for your account number so the offer reflects the real balance.

Source: bcad.org

PCS orders out of Joint Base San Antonio

Joint Base San Antonio brings together Fort Sam Houston, Lackland and Randolph, so a lot of San Antonio sellers are service members with permanent change of station orders and a report date that does not move. A traditional listing on a 60 to 90 day timeline often runs past it, and carrying a mortgage on an empty house from another state is expensive.

We set the closing date around your orders. If you have already left, the title company can send the closing documents to you wherever you are stationed, and you never have to come back to San Antonio to sign.

Source: jbsa.mil

Foundation movement in San Antonio's clay soil

Much of San Antonio sits on expansive clay that swells when it is wet and shrinks during drought, and the city swings between the two. That movement is why so many slab foundations here show cracked brick, sticking doors and sloping floors. It is also one of the first things a buyer's inspector flags, and a foundation repair bid can end a traditional sale or knock thousands off the price late in the deal.

Selling as-is means you do not fix it first. We look at the foundation before we make the offer and price the repair into the number, and if you already have a repair bid, send it over. It helps us get to a firm figure faster.