Frequently Asked questions (f.A.Q)

HillCountryHomes.com (HCH) provides both information and real estate services in the Hill Country Texas area. The site is operated by licensed agent Benjamin Cohen aka “Texas Ben” and realty services are provided by HillCountryHomes.com Realty Group through his Broker, REAL Broker LLC, an international real estate firm listed publicly on the NASDAQ stock exchange (symbol: REAX).

Ben and his team focus on helping Buyers to identify, evaluate, and acquire residential big lot properties. His group offers a wide variety of special services to his clients at no extra cost including free area tours, the widest property searches available, and free moving coordinator services. Ben remains actively involved in every transaction from beginning to end to ensure all clients get the service, support, and success they deserve. 

Whether you’re already a seasoned seeker or investor who just needs a top local agent to help acquire a new property OR you’re just starting out with a dream and idea of where you want to eventually relocate, HCH offers a range of both Limited and Full-Service options to help make your Texas Hill Country dream a reality.

Visit our About Us section to learn more about Texas Ben or call or text us on our toll-free line at 1-888-310-1888 to learn how we can be of value to you.

According to Seth Koppel, aka the Big Lot Realtor, a Hill Country-based broker-agent of 15 years, the #1 regret concerns not knowing the specific area well enough, which manifests itself in 2 specific ways:

• REGRET 1A = Would’ve Selected a Different Area within Hill Country

This scenario makes a lot of sense when you better understand just how large the Hill Country area actually is at 31,000 square miles, larger than 12 U.S. States. Would you ever just say “Let’s move to the state of Colorado – it doesn’t matter what town – any town is fine as long as it’s in Colorado”??? Of course not! So in our opinion, the key is to narrow down your target area to 1 or 2 Zones on our Zone Map first and THEN shop for properties within that general area.

• REGRET 1B = Would’ve located a Hill Country home much sooner

The most common issue also relates to geography as many buyers assume they will find the home they want within 3 months and yet it often winds up taking 9-12 months solely because they spend time looking at homes in areas they ultimately wouldn’t be interested in living. Had they narrowed down their Target Area first, they would’ve saved a ton of time and hassle while obtaining their Texas dream so much sooner.

Overall this is the reason why our service emphasizes Area of Interest so strongly. Just throwing a dart at a dartboard is NOT an effective way to find your Hill Country dream home as just because something is located “in Hill Country” doesn’t automatically make it great! As such we offer free client tours to help you get a true feel for different areas with a strong emphasis on local knowledge.

This is an excellent question with some very interesting answers:

DEATH AS A RESULT OF PROPERTY DEFECT
–MUST be disclosed if someone died due to a fault/defect in the property itself

DEATH BY NATURAL CAUSES OR SUICIDE
––is NOT required to be disclosed unless a result of a defect in the property

DEATH BY HIV/AIDS VIRUS
–may NEVER be disclosed under any circumstance

SELLER’S DISCLOSURE NOTICE
–Sellers must reveal ALL prior and current condition issues with the property
–Only Sellers can complete this form, Agents may NOT complete it on their behalf
–Sellers remain liable for 4 Years after Closing for any issues they failed to disclose

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

LEAD:
–the POSSIBILITY of lead must be disclosed for all homes built before 1978
–the Buyer has the right to inspect for lead within 10 days of the Contract Date
–the Buyer can cancel the Contract within 14 days based on Lead test results
–the Buyer may also choose to waive a Lead inspection
–there is NO duty to remediate lead, only to disclose its possibility of existing

RADON:
–there is no requirement to test for Radon

ASBESTOS:
–the presence of asbestos must be disclosed by the Seller
–there is no duty for the Seller to remediate it, only to disclose it

NEARBY LANDFILLS
–can lead to nearby groundwater contamination
–should be disclosed and water should be tested

UNDERGROUND FUEL STORAGE TANKS (UST):
–can cause groundwater contamination, water should be tested

STIGMATIZED PROPERTIES
–properties can be considered “stigmatized” as a result of murder, suspected hauntings or even the presence of nearby sex offenders. Stigmatized properties are not required to be disclosed however it’s considered a good policy to disclose this info.

NO! Believe it or not but Texas law prohibits licensed agents from disclosing this information to potential buyers. Agents can provide resources such as website links to assist their clients but the clients MUST look up this information on their own.

While that sounds wild on the surface as many consumers look to their Agent to provide this type of data, the reasoning behind this Texas law relates to the fact that much of this information can be subjective and therefore can be considered discriminatory or steering as a result. For example, there is no single authority on whether a school is “good” or not. Similarly anyone can be the victim of a bad crime even in a “low crime” neighborhood etc.

As such, Texas laws work to ensure that consumers choose where to live based on their OWN wants, needs, preferences, independent research and choices and NOT because an Agent simply told them it was “good” or sent them a website showing a positive school rating opinion. Because this rather anti-intuitive approach is the law, it’s important to look up key aspects that are important to you on your own and do your own diligence before making this very significant and potentially life-changing decision.

Here are just a couple helpful websites you may want to consider in your evaluation:
FamilyWatchdog.com = info about criminals in the area
GreatSchools.org = info about schools in the area
SchoolSparrow.com = info about schools in the area
results.texas-election.com/races = info about how counties voted

Texas law now requires licensed agents to reply to your question within 2 Business Days. If your Agent fails to respond to your inquiries within 2 Business Days, you are entitled to end your Agency Agreement with them and find another Agent as a result.

If no major changes were made to the property during the Seller’s tenure, and they have a copy of the Survey used from their original purchase, that Survey can generally be used as long as the Seller also completes the TREC T-47 form. If there are any questions regarding the property’s boundaries or other improvements made during the Seller’s ownership period, the Buyer may obtain a new survey.

Any questions regarding the borders of a property can also be insured via the Title company with what they call “Boundary Protection” which is an extra endorsement that usually costs a few hundred dollars and expands the Title Insurance coverage to include the borders as well. Be sure to ask for this extra coverage if you have any concerns with regards to fence encroachments or the borders of your property being affected by neighbors.

Believe it or not, but Texas law allows for Easements by Prescription, which basically means that if a neighbor uses a piece of your property for a long enough period of time without you objecting (for example, their fence runs 3 feet onto your property line), that encroachment becomes LEGAL and they now own that land! It takes a long time for this to occur, generally 10-15 years, but it’s important you’re aware of these types of issues that can occur in rural acreage areas so you get the level of protection you desire.

A: YES. While we mainly focus on helping Buyers, we also help existing Hill Country homeowners sell their properties.

In fact, if you are moving from Hill Country but remaining in the Central Texas area (whether another part of Hill Country or into the cities of Austin or San Antonio), our Local Buyer Program will allow you to obtain a heavily reduced Listing Fee to sell your existing home, provided you use us to purchase your new home.

Even if you’re moving out of the area completely, we have a wealth of experience on the Selling side too and have sold some notable properties in the past as well as unique, difficult-to-sell properties as a result of predominately working with so many active, qualified Buyers and Investors. Please contact us for more information.

The Full Service Buyer Program combines several of our realty and home services into one package in order to help you get from Point A to Z in your Hill Country home buying journey. There is no cost other than the basic realty commission and the steps are flexible in order to accommodate your needs. If most of the services of the Full Service Buyer Program interest you, then complete our FSBP Request Form to get started.

DEFINING AN AREA OF INTEREST
The first step involves defining an area of interest within Hill Country. This includes 1-on-1 consultations as well as the option of a free and private Area Tour. Fly in for the day and let us drive you around several Hill Country areas to help you determine the right area for you.

LOCATING A PROPERTY
Once your Area of Interest is defined, we’ll work to find the right local Buyer’s agent for you. This will be either one of our in-house agents or an agent from a 3 rd -party firm, depending upon your needs and their areas of expertise. They will then use their skills and resources to locate all of your available property options including Coming Soon listings and off-market hidden gems.

ACQUIRING A PROPERTY
Once your dream property has been identified, your agent will help you evaluate it to ensure any and all title, survey and condition issues are known and addressed. Your agent will help you negotiate the purchase price, contract terms and inspection period and will coordinate and manage the entire transaction from start to finish.

MOVING COORDINATOR AND SERVICE PROVIDER HOTLINE
Once your purchase offer has been Accepted by a Seller, you will immediately be provided access to our in-house Moving Coordinator, receiving a total of 4 HOURS of her time to assist you in organizing, shopping out and planning your move! Finally, at closing you will receive access to our Service Provider Hotline for 2 YEARS which allows you to submit requests for various property projects you wish to undertake. We will comb through our contacts and databases so you won’t ever be alone out here, no matter how far outside of the city you reside.

Simply put, it provides you with a huge added layer of knowledge, advice and protection. Besides all the negotiation and contract assistance, Buyer’s agents are professional property finders and evaluators. Here are just some of the benefits they provide:

–Expert Advice and Opinions
–Knowledge of Off-market and/or Coming Soon listings
–Coordinating the entire transaction from start to finish
–Negotiation and Purchase Contract expertise
–Understanding Texas Real Estate laws and your legal Obligations
–Providing a layer of protection and communication between buyer and seller
–Legal Fiduciary with Loyalty & Confidentiality guarantees
–Help defining Improvements that remain with the property
–Assistance with Financing and Title aspects
–Assistance understanding Appraisal and Inspection reports
–Listing Agents take your Inquiry & Showing requests seriously
–Having an expert that protects and represents YOUR best interest

The value our program provides is second to none as the ONLY fee you pay is the Real Estate Commission, which is only payable upon the Closing of your purchase transaction. This 3% fee our agents charge is often times paid by the Seller of the property you buy and there are NO OTHER FEES for the other services included in this program.

When you use either our Agent Match or Full-Service Buyer Program, you will also receive 2 special free bonus services:

BONUS 1 = MOVING COORDINATOR SERVICE (4 HOURS)
We provide you with 4 Hours of access to our professional Moving Coordinator! Once a purchase contract has been signed, she will immediately work with you to understand your moving and packing needs and can help you with any of the following, even if you are moving from out-of-state:

**Obtain Rates and Quotes from Moving Companies
**Verify Insurance of Selected Mover
**Arrange for Packing of Specialty Items like Pianos, Antiques etc
**Arrange for Pick-ups of Items for Donations and Trash
**Research and provide a List of Utility Providers for your new home
**Advanced Packing systems to easily identify items
**Can meet Movers or Utility Providers at your new Property
**Can Organize, Schedule and Oversee your entire move for you
**Optional Full end-to-end Packing and Moving Solutions

It’s up to you to choose how you’d like your professional Moving Coordinator to spend the 4 Hour allotment of time you are provided by mixing and matching the above options or even creating new options based on your own specific needs. Please keep in mind there is NO obligation to use any of the movers they find for you as this optional service is designed simply to help you save time, money and stress.

Also please note that you can purchase additional hours at the rate of $100/hour if you desire more complete care. In fact, our Moving Coordinator can even execute full end-to-end in-house packing and moving solutions with her own fleet of trucks and crews for those who wish to move cross-country without ever touching their own belongings! Regardless of what options you choose, your first 4 hours of this professional service are FREE, thanks to HillCountryHomes.com.

BONUS 2 = SERVICE PROVIDER HOTLINE (2 YEARS)
When your purchase closes, you will receive access to our Service Provider Hotline for 2 Years. This hotline allows you to make individual requests to us to find contractors for various property projects. Whether you need a fence guy in Lampasas, a tiny home builder in Wimberley or a concrete specialist in Boerne, our team will canvas our existing contacts and databases to seek out a property improvement service provider for you. This relieves you of the stress many people have regarding property projects when being located outside of the city. We have extensive networks and experience with these types of providers and can help you transform your new property in a wide variety of ways. Some common needs we can assist with include:

Your Agent will be matched based upon several factors, focusing on the geographic area of interest you select using our Zone Map as well as other factors such as Property Type expertise. This experienced licensed agent will know the local market in the zone you select in order to provide you with the very best advice and opinions.

While HillCountryHomes.com is a licensed realty group, we rely upon both our in-house agents and 3 rd – party agents from other firms in order to fulfill your needs. As such we will either match you to an in-house agent OR to an expert in our 3 rd -party referral network, depending upon your specific needs.

Just let us know! While we make our best efforts to find the right match for you, not every match is a perfect fit. If for any reason you are not satisfied with the agent we matched you, we will be happy to find a better match for you.

We can assist you in finding an agent that specializes in the following property types of interest: 

**Raw Land
**Partially-improved Land
**Single Family Residence
**Condos/Townhouses
**Duplex/Triplex/Quadplex
**Farm & Ranch Properties

You are certainly free to purchase a property in Texas without an agent but in our opinion, that’s like running through a field of landmines. Texas has unique real estate laws and it’s critical to understand both the Seller’s and your legal obligations.

It’s also critical to understand that if you contact a property for sale in Texas without being represented, the Seller’s Agent you will be talking to has a fiduciary duty to serve that Seller’s best interest at your expense. Therefore, if you reveal ANY personal or confidential info whatsoever, they have a legal duty to provide that info to their client, potentially hurting your negotiating position substantially.

The best protection is to always seek your own Buyer’s Agent first before inquiring on specific properties. The Selling agent will know you’re an active, qualified and professionally represented buyer and will not have any wiggle room to play games at your expense. Make sure you have a dedicated partner on YOUR team whose only job is to protect and assist YOU.

This unique offer is available for anyone who:

(a) currently owns a home they wish to sell in the Austin, San Antonio or Texas Hill Country area

AND

(b) wants to and is able to buy a residential property in the Texas Hill Country area

You must use either our Realty Group or one we partner with your consent for both your existing home sale and subsequent purchase. As a result, between our Reduced Listing Fee and special bonuses such as our free area tours and included moving coordinator services, we can turn this often complex and stressful series of transactions into one seamless, easy and cost-effective transition.

Not a problem as this issue is encountered quite often and referred to as a “Contingency” transaction. It simply means that when you make Offers on homes you wish to buy, you notify the Seller of your need to sell your current home first. As we currently are in a strong Buyer’s market, Sellers will often accept this condition provided they are satisfied with the other Terms in the offer.

That said it’s critical to understand than when you make a Contingent offer and a Seller accepts that offer, they can REJECT that offer at a later date IF they receive a NON-Contingent offer from another Buyer in the mean time. Therefore your accepted Contingent offer is NOT rock solid because another more-qualified Buyer can come along and “bump” your accepted offer out of position.

When this rare circumstance occurs, you are provided a choice to change your offer to be non-contingent if you can obtain an alternative source of funds, get an earlier Closing on your home sale if possible or lose the opportunity to buy the house. In short, contingent offers can be a big problem in a hot seller’s market but is simply not typically a big issue at all in today’s current market.

Since you will be selling one home and buying another, it’s helpful to break it down one transaction at a time to ensure your expectations are realistic and accurate from the start:

TRANSACTION 1 = SELLING YOUR EXISTING HOME

3% = Our Standard Seller Realty Fee

3% = Amount Typically Offered to Buyer’s Agent

-1% = Amount Rebated to you via Local Buyer Program Discount

——————————————————————————————————

5% = Total Realty Fees + ~$1500 in miscellaneous costs

The Selling side almost always involves the most fees. For example, you may need or simply want to make certain repairs or complete certain upgrades before putting your house on the market. Also, Sellers in Texas often offer to pay for half the Owner’s Title Policy (~$1000) and sometimes pay for a Home Warranty (~$500) for the Buyer if there are any concerns about the home’s condition.

More substantially however is the approximate 3% fee that Sellers of homes allocate to pay the Buyer’s Agent as Sellers typically pay for the Buyer’s realty commission as well as their own. In this particular example, your total Realty fees would be 5% rather than 6%, with our program saving you 1% or approximately $5,000 – $10,000 in fees on a typical home valued at $500K – $1.0M.

TRANSACTION 2 = BUYING YOUR NEW HILL COUNTRY HOME

3% = Our Standard Buyer Realty Fee

-3% = This Fee is often paid by the Seller

————————————————————————————————————–

0% = Total Realty Fees paid by Buyer + ~$2000 in miscellaneous costs

The Buying side is MUCH less expensive as the only typical big expense in terms of fees for buying a home is the 3% Buyer’s Agent Commission however as stated in the example above, this fee is typically paid by the SELLER of the property for you and as a result, this usually results in a net fee of $0 paid by you as the Buyer.

That said, there are some other expenses when buying a home, most notably the Buyer’s half of the Owner’s Title Policy (~$1000), Appraisal Cost (~$500) and Home Inspection (~$500). Other fees you will typically encounter as a Buyer include Mortgage Loan Fees (typically included in the loan itself and therefore not payable out-of-pocket), any Down Payments required on the mortgage itself as well as Moving expenses. On the moving side, we help you by offering 4 Free Hours with our Moving Coordinator to reduce some of the cost and stress of that aspect to help make your move simple and easy.

CONCLUSION

Overall the cost to SELL a home is typically much greater to the Seller than the cost to BUY a home is for the Buyer. As you will be doing BOTH on the Local Buyer Program, you will therefore encounter a lot more expense when selling your existing home versus buying your new Hill Country home.

NOTE: Please note that on the Local Buyer Program, the 1% Fee Reduction for selling your home will be REBATED back to you at Closing of your new home purchase.

Simply put, it provides you with a huge added layer of knowledge, advice and protection. Besides all the negotiation and contract assistance, Buyer’s agents are professional property finders and evaluators. Here are just some of the benefits they provide:

–Expert Advice and Opinions
–Knowledge of Off-market and/or Coming Soon listings
–Coordinating the entire transaction from start to finish
–Negotiation and Purchase Contract expertise
–Understanding Texas Real Estate laws and your legal Obligations
–Providing a layer of protection and communication between buyer and seller
–Legal Fiduciary with Loyalty & Confidentiality guarantees
–Help defining Improvements that remain with the property
–Assistance with Financing and Title aspects
–Assistance understanding Appraisal and Inspection reports
–Listing Agents take your Inquiry & Showing requests seriously
–Having an expert that protects and represents YOUR best interest

Buyer’s Agents have access to Off-Market and Coming Soon listings as well as local knowledge from sellers, other agents and neighbors. They also have back end access to the MLS which provides additional details such as uploaded Seller Disclosure Notices that reveal key info about the property. In addition, searching the MLS is a skill in itself as many times data is entered incorrectly either by accident or intent which results in properties not appearing in the results pages despite qualifying for your search.

More important however is access to exclusive PROPERTY EVALUATION tools as finding a property that SEEMS great is just the first step. Professional Buyer’s agents like Texas Ben for example have access to:

• actual SOLD prices in the area (Texas is a non-disclosure state for sales data)
• zoning of surrounding parcels (to ensure your views last and undesirable neighbors remain away
• ownership info of surrounding parcels (to be able to contact with questions or partial acreage purchases)
• ownership info & details of the Target parcel (to see who owns it, how much they likely still owe, etc)
• flood zone info (including maps of where on the target parcel is flat, dry and buildable for expansion)
• boots-on-the-ground analysis (as well as professional Inspectors to verify all Claims)

In short, finding a great-looking property at a fair price is just the key first step. It takes a true professional to help ensure it’s ACTUALLY worth the money, has no ugly surprises and will fulfill your needs both today and into the future.

This is primarily due to 3 reasons:
–data being entered incorrectly into the MLS can often cause results errors
–sellers who wish to keep their property listing private
–the MLS does not show For Sale By Owner (FSBO) properties

This is due to several potential reasons:
–Privacy and confidentiality
–Avoiding disruptions from showings and drive-bys
–Market testing for price and desirability
–Greater control over who buys the property
–Legal reasons usually related to estate planning

Helping Buyers find EVERY available option IS our specialty! Simply put, WE are your best source for canvasing the extremely large Hill Country area for all properties that either are for sale or “might be” for sale. Word of mouth is powerful in this business and we are hooked into that world and actually enjoy putting in the extra work to discover them for you

–Raw Land
–Builder Lots
–Construction Loans
–1-4 Unit Residential Homes
–Farm and Ranch Properties

This depends upon your specific qualifications and the property type as well. For example, raw land is usually the hardest to finance and typically requires a large 50% down payment. However Texas offers a special Land Loan program for Veterans who qualify that can allow them to purchase raw land with only a 5% down payment!

Similarly, single family homes can require down payments ranging from 0% on VA loans, 3.5% on FHA loans and up to 20% on conventional loans if no mortgage insurance is desired. In general, the more standard property types such as your basic Single Family Home have better financing options whereas the more unique property types such as a huge acreage parcel with a trailer on it have more restrictive terms.

NO. You may obtain your financing from anyone you choose, including a national lender or one in your home state if they are also licensed in Texas. That said local lenders generally have a few advantages, namely that they are familiar with state laws and closing procedures as well as even state-sponsored special loan programs such as the Texas Veterans Land Board which offers a variety of best-in-class loan options to qualifying Veterans.

Please note that there’s a HUGE difference between a “pre-qualification” and a “pre-approval” letter! A Pre-Qualification Letter is merely based upon a lenders review of the information you STATE – it says you appear to be approvable for a loan based upon your credit report and the income, asset and employment info you provided verbally.

A Pre-Approval Letter, however, is based on a lender’s actual review of the Income, Asset and Employment documentation itself, not just information you stated verbally. As a result, it is a MUCH stronger document that truly connotes a prospective Buyer’s ability to purchase as the lender has actually reviewed the qualification documents themselves.

NO. Multiple Credit Report inquiries made by the same TYPE of loan provider (in this case Home mortgage-related) count the same as one inquiry. If you apply for a home loan and then apply for a car loan and/or personal loan, THEN your credit score may be negatively impacted as it suggests you are shopping for credit of any/all type rather than just for a single purchase.

While a wide variety of issues may arise, we tend to see the most issues regarding Income documentation. Lenders have General Guidelines regarding credit score and payment ratios etc however the actual loan decision maker, the Underwriter, has a thick book of other qualifying guidelines that are much more specific and can cause loan denials as a result.

For example, underwriting guidelines often state that your income must be consistent over the past 2 years, in the same job or industry, must be provable and any bonus income must also be consistent to be counted. Self-employed borrowers often write-off much of their income to various expenses so a full review of Tax Returns is often necessary. Other issues that typically arise include lender problems with the Property itself (Title or Appraisal issues), lack of required documentation, source and seasoning issues of down payment funds and unknown liens and judgments appearing on personal credit reports. Overall, we find the financing aspect to be the top issue that arises on Purchase Transactions in general and as such, why we believe getting your loan pre-approved FIRST is the best first step before searching for available properties.

Absolutely! In fact many first-time homebuyers choose the Texas Hill Country as their first home as it represents a true American Dream – not just buying a cookie cutter home on a tiny lot in the city but a real homestead with endless space to expand and the freedom that comes along with owning larger parcels of land.

Mortgage lenders have special programs available for First-time Homebuyers with more flexible terms such as smaller down payment requirements. Inquire with your lender about FHA programs as well as even USDA loans in rural areas.

The Mortgage Rate determines the monthly payment amount yet the APR rate INCLUDES closing costs in order to help consumers differentiate between 2 mortgages offered by 2 different providers.

Assuming both lenders are offering the same rate and same term, in this case let’s use a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 6.00%, you can use the APR to determine which deal is better.
Lender A = 6.00% Interest Rate, 6.25% APR
Lender B = 6.00% Interest Rate, 6.55% APR

While they both offer you the same home loan rate, so your monthly payment will be the same with either loan, Lender A offers the lowest COST to obtain that 6.00% interest rate by virtue of having a lower APR. Lender B is likely charging extra fees (probably Discount points) in order to get that same low 6.00% rate and those extra fees are reflected in the APR, not the loan note rate!

Overall APR is a quick easy way to compare loan COSTS in proportion to the rate they offer. As a result, shopping based on Interest Rate alone is hazardous and inaccurate as you can theoretically pay for ANY rate you want – the real question is HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET THE RATE THEY ARE QUOTING?

YES! Texas is extremely friendly to Veterans and therefore has established an entire Home Loan program just for Veterans. The Texas Veterans Home Loan Board offers 2 popular programs in particular for Veterans:

1. Rate Reduction Program – by going through the VHLB, Veterans can receive a special reduction in interest rate for ANY government or conventional loan they qualify for. That’s right, this is NOT just for VA Loans as it covers FHA and Conventional loans as well. So if the conforming rate for 30-year fixed mortgages is say 6.0%, a qualifying Veteran (full entitlement, Veteran or spouse only) going through the VHLB can get the same exact loan but for around 5.0% instead!

2. Veteran Land Loan Program – buying raw land to hold or build on in the future is often the riskiest of loans for lenders, thereby typically requiring a 50% Down Payment. But for qualifying Veterans in Texas, they can obtain raw land loans with as little as just 5% Down on parcels prices up to $150,000.

When contacting any mortgage lender, be sure to specify whether you are a Veteran and bring up the “Texas VHLB Special Veterans Programs” as many people are not even aware of these very unique and special programs that are only offered in Texas.

1. Proximity to a Large City for supplies and shopping
2. Proximity to a major Airport
3. Local Employment opportunities
4. Town demographics (age, income, schools, crime etc)
5. County politics
6. Restaurant and Fast Food availability
7. Quiet peaceful towns versus higher-traffic Tourist destinations
8. Hobby Availability (Proximity to a large Lake, quality golf course or other hobby)
9. Property Tax rates
10. VIBE – what feeling does this town give you?
When you take these 10 factors into consideration, you can instantly start sifting through the many towns that make up Hill Country to help find the best ones for you.

Simply put, it combines the best aspects of Texas in one area: amazing views, great weather, beautiful elevation changes, unique interesting towns, genuinely friendly people, dark skies with bright stars and yes, LAND AND FREEDOM.

Austin and San Antonio are the best big city options because they are closest to Hill Country and therefore provide great resources to Hill Country residents. But none of those places have the quality LAND that provides the backbone of Hill Country LIFE.

It’s only Hill Country itself where you find the real magic: a series of 20 small towns, each with their own unique calling card, set in the most serene and picturesque part of the state. These towns are not just beautiful and full of friendly people; they are also historical, rich in culture, a haven for both Veterans and freedom-seekers alike and best of all there is SPACE here – enough space to breathe slowly and deeply, all without hearing neighbors sneezing through apartment walls!

As a result, Hill Country does NOT provide the cheapest land in Texas but we consider it to be the most beautiful. Hill Country is separate yet connected – you can live in quiet Burnet and easily go golf for the day in Marble Falls. Or you can live in Boerne but go spend the day wine tasting in Fredericksburg. Or just choose a town closer to the big cities such as Lago Vista and get all the benefits of Lake Life with the convenience of being just 15 minutes from city shopping and dining. The choice is up to you.

Ultimately, Hill Country is awesome and ideal for both long-time Texans as well as those who have been stuck living on small lots in big cities and want to spread their wings onto a nice big lot property as 5 and 10-acre mini-estates are literally everywhere. Embrace freedom, fresh air, beautiful land and the pride of self-sufficiency – let us help make Hill Country your next home and start living the big lot life instead of just dreaming about it.

Hill Country is a VAST area full of unique pockets of hobbies and activities with each town having its own personal calling card. These are merely opinions but can potentially be helpful to you:

LAKE LIFE: Lago Vista, Buchanan Dam, Canyon Lake
If you enjoy spending the day on the water, fishing, boating, jet-skiing and the lake lifestyle, the 3 areas above are great great lake life options.

GOLF: Marble Falls, Lago Vista
Explore the Horseshoe Bay area of Marble Falls to find a wide variety of high-quality courses that are open to the public as well as some nearby exclusive private clubs. Other courses exist in other areas too but are more typical municipal-style courses that won’t satisfy true golf nuts. Disc golf is also abundant in these areas too!

WINERIES & PEACHES: Fredericksburg, Johnson City
The short road from Johnson City to Fredericksburg is long on vineyards and peach farms with over 20 to choose. We call this stretch “Vineyard Alley” as each one has its own tasting rooms and attractions and Fredericksberg even allows the public to walk outside on Main St with wine in hand!

QUIET HISTORICAL TOWNS: Burnet, Blanco, Llano, Mason
These quiet historical Texas towns are right out of the moviesand ooze country living. 

UPSCALE TOWNS: Boerne, Fredericksburg, Spicewood/Lakeway
Fredericksburg doesn’t appear to be overly high-end on the surface yet has the 2 nd highest number of millionaires in the entire State! In addtion, the areas just West and Southwest of Austin like Spicewood, Dripping Springs and Driftwood are much closer to Austin’s luxury enclave of Westlake, which is full of very high-end restaurants, shopping and homes.

Overall, this is just a very crude snapshot but hopefully conveys the incredible VARIETY that you will find in Hill Country. That variety provides great choices but also requires a decent amount of effort in order to narrow down and select the right area for YOU.

Yes, our area tours are exclusively for our Clients. The Client Agreement allows us to provide professional advice and opinions and no tour would be worth it’s salt without being able to obtain authentic insights from people in the know.
Being a client means these Tours can be fully tailored to your needs. Whether you need to be picked up and dropped off at a specific airport, whether you wish to view a sampling of towns or focus in-depth and spend more time on specific ones or even use the opportunity to view some interesting actual properties for sale, Ben will be happy to drive you around until you have ALL the information and perspective you need to make the right and best choice for you.

NO, the area tours we provide are PRIVATE in which you and your guests are the only group onboard. You will be able to relax in the back of a clean spacious Mercedes-Benz van with plush carpeting, special sound insulation, comfortable reclining captain’s chairs and other related luxuries.

Yes, in several capacities:
1. GEOGRAPIC COMPETENCY – While we try to cover all of Hill Country for our Buyer Clients, that is literally impossible due to Hill Country’s enormous size. As such, when we have a client who desires purchasing in an area we don’t have solid local expertise in, we look to co-broker to an expert in that market while remaining involved to ensure the Client receives the high level of service and support we require.
2. FIELD OF EXPERTISE – While we focus on residential and smaller ranch properties under 50 acres, we also encounter Buyers who wish to purchase specialty properties for equestrian usage, farming of particular crops, commercial use and more. For these special types of properties, we generally seek out a co-Broker opportunity, again in which we maintain involvement for the client’s benefit.
3. WE ACCEPT REFERRALS – We accept Client Referrals from Agents and Brokers around the country. If you have a Client looking to move to Hill Country, Austin or San Antonio, please contact us as we have a formal Referral Program and Commission available for you.
4. WE PROVIDE REFERRALS – Besides the co-Broker opportunities within Hill Country discussed above, when we have Clients moving out of the area, we can often help them find a qualified Agent in the area/state they are moving to. In these cases, we will contact you directly.