Moving to S.A. & nervous! (San Antonio, Schertz: to rent, loan, houses)

[SA08]

Hi all! I've been reading your forum for several days now & appreciate all the wonderful information!

We are moving to S.A. this summer. My husband is retiring from the military & we've decided that S.A. is the place for us (many reasons I won't get into all of them now) though we've never been there! We hope to visit at least for a few days later this month.

From reading here - I really wanted to rent for a while & get to know the area. BUT, hubby is in a big hurry to buy as we've been bouncing around with the military for so long. We are hoping to get something for under 150K with 3-4 bedrooms.

We have a 9 y.o. and an infant so we do need to get somewhere between the time the 9 y.o. gets out of school here & before school starts there.

I'm loving what I'm seeing about the Schertz area. A few other areas look interesting too. This is almost impossible to get a real fix on considering he's still looking for a job & we have no clue where he'll be working. IF he were to get a job say at Lackland, what type of commute would it be from Schertz? Looks pretty bad to me but without having done it - I can't tell.

Also, I'm VERY nervous about ending up in an area that floods. I have tried looking at the flood maps but they are not really making sense to me.

Any insights are much appreciated

[gy2020]

SA08: If your in town around April 18, come to our party at Gruene Hall and meet some of the members of this forum!!! Love to have you.

[rd2007]

The people I work with (on Lackland and Kelly) that live around the Schertz area say the commute isn't bad because they're going the opposite way of traffic. There is going to be a distance issue, but at least he'll be able to go at pretty much any speed he wants.
I'd normally suggest renting before buying, but right now is such a buyers market. It might be in your best financial interest to take advantage of the situation. I would definitely suggest visiting for at least a few days though. Make sure at least one of them is a week day and check out how the commute would be.

[SA08]

THANK YOU for the info Looks like we'll take a closer look at Schertz & Selma. Do any of you know if those areas are subject to flooding?

[The Man in SATX]

Some of Schertz is in the flood plane. I would check it out carefully .. if you go further up on the North Part of Schertz (which is where they are building almost everything new now) you should be okay. The southern part of Schertz (near Randolph AFB) is prone to flooding. But that happens only when we get BIG rains... which hasnt occured very many times (thank god).

[allylang1]

We are also going to be moving to schertz. Bought a house in kensington ranch. I really like that area. Can't wait to be there we will be there at the end of may.

[gypsymomma]

Originally Posted by allylang1

We are also going to be moving to schertz. Bought a house in kensington ranch. I really like that area. Can't wait to be there we will be there at the end of may.

Those places look really nice! Too bad they are a bit out of our $$ range or we might have been neighbors

[rd2007]

Just use common sense when you're looking at houses. If the house or land you are looking at is near a river, down near the lowest level of the surrounding land, or next to a road that has flood gauges, get back in the car and drive somewhere else. The worst flooding areas always have flood gauges and sometimes it actually does get up as high as they go. Rain tends to come all at once here and then it doesn't do jack for over 6 months..

[Steel Man]

Originally Posted by SA08

...I'm loving what I'm seeing about the Schertz area. A few other areas look interesting too. This is almost impossible to get a real fix on considering he's still looking for a job & we have no clue where he'll be working....

Good choice on retiring in the San Antonio area. Although it is a buyer's market for homes, financing is tighter these days (though still at good rates). You might consider renting for 6-12 months. Unless you're ready to put a large down payment, your husband's income is going to be a lot lower being retired and your loan amount could be reduced. Also, when he finds a job and has some stability, it will increase your buying power.

Good Luck in your retirement and finding a place to live.

[PopsGuysRule]

Welcome SA08!!
Yes, do try to come to the get together at Greune Hall in April! Would be a great way to meet lots of us and also, pick some brains about all the moving/buying stuff....