Looking for a winter home (Dallas, San Antonio: real estate, to rent, insurance)

[terryandgerry]

We are Canadians who are getting close to retirement and fed up with freezing for 6 months of the year. We are hoping to buy an inexpensive home in a small town outside of San Antonio to spend our winters in. We do not have a lot of money to invest, but don't need perfection. This will be more like a cottage for us. What we do need is a relaxed atmosphere that is fairly safe - some place where we can leave our home in the Spring and expect to come back and find it still in one piece the next Winter. I am seeing a lot of homes available in the $35,000-$45,000 bracket which is about what we can afford. Is this a pipe dream? Would a place like this be livable without spending a fortune? Any suggestions on locations, what pitfalls to look out for, how to best go about this would be appreciated. At this point we are planning a trip to San Antonio in the winter to check out the area and maybe buy if the right home is available. If we were able to get a nice enough place (or cheap enough that we could fix it up nice) it would be interesting to try to rent it out by the week or month as a vacation home. This might bring in enough to cover the high taxes and other ongoing expenses while we are away. Any ideas?

[lifertexan]

For something decent in that price range you will probably need to be in a small town that isn't considered a prime area,as many small towns in the Hill Country are.The further away from a major metro area the better.Anything within a decent commute of a big city goes up.To be honest,for someone from Canada anything south of I-20 is going to be very comfortable in winter.You would save some money looking up closer to I-20,south to southeast of Austin, or on down south of San Antonio out of the pricey Hill Country area.Just try to stay at least 50 miles away from the Mexico border.

In looking at individual houses,just use a reputable real estate agent and get a real estate inspection done by a licensed inspector.It is the law that they have to tell you any known flaws.Get an insurance agent to look at it also to make sure it is insurable without doing any immediate repairs such as a new roof or new plumbing.The main things to check out are the roof,mold and water damage,plumbing,and electrical.Some insurance companies won't even write coverage on a house that has had water damage for fear of the so-called "toxic" mold.

[MoMark]

We look forward to you spending your winters in the USA! LiferTexan makes great points, and personally, if it were me, I'd choose somewhere near San Antonio too as the food and restaurants are wonderful, and I'm a HUGE authentic Mexican food fan. I recommend looking up realtor.com and choosing San Antonio on the site to browse through. You can find nice homes for very little money in many parts of Texas. Property taxes can bite though, but if the value of the house is under $50,000 or so, I can't imagine it would be too much. Like Lifertexan says, getting a good inspector is paramount. Most of Texas doesn't seem to be as affected by the national housing bubble, so prices are still among the most reasonable in America. I'd imagine a two-bedroom, 1.5 bath modest home with a maintenance-free backyard and front yard would be perfect for you, especially in a good neighborhood with well kept homes. Then you'd meet your neighbors and have people who'd watch over your property while you're away in the summer. Good luck!

[210]

Bandera and Mico are great locals. both are abput 30 miles from downtown San Antonio and 12 miles from the city limits.

cbharper.com has a nice 3 bedroom 2 bath house for 42,000 dollars.

[terryandgerry]

Thank you for all the helpful replies. I think south or east of San Antonio is where we'll most likely be looking. Castroville looks lovely, but may be pricey for us. I guess we can't say for sure until we get there. Are there any towns in particular that would be good to avoid? - I'm thinking of things like gang activity or someplace that is largely populated by a sect or religious cult? Sorry if these sound like silly questions. We've never even been to Texas and here we are hoping to make a trip down for a week and buy a house! Are there any particular things we should be concerned about that we may not be familiar with up here-- such as hurricanes, tornadoes, termites. Another question is how do you think the welcome would be? Texas hospitality is famous worldwide, but we also hear a lot about strained relations between our two countries and sometimes hard feelings. Maybe this is more in the Norther border area and won't filter down that far.

[lifertexan]

Originally Posted by terryandgerry

Are there any towns in particular that would be good to avoid? - I'm thinking of things like gang activity or someplace that is largely populated by a sect or religious cult?

The further away from a major metro area the more unlikely.But just stop in at a few Sheriff and DPS offices around the area you are interested in and ask.We have a fundamentalist Mormon cult near me,and the local law enforcement is very up on their activities.

Are there any particular things we should be concerned about that we may not be familiar with up here-- such as hurricanes, tornadoes, termites.

Of the three,termites might be the only real worry.This should get covered in a real estate inspection,especially if you ask.Don't worry about the others.Only a major hurricane can do damage further inland and is known about days ahead of time.Tornados seem scary but the odds of being in one are astronomically low.You will be more at risk driving down from Canada than you ever will be from a tornado,and they almost always happen in Spring and Summer.

Another question is how do you think the welcome would be? Texas hospitality is famous worldwide, but we also hear a lot about strained relations between our two countries and sometimes hard feelings. Maybe this is more in the Norther border area and won't filter down that far.

Nobody down here cares about that unless you come in and do a Dixie Chick thing.You will be as welcomed as anyone unless you make yourself unwelcome by your actions.Now someone from France.....

[mystree]

That was too funny lifer..lol

[terryandgerry]

OK, I don't even know what a Dixie Chick thing is, but I'm pretty sure I won't do it LOL!

[lifertexan]

The Dixie Chicks are the country and western singers who said onstage that they were embarrassed by President Bush.I'm not a big GWB fan myself,but a lot of people here take offense to such statements.Just be friendly and people here will return the friendship.

[MoMark]

That part of Texas is actually quite nice, but it can be very, very hot and muggy. Texas has been unusually warm even through the past winter except for one brief freeze that seemed to grip Dallas a couple of days. I personally find it too warm through too many seasons, but... the tradeoff for persons such as yourselves from colder climes...maybe you'd like that heat!
You say you have not yet been to Texas... I honestly warn you against buying a home somewhere you're not the least bit familiar with Terry and Gerry. Wouldn't it make more sense to allow the Canadian Dollar to appreciate against the Greenback through the winter while "renting" a place around San Antonio so you can see if it works for you first? There are many reasons for not jumping in too quickly... you may find you don't like it! Then you're stuck with a house to sell in a lousy market in the middle of a national economic slowdown. Rent first. If you do, then you can take the time to look around and discover the areas you like, proximity to shopping, restaurants, outdoor activities, etc.... and... it would be a lot cheaper too. As for anti-Canadian feeling... I doubt you'd experience it. There is some left over from the previous Chretien and Paul Martin governments, both men I myself would have liked to oxygenate with a solid punch... and there was a perception that Canada turned it's back on us at our lowest point, despite the rerouting of planes,etc. after 9/11, and that many Canadians treat Americans badly with rudeness. But, most Americans judge, like Canadians, the people they interact with on a personal level. I doubt you'd have problems, if anything, you might find the Texans TOO hospitable!