Flash Flood Alley and the Blanco River

Hays County sits in the part of Central Texas known as Flash Flood Alley, where steep terrain and thin soil over limestone send heavy rain into creeks and rivers within hours. Over Memorial Day weekend in 2015 the Blanco River ran at record flood levels through Wimberley and downstream, damaging homes along the river. San Marcos has its own flood history along the San Marcos River and its creeks.

In unincorporated Hays County, nearly any development needs a county floodplain permit, including fill, sheds, and pools. When a flood-damaged house in a mapped flood zone is repaired past a threshold share of its value, floodplain rules can require bringing the whole structure up to current standards. That is why river-adjacent houses here sit half repaired. We buy them at any stage.

Aquifer rules, wells, and septic on Hill Country property

Parts of Hays County lie on the Edwards Aquifer recharge, transition, and contributing zones, where the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requires an approved plan before regulated construction. A single home generally avoids an individual plan only if it is on more than five acres, keeps impervious cover at or below 20 percent, or sits in a community with an approved plan. A buyer who wants to add on, rebuild, or split the land has to work within those limits.

Most acreage outside the cities runs on a private well and septic. Hays County requires a permit for any new, replacement, or altered septic system, so a failing system means a permitted replacement, not a patch. Old wells, undocumented septic systems, and unclear property lines are common reasons a financed contract on Hill Country property falls through. We buy it with those questions still open.

Growth-corridor subdivisions and San Marcos rentals

Much of the new housing around Kyle, Buda, and San Marcos is in a Municipal Utility District, a Public Improvement District, or both. Besides the statutory MUD notice, Texas requires a separate written PID notice before the contract is binding, disclosing the assessment and the buyer's right to pay it off. Add the MUD rate, the school district, and an HOA, and a newer house can carry more than buyers expect, while competing with builders still selling nearby.

San Marcos requires every long-term rental within city limits to be registered, and it limits how many unrelated people may live in a dwelling. Student rentals near Texas State tend to come with heavy wear, August lease cycles, and tenants still in place when the owner decides to sell. We buy them occupied.

Hays County property we buy

  • Houses along the Blanco River and Cypress Creek in and around Wimberley
  • Homes that flooded in 2015 or since, repaired, half repaired, or untouched
  • Hill Country acreage near Dripping Springs and Wimberley on wells and septic
  • Houses with failing, undersized, or unpermitted septic systems
  • Newer houses in Kyle, Buda, and San Marcos subdivisions with MUD taxes or PID assessments
  • Student rentals and small multifamily near Texas State, with tenants in place
  • Older houses near downtown San Marcos and Kyle that were never updated
  • Inherited houses where the owner passed away and nothing was ever filed

Courts, records, and closing in Hays County

San Marcos is the county seat. The Hays Central Appraisal District sets appraised values, and the Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector bills and collects property taxes. Deeds, deeds of trust, and liens are recorded with the Records Division of the Hays County Clerk. Hays County has no statutory probate court. Probate cases are filed with the County Clerk's Courts Division and heard in the county courts at law. If an estate case is already open, send us the cause number.

San Marcos Code Compliance handles code and rental-registration cases in that city; Kyle, Buda, and the other cities run their own. A title company closes the sale, and Texas has no transfer tax on the deed. On acreage, the survey and septic permit history usually take longest, so we request them first.

Frequently asked questions

Do you buy houses that flooded on the Blanco River in Wimberley?

Yes. Tell us what flooded, when, what was repaired, and whether an insurance or buyout claim was paid. We buy at any stage, including houses where work never started.

Will you buy acreage with an old well and a septic system nobody can find records for?

Yes. We plan for the well and septic to need work. A missing permit history affects the price, but it does not stop the sale.

My Kyle house is in a MUD and a PID. Does that make it hard to sell?

It narrows the pool of financed buyers, but not us. Both notices go with the contract, and the remaining PID balance is already in our number.

Is it a problem if the property is over the Edwards Aquifer?

Not for us. The rules mainly limit new construction and impervious cover, which we account for in the offer.

Do you buy San Marcos student rentals with tenants in place?

Yes. The leases and security deposits transfer to us at closing, so no one has to move out first.

My parent's house in San Marcos was never put through probate. Can you still buy it?

Often yes. Title has to be cleared first, through probate, a muniment of title, or an affidavit of heirship the title company accepts. Start that early.

Hays County property and court resources

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