🤔 Thinking of buying or selling a home in Texas Hill Country? Let me help you! 🏡 📲 Call or Text: (830) 890-1943 📩 Email: ryanrendon@joinreal.com 📅 For Home Consultation: www.rendonrealtygrouptx.com
Points taken. If you can't take the heat, don't come. It's always been hot here. If you don't come, maybe property values will stabilize. We drive. And measure travel by time, not miles. If you want to take trains, don't come. The more development, the more water will be an issue. It's always been dry. Except when it rains. Then it floods. So if you're citified and not up to the hardships, don't come. If you expect to try and change it, don't come. You'll be happier somewhere else.
@@ellenpetermen3195 As a native San Diegan (California, as there is one in Texas), yes, everything except the idea that there are rivers applies to Southern California. Although, there are closer cities, but you can't afford a home or even rent there. No real worries within the City about public bus access.
I am so sad that Fredericksburg and the Hill Country have been ruined. The Austin area has been ruined also. As a native Texan, I cant imagine why people want to move here. It's hot as hell, either too humid or too dry and windy. Nothing like those good ole Texas DIRT storms, hail and tornadoes 🌪 I've lived here all my life so I know how to survive, but trust me, when it's 105° with 95% humidity at 11 o'clock at night, you're gonna freak. And if you're driving, you'll know when you get here because everyone will be going 85 mph so you'd best speed up or get out of the way.
Is it possible to have a temperature of 105 degrees and humidity at 95%? I live about an hour west of Houston and when it's 105 degrees the humidity is somewhere in the 30-40%. Wait......maybe anywhere down on the coast? 🤔
I visited Fredericksburg for the 1st time and I liked it but what's with all the wine tasting joints? Are there really that many wine snobs out there drinking that crap? Wine is a serious waste of grapes and farmland IMHO.
@@donaldoehl7690 There are 30+ wineries within 30 miles of Fredericksburg. If people liked wine that much, why didn't they stay in CA. Why bring it here?
Moved to Southern California when I was four years old, and moved to North Texas when I was 65. Another difficult thing us refugees have to deal with, when I would go to Home Depot, I had to plan 30+ minute drive time each way, for 3 1/2-4 mile drive. Here in north Texas, I have to plan 30 minutes of standing around in the store, talking to someone I’ve never met before. The people are so friendly, we are loving it here.
Texas has many property tax exemptions you can claim. They have a Veteran’s Tax Exemption, homestead, disability, etc.; so one has the option of locking the property tax at a lower rate.
my bill this yr is $315.13 .since i hit 65 i got the school taxes eliminated, never had kids anyway. my county & city bill was lowered because i got the exemption of over 65 & had homestead exemption. it had been close to $800. my house is worth about $65,000. we also voted to lower property tax, & it passed this yr.
Taxation is theft. The fact we Texans can NEVER own a piece of land is an anathema to the freedom that is supposed to be what Texas is all about. If you are thinking to yourself "That's not true! I own land in Texas!" I ask, are you still paying for it? What happens if you stop paying the "taxes" on the land you "own"? The government takes it away from you. You don't own land, you are renting it from the government and they can evict you from it the second you stop paying for it. The founding fathers would be appalled about property tax.
How should infrastructure be paid for then.... municipality or county..... Is it like collateral....you don't pay your share, they confiscate, for the use of said infrastructure.....no? Maybe the better route is to just trust everyone on their word .....lets see how that goes ... Just to be clear though a big government is a bastard.....States Rights!
Eighth generation. If anyone wants to relocate to Texas, please respect our state. We want Texas to remain a conservative state. It's not for everybody, and that's a good thing. 👌
Was born in West Texas but have lived all over. One thing I miss is the old hill country. Just dropped the daughter off to Texas State and was shocked at the growth every few months. You all can have it. Never thought I'd feel crowded in Texas. I left Dallas a few years back for a reason. Yall can keep the crowds. I'll stick to wide open spaces which means no more visits down your way. Can't even get into a cafe anymore without a 15min wait. Most I know from down around the Austin San Antone area are leaving cause they cant afford living there anymore. Hope it settles down soon.
The home I grew up in, my mother bought in 1958 for $9k is now on the market for $325k. Of course she sold the home in '76 for I believe $30k and moved to East Texas and followed her boys. Land there when I was a kid land sold for $75.00 per acre. When I left the Hill Country, land was selling for $4000.00 per acre with an average of 1/2 inch of topsoil. That was also ''76. Rich people have made it totally unaffordable to move back there now although I call it my roots. I can only visit and tent or RV camp. There is no industry to support the cost of living. It is only wealthy retirees who can afford it. Texas may not have a State income Tax but we sure have out of control property Tax. You will spend easy $600 per month property tax on a $200k home. Well until they reappraise it more next year.
I live in South Central Texas. My taxes went from $2,000 a year to $5,000 a year. We now get disabled vet and 65 tax credits. We have 3 acres and a 1970s home. Land value went from $5,000 an acre 5 years ago, to $55,000 an acre this year. 50 acres overgrown with mesquite and no water. Electricity or septic just sold for $1,006,000, in less than a week.
As a native Texas looking to leave big city and retire in rural Texas, please scare off those out of state folks jacking up the cost of land and bringing their bad politics.
I live in Colorado Springs and it's the same thing can't afford it anymore. Everyone from California and even Texas moved here. Now it's out of control.
same here....i lived in austion from 1977 to 2000......got out before the "keep austin weird" crowd arrived with all their computer stuff....fond memories of the "onward thru the fog" austin
@@ronniebrown2517 that was a good time to be there. I got there in 2000 and got a taste of the jewel before it got buried. Eight years there and felt it’s last breath, I think. I thought I heard the sound of Towns Van Zant and Roky Erikson rolling over in their graves as I headed out.
@@jonboatwright7777 i worked with roky's brother....enjoyed the split rail, broken spoke, armadillo world headquarters, cellar door, soap creek salon, rome inn, bentwood tavern, on and on and on....lived there for 23 years and totally enjoyed most of it....
very hot, lacks adequate rainfall, infrastructure is limited, housing is costly, crowded, been too developed and tourism, minimal job prospects, and medical care is limited
WHEN YOU SAID THAT PROPERTY TAXES go to keeping our schools and roads in tiptop shape, I almost crapped my pants! If this is tiptop shape, I’d hate to see crappy. I’ve seen better roads in Iraq.
Well done. Moved to area 26 years ago from west TX. You hit all the key points. For anyone moving rural, I'd check FEMA flood zones first. Get rain barrels, and plant natives to handle the heat. I miss the small town vibes, seeing Longhorns grazing while driving into Austin, and less traffic. Back in the day, driving to Fredericksburg was a peaceful country drive.
It's still peaceful coming from west or panhandle. Not too peaceful as it used to be coming from New Braunsfel, Austin or even Bastrop. I hate that others from outside of Texas are buying it up, sucking our water dry, and making that lib blue trickle out of Austin.
I live in the piney woods area of Texas. And we've got lots of wildlife.....and snakes. Rattle snakes, cotton mouths, water mosacons , king snakes, garden snakes , coral snakes, then there's the wild hogs, coyotes, an occasional wolf, wild packs of dogs, the rare mountain lion and bear. Eagles, hawks, big ole owls.....so keep a close eye on your tiny dogs. And I love it here. Then again I'm a native born texasan.
The Texas Hill Country was paradise 10 years ago or more before the liberal invasion from other states. This has negatively impacted local politics and the cost of land. It has lost its small town appeal and laid back nature.
Excellent video. Most important to me is #5 Property Taxes and #3 Water worries. Property taxes are particularly tough for retirees, having to basically pay rent to the government forever for our fully paid for property.
You forgot getting sold out by your neighbors when they allow wind turbines to be built on top of your house destroying your property value and life as they did in Mills County TX (North Hill County).....Be vigilant! Biggest mistake of my life moving here
If you really want to live in our Hill Country, I suggest consider your state of health and age. If you have major health conditions, this is the place you don't want to be. I'm a RN so I'm just giving some advice. If you do choose to live in the Hill Country with a health condition, you will be driving a lot to either Austin, Dallas, San Antonio or Houston. These major cities in Texas are the ones that have anything that a doctor would order for any kind of testing or surgery. Major health conditions can be time consuming for the person, and sometimes you shouldn't be driving. A lot of people do live in the country and when something happens, let me say that TIME is always paramount in a person living or not. Use your imagination here. I know some people won't like to hear this about age and health but it's just a fact of life. I live where the Hill Country starts and let me tell you I'm not going out any further. Texas is great in the fall and spring but HORRIBLE in the summer. This starts from June to September. So say your health condition is HTN. You shouldn't really be exposed to extreme heat or cold for any long periods of time. So, for 4 months out of the year, you are inside your home with the A/C on and waiting for that big utility bill to come. That is the way it is here.
so true....when i was living in austin, someone told me.....the only real problem is over population/people.....ANY problem you discuss is a symptom of over population/people
I've been living South of Houston on the Coast.. Plenty of high dollar jobs in the Petro Chemical Industry down here & have a little "Country Living" with Deer & Hogs on my property but I'm in the County where I can shoot, hunt & a 1/2 mile from small Cities for groceries, fuel, etc. Hill Country is way overpriced, imo
That dirty word - development" goes hand in hand with flooding. When you build without regard for nature that is what happens. Also, it always amazes me how people from the city always look at the wide open spaces and their first thought is - lets build a whole tract of houses and make the property lines 10 feet bigger than the footings of the houses.
The seclusion aspect is absolutely correct. We lived in Canyon Lake for years, and while beautiful, my commute to work was 102 miles round trip every day. When living in the Hill Country of Texas, distance is measured in miles, not blocks, and medical rescue helicopters are a common sight for acute medical emergencies requiring a hospital, which is 25 or more miles away. You learn to plan and shop for weeks at a time, because of these distances.
I grew up in NW Texas and still call that my original "Home". I currently live in NW NM (Four Corners area). I love NW NM as far as scenery/climate and most of the people (as well as close access to so many great places). I really like the daily 40-degree temperature swings and seeing four seasons. I don't like some of the politics regarding taxes, direction, etc., as much though. If I ever leave here, I would probably go back to Texas because of the good folks in the smaller towns. The last 30 years have done a lot of emotional and political damage to the bigger cities though. Peace, Love!! Good luck in your ventures!!
Seniors don't have the income to offset the property taxes and no the small senior exemption doesn't make a dent. And other States that don't have income tax, their property taxes are much less, basically half - explain that.
Texas is a great place to live. I've been here all of my 73 years. I used to be a city girl but now I prefer living rural. If you're going to move to Texas, like anything else, do your research. Bye, y'all! ❤
Just spent the weekend up in the Texas hillcountry; stayed in Blanco then in San Marcos. Spent Saturday watching the solar eclipse from Shady Llama lounge in Wimberley Texas, then met some friends at Treaty Oak for a beer and live music. Sunday, did ACL festival all day in Austin. Absolutely gorgeous weather, low 50's in the morning, breezy all weekend, never crept above 75, and with previous weeks of ample rain really pepped up the greenery. Autumn and Spring really are like heaven in the hillcountry. Winter really isnt that bad either. Its that 4 months of pure summer hell that leaves its sting. Since 1995 I've frequented the entire Texas hill country: camping, hiking, wine touring, biking, concerts, floating and boating. Lived in San Marcos, Wimberly and Austin in the mid to late 1990's. Had intended on relocating from Houston where I reside and work now, to Austin, in order to spend my later years in life away from Houston rat race that has transitioned to a traffic nightmare, and foreign cultural occupation of people i no longer identify with. Had sought land to purchase in the Dripping Springs, Wimberley corridor for more than a decade up until 2021, when land prices increased some 300-400%. Now the cost per acre is far beyond reason, and a large tract of 5 acres or more is out of reach. There is no reason to live in the hillcountry if you cant own at least 2 acres. Living in a housing development in the hillcountry is too stuffy and confined. So, i think i may finally end my pursuit of live in the Texas hillcountry on my own spread of land. Texas has become way too hot in the summer for prolonged periods of time, droughts, heat, overdevelopment. Beautiful mountain land in Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana is selling for 1/2 to 1/4 the cost per acre, and is pretty as the Texas hillcountry is, its not a real comparison to the big mountain valleys and range land in the Rockies. We shall see how it goes. I may very well end up in Austin very soon to work 10 more years and stage out of SouthEast Texas humidity. However my days in Texas may finally come to a close. Too hot, overrun by migrants, cost of land far beyond the pale of reason for what you get for the money. I would miss my home Texas, people and culture, but sometimes change and opportunity will pull the heart and soul to a new promised land.
As a Hill Country “survivor” LOL, we find living off grid worth everything. It’s back to simplicity! Yes it’s work, for one has to adapt to being tough minded, creative, skilled, resourceful and willing to forego the cement jungles of anything like city comforts. Too many have become too dependent and helpless
1. Thanks for getting these 10 reasons out so people won't come here. You left out most Texans carry a firearm, and 4 firearms are the state minimum. Scary for foreigners (not talkin' 'bout the band). 2. All 10 reasons can apply to any Texas region. 3. BTW, my real estate taxes just went down 59%, however, don't tell the foreigners that! 4. You forgot about how we drive, but that would fill up another whole video on '10 reasons you don't want to drive in Texas'. Don't forget about the Austinites who exit the interstate from the left lane.😀
Don't forget wildfires and volunteer fire departments that are 40-60 minutes away. Lived there for 10 years. Nothing made my heart freeze faster than rounding a curve on a long farm-to-market road home and seeing smoke rising in the distance from the area where my home was. I take that back; rattlesnake encounters were scarier. That said, I absolutely loved it and would love to move back. I loved it because of the ruggedness, not in spite of it. If you don't want to live a rugged, isolated, nature-dominated, self-sufficient, pioneer-ish lifestyle, don't even think about moving here. If you do, get a gun; the sheriff is also 40-60 minutes away.
I've been a Texas transplant for most of my life. Lived here as a child, got here as fast as I could and after 8 years in the Army, I high tailed it right on down, bought a house and built a life. I'm now on my third home and retired. I've owned a couple motorcycle shops over the years and we rode down to the Hill Country 3-4 times a year. It got so popular that I'd rent an entire hotel and give guided tours. It got so that many of my customers from the cities, moved south. You hit on a lot of the good and bad of the Texas Hill Country and I know most of it like the back of my hand even though I live almost 300 miles north of ya. Like you, we kinda have our own "Hill Country" in Palo Pinto county, just a lot more wooded, and like you, we have a lot of city folk running out here for a little piece of our heaven. HUGE boom in housing development but still the same amount of water is getting to be troublesome. Don't California my TEXAS!
In my mid 50's and lived here my entire life. I think i would trade a state income tax for property taxes. Property tax is like paying rent for life one never truly owns property here . At least with a state income tax it is based on what one earns per year, not what some county tax assessor deciding what your property is worth yearly.
I lived in Fredericksburg for a summer while I built a dance hall. My wife and daughter spent the whole summer exploring the hill country while I worked every day. They love that town.
I’m from up north and lived here in The Hill Country , Central Texas for just over 13 years . I’ve seen two majors droughts now . And with that comes water restrictions where you have to watch your landscaping wilt and grass turn yellow and go dormant. Also here in Central Texas I’ve seen it snow at least 3 times now . We lost our power and water for 3 or 4 days . My wife had to be moved because she was on oxygen 24/7 . Along with that we had sustained single digit temps of seven degrees for a solid week . And also had a snow storm to go along with it dumping 6 inches of snow . In 2021’ we experienced a golf ball sized hail storm that damaged my ten month old car to the tune of $11 K dollars and we also had to replace our roof . Our son which lives within twenty miles of us had to replace his roof as well . That said my son’s roof now has to be replaced right now due to another hail storm with baseball sized hail about two weeks ago .😢 We moved to Texas for the 300 days of sunshine that we expected to have here in central Texas in the hill country near Austin Texas . We have also had summers with triple digit temperatures for 100 consecutive days . The harsh temps are bruttle on the materials of your homes . And yes there are critters as well . We have had scorpion’s in our brand new home . And still see an occasional rattle snake here in our subdivision. That said Fall weather is upon us and it was 41 degrees this morning and afternoon temperature expected of 77 degrees with lots of sunshine; ).
Heat? I lived in FL for 27 years before moving to Austin in January 2018. This is nothing compared to FL. I would love to see wildlife in my back yard. After all, we did take that land from them. I love Hill Country, it’s just too expensive to live out there. I’m in Cedar Park and I love it here.
Whenever people talk to me about moving to Texas and the Hill Country, I inform them that the winters can be nastier than in San Antonio. Many times the added altitude leads to colder temperatures and more ice. I also like to remind them that the nearest major medical facilities are in San Antonio and Austin.
As a native Texan who was born and raised in the Texas Hill Country. All I can really say to this is, Y'all come and see us. Come and enjoy yourself and experience all the things we have to offer, from the San Antonio river walk to one of our many many Texas state parks. Just please do us a few favors. Please be polite, especially to women and our older generations!! Please respect our land by not littering, or accidentally burning the place down. Finally, Please go home!! We aren't going anywhere. So y'all can come and visit as often as you like. Y'all be safe out there and have a good one!! We'll see ya next time 🤠😎
Moved from Austin to the Hill Country in 2015. Love it out here. My favorite is the wildlife. I have deer, raccoons, possums, skunks, rabbits, armadillos, foxes, coyotes, and on a rare occasion what I believe is a bobcat. However, you do have to be careful last year. I found three different rattlesnakes in my driveway and one on my front porch. However, if you respect them, they leave you alone.
I lived in TX for ten very long years. So happy to be back to my home state. The hill country is beautiful ... to Texans, because most of them haven't been anywhere else. I've been in all the states in the union except Hawaii. There are beautiful places in every state that have much more beauty than the Hill Country and with a lot less negatives.
If you’re going to move to Texas,don’t live too close to Louisiana. If you do you’ll get the humidity of Louisiana and the heat from Texas. I lived in Lone Star,it was like a jungle. I was stationed on Guam, and it was wasn’t as bad as East Texas
The heat is ubiquitous in the south and yes, Texas is HOT! As has been well said by several people below, stay away if you can't handle it. Seeing that beautiful country "polluted' by throngs of people makes every Texas a little sad unless maybe you are in the construction or real estate business. If you stay away, you will not be hurting a lot of people, believe me!
I moved from San Antonio, Texas after retiring from the Military. I don't miss the heat, the people, the traffic, the cedar, or rent increases. In reality, you can keep Texas.
@@jimmyhaley727 who said anything about communism? Texas isn't for everyone, and that doesn't mean you're not conservative or republican whatever.. next
Plan yrs ahead when it comes to property taxes especially if you retire early. I'm 63yo and retired at 50 and over that time my property taxes have more than tripled from less than 3k to over 9k a yr which is more than what I pay in income taxes.
Many people moving here are having black roofs put on their homes and dark metal siding on out buildings. This makes the inside hotter in the summertime. Our Texas property taxes are unbearable as many of us hill country residents are being forced out and our young people cannot afford to live on their own. Be prepared for your kids to never be able to move out on their own here in Texas..
I grew up in DFW. After my husband’s death i finally sold our house and headed south to New Braunfels on my way to Mexico. After a year in Mexico I’m done.. can’t handle it. I found a little fixer upper near Canyon Lake again.. I’m grateful it’s better than DFW and not too far from the hill country hikes and swims and not too far from Austin and SA. And no allergies thankfully.
The cedar pollen is brutal. Year around. If you have cedar allergies, it's an everyday event. No thank you. I don't want to take medicine everyday just so I can breathe. My sister lives in San Antonio and it affects her on a daily basis. So, it just not in the rural areas.
Absolutely! Before you vote, ask what screwed up where you lived before. You may think country people are ignorant and not sophisticated enough to understand the nuances of politics but ask yourself why this was the place you picked to move to.
well pardner if you are not happy in Texas I would suggest you pack your bags and take your tookus (family friendly) back to wherever you came from. I am Texas born second generation. My granddaddy was smart enught to tell the people in New York state they could go to he!! and went to Texas. For a Yankee he was a real smart fellow.
The only draw back on your list is the spiraling land prices. I lived in San Antonio for 18-20 yrs and hated to see it become such a rat race. You being from the hill country you should know the water in the Frio never warms up much...lol. I've lived all over Texas. Texas City to Dallas and Longview to Corpus Christi and Texas is changing and not the way some of us would like. Who ever thought that Medina Lake would ever go dry and that you'd not be able to go from Austin to Marble Falls by boat. Austin used to be weird and now it's WOKE. HOWEVER, I retired from truckin' about 12 years ago and moved back to TEXAS cause I refuse to die and be buried outside Texas borders. Enjoyed the video.
Dang. I said the same thing about being buried in Texas when it was time to leave the military. Now I'm not sure. People ruined the state the were born in and bring those same ideas with them. REMBER- If you sale to "them"; jack the price up by 4x. 90k - 120k per acre.😉
Born and raised, baby! My favorite thing to do is tell new people to watch out for scorpions. “You don’t see them but they’re EVERYWHERE. They like to hide between the toilet seat and bowl. Or in pillowcases…” 😂
Good to see a shot of Dana Peak Park. But will agree that seeing the hilly landscape change to make room for custom homes has become a sore eye over the years.
Third Gen texan. Used to have family in Blanco. “Fritztown” (fredericksburg) hasn’t been the same since it was discovered by sun dress and straw hat crowd from Austin and SA. It’s a shame.
Austin is fantastic. Been here for 10 years after 50 years in Houston. The high heat is only from June 15 - September 15. Then there is about 8 months of great weather except for jan-feb when it's cold off and on. Lots of work here. Tons of great food. Live concerts. Interesting people. It's the best city in Texas. No doubt.
In the 60's I used to spend the summers at my brothers' farm in Medina. Just loved it, he taught me everything a young boy needs to learn. Now I look forward going to the family reunion in Bandera every summer. It's only a short 5hr. drive from Dallas. By the way I'm also a Realtor in Dallas.
Worth noting this message is from a Realtor who benefits from transplants. So let me add a few more possibilities. We have bugs everywhere and some like tree roaches, Hornets, wasps, scorpions and Tarantulas are a real nuisance. We have lots of snakes and some are much worse than an ole rattlesnake. Like coral snakes and cottonmouths. Then there’s our feral hog problem… just don’t look ‘em in the eye! But the biggest issue may be our current good ole boy population that love Guns, God and Country. Texas has a proud history of country values, lovin Mom and treating our women like ladies. We welcome folks who want to join us in our cowboy culture. But we Ain’t changing. I here Colorado is a better fit for most blue state escapees. Just saying!!
For the past 15yrs, I've lived in Fredericksburg. There is never a shortage of things to do here. The main street, museums, and wineries are packed with folks wishing they lived here.
Just spent the past weekend in Fredericksburg looking at the eclipse (well...for about an hour). It has gotten SO CROWDED there! Mega mansion Sunday Houses everywhere. Disneyland-style beer restaurant out on the highway. Hill Top Cafe being run off by crazy government bureaucracy. Too many I-think-we're-in-Napa wineries. The charm is slipping away....
Forty years ago, my dad bought property near Bandera. When dad was diagnosed with cancer, he let the property go. Had I known then how popular the Texas hill country would become, I would have taken over the note on the property and sat on it. But back then, who knew? No one wanted to live there. At that time, the hill country was just sparsely populated semi-desert rural land. There were some large cattle ranches here and there wherever the grass was decent enough for grazing. But people were not flooding into that part of the state at the time, not like we've seen over the past twenty years.
I hang my laundry out…lots of people still do…Cedar trees are native to Texas and have been here for over 15,000 years. Cedar (ash juniper) is an important and integral part of the ecosystem, they get a bad rap and really shouldn’t…
Heart and soul I loathed living in the Hill Country, and Fredericksburg was the worst. It narrowly beat out Harper. Kerrville was better, but never, ever will I ever want to return, and I tend to warn people away. The locals were snobs, the living conditions were terrible, and I hated everything about it.
