Selling Comal County land with owner financing

Few Texas counties pack as much water into so little space as Comal County. The Comal and Guadalupe rivers run through New Braunfels. Canyon Lake draws weekend and retirement buyers. Hill Country ranches sit along SH 46 and US 281, and growth from San Antonio spills north along I-35. That mix creates plenty of buyers. It also creates plenty of reasons a bank might say no to a loan, which is why sellers here get asked about owner financing.

We are a direct buyer of Texas land. We buy for cash, and we can also buy on owner-financed or other creative terms when a deal calls for it. This page gives you an honest look at terms in Comal County so you can decide whether to offer them, and shows where a cash offer fits as the alternative.

Why do buyers ask Comal County sellers to be the bank?

Lenders look closely at land that has a flood history, a shared well or a road easement. Many Comal County parcels have at least one of these. A buyer who cannot get a loan on a Hill Country tract may still be a serious buyer with real savings, and that buyer may ask you to carry the note.

Sellers consider it for their own reasons too:

What kinds of buyers appear in Comal County?

The county’s towns and corridors point to a handful of buyer types.

• Weekend and retirement buyers at Canyon Lake. They want lots or acreage near the lake, often with a plan for a second home. Steady income is common, but a buyer who lives elsewhere is harder to chase if payments stop.
• Hill Country homesite buyers. Around Bulverde, Spring Branch, Fischer and Smithson Valley, large lots with wells draw families who want space. They may lack the lump sum a lender wants.
• Investors counting on short-term rentals. Tourism supports rental demand, but city and county rules change. A buyer whose plan depends on a rental permit may stop paying if the rules shift.
• Warehouse and commercial users along I-35. Development along the interstate draws business buyers who want to buy now and finance later.
• Families who want to stay with the land. Many families with German Texan roots hold land across several branches of heirs, and a relative may offer to buy out the others over time.

Screen every one of them. The guide on how to structure an owner-financed land sale in Texas covers the documents, and the checks matter more when the buyer lives far away.

How does water change an owner-financed deal in Comal County?

This is the heart of the matter, so we take it in parts.

Flood history. The Guadalupe and Comal rivers and their tributaries have flooded severely. A parcel with that history is worth less to a lender and to an insurer. If you finance it, your collateral can lose value overnight. Ask for a larger down payment on river parcels, require flood insurance where it is available, and ask your attorney what you must disclose about past floods. Texas has disclosure rules for certain property sales. We ask about flooding on every parcel so we can price honestly.

Groundwater. The Comal Trinity Groundwater Conservation District and the Edwards Aquifer Authority regulate wells in different parts of the county. A buyer who plans a well needs to know which rules apply. Land without a usable water source is worth less. Put the water facts in the contract so the buyer cannot say you hid them.

Shared wells. A shared well agreement is a recorded or informal agreement among neighbors to use one well. Buyers ask for a copy. If the agreement is informal, write it down before you sell.

Utilities. Ask New Braunfels Utilities or the local water supplier whether service reaches the parcel. A parcel with water on the street sells differently than one that needs a well.

Canyon Lake. The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority manages lake water supply, and shoreline rules apply. A buyer who wants a dock or a lakeside build must check them. Tell the buyer to do so in writing.

Each of these points can push a buyer toward default if it goes wrong, which makes it your problem as note holder. A buyer who learns that the well rules block a plan has a reason to stop paying.

How do Hill Country acreage, lake lots and I-35 frontage change the terms?

Hill Country acreage. Large tracts around Bulverde and Spring Branch often carry wildlife management or agricultural valuation. If the buyer builds or changes the use, rollback taxes may follow. Decide in writing who pays. See ag exemption and rollback taxes. Shared wells and road easements are common here too, so read the recorded documents before you set terms.

Lake and river lots. These are the easiest to market and the hardest to underwrite. They sell on setting, but flood and shoreline questions follow them. A large down payment and a short balloon fit best.

I-35 and SH 46 frontage. Warehouse, retail and home builders move fast. A short note can work if the buyer plans to refinance after approvals. Beware requests to put your lien behind a construction lender. Ask an attorney first.

Farm and ranch tracts on the rural north and east. These resemble ranch deals elsewhere. The buyer’s income, the water source and the lease situation drive the risk.

Inherited land. Comal County probate matters go through the county court at law. Prove you can sell before you offer terms. See our heirs property guide.

Which Comal County records should you check first?

1. Comal Appraisal District. Confirm the account and valuation. Notices arrive in spring, with a protest deadline of May 15 or thirty days after the notice.
2. Comal County Clerk. Search recorded deeds, easements and well agreements.
3. Comal County Tax Office. Request a payoff statement.
4. New Braunfels Utilities or the local water supplier. Ask about service to the parcel.
5. Groundwater district. Ask which district rules apply to wells on the tract.

Hand the results to a title company, which can confirm that your lien will record in the right order.

Suppose you sell 8 Hill Country acres with a five-year note

This is a made-up example for the arithmetic. It is not a value for any parcel.

Suppose you own 8 acres near Bulverde with a shared well, and you agree to $60,000 per acre. The buyer pays 30 percent down and you finance the rest at 8 percent, interest only, with the full balance due after five years.

• Price: 8 acres times $60,000 equals $480,000.
• Down payment: 30 percent of $480,000 equals $144,000.
• Amount financed: $480,000 minus $144,000 equals $336,000.
• Interest each year: 8 percent of $336,000 equals $26,880.
• Monthly payment: $26,880 divided by 12 equals $2,240.
• Interest over five years: 5 times $26,880 equals $134,400.
• Balloon at year five: $336,000.

If it all goes to plan, you collect $144,000 plus $134,400 plus $336,000, which is $614,400 over five years.

Suppose a cash buyer offers $408,000 for the same land, which is 85 percent of $480,000. The cash is $72,000 less than the financed price, and it arrives at closing.

Now the risk. With interest-only payments, the buyer never pays down the balance, so your whole $336,000 depends on the buyer refinancing in year five. If rates are high, lenders are cautious or the shared well agreement raises questions, the buyer may not refinance. You would then be in a default, with a Hill Country tract and a hard conversation. The $72,000 gap is the price you are paid for carrying that risk. Whether it is enough depends on you. Ask a Texas attorney to review the documents and a CPA about the tax result.

Owner financing or a cash offer on Comal County land

If you are choosing between the two, our guide to owner financing vs a cash offer walks through a net-proceeds test.

What should you do about back taxes, rollback and liens before closing?

Run the Comal County Tax Office payoff first. If back taxes exist, they come out of the money at closing. On a financed sale that means the down payment, so a small down payment may leave you with little after the payoff.

Then decide who pays any rollback. Wildlife management and agricultural valuations are common on Hill Country tracts. If the buyer’s plan ends that use, rollback taxes can follow. Settle the point in the contract.

Finally, ask your title company to search for liens: a deed of trust you forgot to release, a judgment, a mechanic’s lien or an old well or road agreement that was never recorded. If you still owe on a loan, ask your lender before you sell with terms. See selling land that has a loan or lien.

With a cash sale, the title company pays taxes and liens from the proceeds and shows each payment on the settlement statement. We can buy land with back taxes. See selling land with back taxes.

What if the buyer stops paying on a Comal County note?

You send written notice, wait out the cure period and then enforce your lien. With a deed of trust, Texas generally allows a trustee sale without a lawsuit. That takes time, and the land may come back changed. Here, the issues to expect include unpaid taxes, a damaged well and a flooded tract. Read what to do if a buyer defaults on owner-financed land before you decide how much risk to accept. The wise time to plan is before you sign.

Also read contract for deed vs deed of trust. A contract for deed on land used as a home carries stricter Texas rules, and lake and Hill Country buyers often plan homes.

How do we help sellers in New Braunfels and San Antonio’s northern edge?

For land near New Braunfels or toward San Antonio, we review the parcel, ask about floods and water, and send a written offer within 24 hours. A sale can close in 7 to 30 days with clean title and ready owners. We charge no commission. Our how it works page explains closing costs. See the Comal County land page for market detail and our owner financing guide for Texas land for the general rules.

Next steps

Send us the location, the acreage, how the land gets water and any past flooding. Tell us what you want most: price, speed or income. We will give you a written cash offer to hold up against the terms you are weighing.

By the Sell My Texas Estate team · Updated October 2026. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Talk with a licensed Texas attorney or CPA about your situation.