As a productive Real Estate Professional and an active real estate owner and investor I believe in Property Rights and the need to protect them.  I never like to see rule changes after someone has invested in a property, many of which rules are pushed through by a small number of active residents.  I also believe there is a big misconception surrounding the type of people that typically rent homes out on a nightly basis but due to a few bad apples the “Bunch gets spoiled”.  Lastly, most, if not all communities that do allow short term rentals also have nuisance laws in place but rarely do concerned residents take the proper steps to correct the issue. Instead they cope with the disturbance and it goes unreported.

When buying Lake LBJ Real Estate it is important to first decide if the ability to short-term rent is important to you. You may ask yourself questions like:

1. Do I want to rent now?
2. Will I want the option to rent in the future?
3. How would I feel if my neighbor was renting their home out?

Answering these simple questions at the beginning of your search will really help you narrow your search and focus on communities that meet your needs.  If you decide to pursue a property that is a rental you need to pay close attention to waste water system. Is it on septic vs sewer?  We prefer an actual sewer system that moves the waste off site as opposed to a septic system that leaches everything on site.  With large groups, and non-consistent use, these rental days can stress the septic systems out and cause big problems.  Guests also tend to dispose of items that are bad for the system which will damage that septic system over time.  Before you panic, many successful rental properties use convention or aerobic septic systems and do just fine, so long as they are properly maintained to ensure functionality and guests are informed on proper usage.

I also recommend paying close attention to HOA rules as well as deed restrictions that may be specific to your property and uncovered only by careful review of your title commitment.  Understanding how these short-term rental rules might change in the future is important to understand before you make a long-term financial commitment.

Buying and selling waterfront property on Lake LBJ is no easy feat.  We recommend engaging a Local Expert that is active in the Lake LBJ Real Estate market to help you understand what you are buying and avoid costly mistakes.  Reach out if I can be of assistance!

As the local Lake LBJ Real Estate Experts we like to dig up off-market deals and opportunities for our clients, many of which the public will never even know about.  In fact, approximately 50% of the deals we put together on Lake LBJ are private.  This gives buyers exclusive access to unlisted properties, maintains their privacy in a small Texas town, and keeps the sales price hidden from the Tax Appraisal District.  Texas is considered a “Non-Disclosure State” and so the price you pay for a property is private information unless the property is listed in MLS.  MLS rules require agents and brokers that participate in MLS to list the sales price in the database. Unfortunately, this data from listings in MLS is not private and many different entities access the data illegally and share the information (Like the selling price) on the internet.

If you were to look at the current tax appraised values on the Lake they are often times very different than the market value because of the recent uptick in prices since late 2020. As a buyer, withholding the price will allow you to protect the sales price from the appraisal district, helping to keep your property taxes lower.  When there is a large difference in market value and tax appraisal value, buying off-market listings is the preferred option to keep property taxes lower.

Buying Lake LBJ Real Estate is likely the biggest investment many of our clients will ever make. Rather than working with a friend or agent that specializes in another market, choose a Broker that knows Lake LBJ.  As the local real estate Experts we spend all of our time, energy, and resources on everything Lake LBJ. Through this investment we are able to get our hands on off-market deals and opportunities for our clients.  In fact, we are continuously on the hunt for good buys on Lake LBJ. If you or someone you know is in the market for Lake LBJ Real Estate please reach out at (512) 786-1515.  I’d love to help you find yours!