Home / Texas cities & bases / San Marcos & New Braunfels
Living between San Antonio and Austin, retiring near the rivers, or commuting to JBSA-Randolph? Here’s what a VA loan looks like in New Braunfels and San Marcos: the towns along the I-35 corridor, what river and lake living means for flood insurance, how special district taxes work in the new subdivisions, and where VA care is.
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Short answer: Yes. You can buy in New Braunfels, San Marcos, Canyon Lake or Seguin with a VA loan and no down payment, as long as it’s your primary residence, not a river cabin you’ll rent out. There’s no minimum credit score on a standard VA purchase. Near the rivers, the flood zone can change the payment more than the price does, so my team checks it on every address.
New Braunfels has its own VA clinic on Generations Drive, and the Audie L. Murphy VA hospital in San Antonio is the nearest VA medical center. On the San Marcos side, many Veterans also use the Austin VA Clinic.
Comal County seat on I-35 and the Comal and Guadalupe rivers
Popular areas: Central New Braunfels, Gruene, the subdivisions off FM 306, FM 758 and SH 46
Closest to the New Braunfels VA Clinic. New neighborhoods keep spreading along FM 306 and SH 46, and most of them sit in a MUD or PID.
Hays County seat on I-35, home of Texas State University
Popular areas: San Marcos, Martindale, the subdivisions off SH 123 and Centerpoint Road
Prices generally run below New Braunfels. The San Marcos and Blanco rivers have flooded neighborhoods before, so check the flood zone on each address.
West along FM 306 and US-281 into the Hill Country
Popular areas: Canyon Lake, Startzville, Sattler, Spring Branch
Hill Country lots, lake views and more room. Many homes use septic and some use wells, and the drive to I-35 is on two-lane roads.
Guadalupe County seat on I-10 and SH 46
Popular areas: Seguin, Geronimo, McQueeney and the Lake McQueeney area
An I-10 route to San Antonio and lower prices than Comal County. Homes along Lake McQueeney and the Guadalupe need a flood zone check.
The rivers are why many people move here, and they’re also why flood insurance shows up in so many payments. The Guadalupe flooded New Braunfels in 1998, and the Blanco River flood of Memorial Day 2015 reached San Marcos. Central Texas is often called Flash Flood Alley because heavy rain on the Hill Country runs off fast into these rivers.
A VA loan is for the home you live in. A river house you’ll rent out to tubers on weekends doesn’t qualify as your primary residence. VA loans and second homes
New Braunfels and the surrounding areas have their own rules on short-term rentals. If a neighbor rents to visitors, expect busy summer weekends.
Two homes on the same street can sit at different heights above the river. An elevation certificate shows where the floor sits and can change a flood insurance quote.
New Braunfels and San Marcos sit on I-35 between San Antonio and Austin, so households here often work in one city and shop in the other. Drive times swing a lot with I-35 traffic and construction. For JBSA-Randolph, many drivers use I-35 or FM 78 through Schertz and Cibolo; for Austin, some use SH 130 as a tolled bypass.
Seguin buyers also have I-10 straight into San Antonio. Drive your route at the hours you’ll actually work before you decide.
District lines here cross city and county limits; parts of New Braunfels are in Comal ISD, not New Braunfels ISD. The rows below list the districts behind the four areas on this page and the overall A–F grade each received from the Texas Education Agency.
| School district | Serves | TEA rating (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| New Braunfels ISD | Central and older parts of New Braunfels | See TEA |
| Comal ISD | Canyon Lake, Spring Branch, Bulverde and much of the newer growth around New Braunfels | See TEA |
| San Marcos CISD | San Marcos and Martindale | See TEA |
| Seguin ISD | Seguin and much of central Guadalupe County | See TEA |
| Navarro ISD | Geronimo and the area north of Seguin | See TEA |
District ratings are the Texas Education Agency’s A–F accountability ratings. Attendance zones follow the address, not the city name, so check the district and campus for any home before you make an offer.
Nearest VA care: Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital (Merton Minter Boulevard, San Antonio), plus VA clinics nearby.
Merton Minter Boulevard, San Antonio
Generations Drive, New Braunfels
Metropolis Drive, southeast Austin
Locations from VA.gov. Services change, so confirm with the VA before you count on a specific clinic.
Texas has no state income tax, so local property taxes carry more of the load. Your bill is the sum of the county, city, school district and any special districts for that exact property. In Comal County, as everywhere in Texas, my team uses the full rate for the exact address. A newly purchased home often runs higher, because its value isn’t yet held down by the 10% yearly homestead cap, and two homes a mile apart can differ a lot.
| VA disability rating | Off your home’s taxable value |
|---|---|
| 10% to 29% | $5,000 |
| 30% to 49% | $7,500 |
| 50% to 69% | $10,000 |
| 70% to 99% | $12,000 |
| 100% or individual unemployability | Full homestead exemption |
You apply with the appraisal district once you own and live in the home. How the exemptions work
Much of the new construction around New Braunfels and San Marcos is in subdivisions with a Municipal Utility District (MUD) or a Public Improvement District (PID). Those district charges are billed alongside the county, city and school taxes; they make the house payment higher, and my team counts them when we qualify you.
FEMA flood zones along the Comal, Guadalupe, San Marcos and Blanco rivers, and the creeks that feed them, change street by street. If a home is in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, the VA loan requires flood insurance, and the premium goes into your monthly payment.
This stretch of I-35 gives Veterans a VA clinic in New Braunfels, a full VA hospital in San Antonio, the Hill Country on one side and two big cities within reach.
Disabled Veterans can combine federal and Texas benefits that most buyers never hear about. Together they can lower your cash to close, your rate and your yearly taxes.
Waiting on a claim? Tell my team. Your expected rating can change your funding fee and your taxes, so we plan around it.
You can earn VA loan eligibility through six years of Guard or Reserve service, or through qualifying active-duty time such as a federal activation. Your Certificate of Eligibility confirms it, and my team can pull it for you. Reservists and VA loans in Texas
If your spouse died in service or from a service-connected disability, you may be eligible for a VA loan with the same $0 down benefit. Surviving spouses who receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) don’t pay the funding fee, and a Texas disabled Veteran property tax exemption can continue for a surviving spouse who hasn’t remarried. We handle these files with extra care and can walk you through the paperwork.
You don’t have to sell it to buy in San Marcos & New Braunfels. Your remaining entitlement can often buy your next home with $0 down while the first one stays a rental. Second VA loan calculator
A VA streamline refinance (IRRRL) can lower the rate on your current VA loan with less paperwork. A VA cash-out refinance lets you use your equity for repairs or debts.
Some San Marcos & New Braunfels sellers have older VA loans with low rates you may be able to take over. The seller’s loan servicer handles the assumption itself. My team can finance the second loan that covers the gap between the loan balance and the price. VA assumable loans
Moving again later? You can keep your San Marcos & New Braunfels home as a rental and keep its VA loan and rate in place.
Around Canyon Lake and Spring Branch, many homes use septic systems and some use private wells. The VA appraisal can call for a water test or septic inspection. VA property requirements
Hill Country lots can be steep and rocky, which affects driveways, drainage and what it costs to build. If you’re buying land, walk it after a rain.
Some lake subdivisions have private roads. A VA loan needs year-round legal access, and private roads need a maintenance agreement or HOA that keeps them up.
River season brings crowds to Gruene, the Comal and the Guadalupe. If a home is near a river access point or tube outfitter, visit on a summer Saturday.
Comal, Guadalupe and Hays counties still have acreage west and east of I-35 for Veterans who want to build, with a VA construction loan starting at a 620 credit score. A VA one-time-close construction loan covers the land and the build in one loan: $0 down up to $1 million, with a 620 minimum credit score. In Texas, a Texas Vet loan can also pay off a separate construction loan once the home is finished. It’s treated as a purchase of a never-occupied home, and my team can handle that too.
The Texas Vet loan from the Texas Veterans Land Board is available to eligible Texas Veterans and can be paired with a VA loan. Its rate is set weekly, and Veterans rated 30% or more disabled get a lower rate. My team prices both and shows them side by side so you can pick on total cost, not a headline rate. Texas Vet vs. VA loan
Nothing, if you have full VA entitlement. There is no VA loan limit with full entitlement and no monthly mortgage insurance. The VA funding fee can be rolled into the loan, and Veterans who receive VA disability compensation are exempt from it.
Yes. You can be pre-approved, shop remotely and close before you arrive, as long as you intend to move in and make the home your primary residence, usually within about 60 days. Retirement pay, VA disability pay and Social Security all count as income.
There is no minimum credit score on a standard VA purchase or refinance with my team. We look first at your residual income, the money left each month after your housing payment and bills. VA construction loans start at a 620 score.
Texas Veterans rated 100% disabled, or paid at the 100% rate for individual unemployability, can get a total exemption on their homestead. Veterans rated 10% to 99% get a partial exemption off the home’s taxable value: $5,000 at 10% to 29%, $7,500 at 30% to 49%, $10,000 at 50% to 69% and $12,000 at 70% to 99%.
Often, yes. If you keep your current VA home as a rental, your remaining entitlement can usually buy your San Marcos & New Braunfels home with $0 down up to a certain price. Above that, you put 25% down on the difference. My team checks your exact numbers from your Certificate of Eligibility.
Yes, if you are an eligible surviving spouse, for example of a service member who died in service or from a service-connected disability. Surviving spouses who receive DIC are exempt from the VA funding fee.
Often both. The Texas Vet loan from the Texas Veterans Land Board can be paired with a VA loan, and its rate is set weekly. My team compares your options side by side so you can see which costs less over the time you plan to own.
Yes, if you’ll live there as your primary residence. If the home is in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, flood insurance is required and goes into your monthly payment. A home you plan to rent out to visitors doesn’t qualify for a VA loan.
VA construction loan
Shirley and her team were an absolute pleasure to work with. They helped my wife and I obtain a VA Construction Loan which gave us the ability to build our dream home.
Agent referral · VA purchase in Houston
It was great working with Shirley Mueller and team on my buyer’s home purchase in Houston, TX. The VA home loan process isn’t always easy so, it was great to work with someone who specializes in VA loans. Shirley made the process easy. I highly recommend her. Jamie Terry- Priority One Real Estate
Agent referral · VA purchase
Shirley was excellent to work with on our client’s VA home loan. VA loans can be tricky and it is so important to work with a loan officer that knows them well. Shirley did an excellent job!
Switched from another lender
We had a nightmare of an experience with a previous lender but Shirley and Karolina went above and beyond to not only get us into our home, but provide the best customer service possible! They fought hard for us and thanks to them, we are finally living in our dream home. I highly recommend valoanstexas!
VA purchase
Working with the VALoansTx team to purchase our home in Texas was an amazing experience. Shirley, Angie, Ashley, and their team were in constant communication with us, making sure that we knew what to expect with every step of the complicated process. In today’s crazy housing market, it was comforting to know that we had an entire team that was only a phone call away. They were quick to answer calls, emails and always very friendly and personable. We could not have achieved this dream without VALoansTx on our team. We will highly recommend to everyone we know buying a home with a VA loan.
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Ms. Shirley and her team are the BEST. Clear communication, specialized VA knowledge, responsiveness, and reduced stress. Thank you all for your help .
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