Searching where to live in San Antonio?
So you’ve decided that you’re moving to San Antonio and now you’re all over Google and YouTube searching where are the best places to live in San Antonio? What’s it like living in San Antonio? Just give me all the details about San Antonio!! Well… You’ve landed in the right spot because I literally made this channel just for you. I’ll show you all about what it’s like to live in San Antonio, where to live in San Antonio, what you’ll love about living in San Antonio, and even a few things that you won’t love about living here. Let’s get to it!
Droughts & Water Restrictions in San Antonio
#1 Whether you’re moving in the winter (yes we do sometimes have a winter), or in the middle of the summer, be prepared for drought type conditions and water restrictions, especially in 2022. Thanks to La Niña it’s even warmer and drier than it normally is and the San Antonio water system started stage to water restrictions super early in the summer, which mostly regulates how frequently you should use irrigation systems and sprinklers, or at home car washing and other things that cause water waste. You’ll also see burn bans in affect to help reduce the risk of wildfires.
Now let me throw in here-I have lived in TX and more specifically the SA area for all my life, so these things are just life, but being that I talk to so many clients and people just like you that are moving to SA, I’ve found out that there are SO many differences (most of them positive) in comparison with other areas of the country. So that is where this list came from!
Why are there no basements in San Antonio homes?
#2 The next fun fact that newbies (especially from northern states) are surprised to learn is that homes here and San Antonio don’t have basements! This is mostly due to the fact that we have lots of rock, shale, and lime stone underground making it super expensive and time-consuming to dig for a basement when building a home. Also, when it does rain here, flash flooding is pretty typical which means that your basement likely would become a swimming pool! Plus the ground rarely freezes here so there’s really no benefit to having them when there is so much cost and time involved in building them. You may find a few older homes or even luxury homes that were built with basements, but the majority of homes here in San Antonio do not have basements.
Construction is EVERYWHERE in San Antonio!
#3 let’s talk about development and construction in San Antonio. You will see it everywhere! And I’m not just talking about on the highways, which literally always have some type of expansion going on or overpasses or sky passes being added. Developers all over the city are trying to meet the needs of the steadily increasing population. You’ll see multiple projects and high-rises going up in the downtown area, gentrification and repurposing of some of the historic buildings throughout the city and being that San Antonio is growing outwards, you’ll see the most activity outside of the city. Especially on the far west side. From new medical clinics, dentists, shopping centers and restaurants all the way to of course the road expansions and brand new subdivisions and master-planned communities with schools – This area has become a massive hotspot for those that are moving to San Antonio!
Breweries & Wineries in San Antonio!
#4 (and one of my favorites), if you’re into breweries and wineries we have TONS! Within San Antonio you’ll find some of the coolest breweries and taprooms ever, serving varieties of imports and locally brewed craft beers one of my absolute FAVES is The Friendly Spot Icehouse in Southtown. My husband and I love going there with our friends during football season (and yes we are a Cowboys fans), have a few drinks and some appetizers while we watch the games. They have one of those huge inflatable projector screens outside, people bring their dogs, it’s just a super chill and fun spot for Sunday Funday and there are tons more spots just like it throughout the city. So, if that’s your thing, you will love that about San Antonio! As for the wineries, you’ll find a few here in San Antonio, but for the best experience you’ll want to take a day or weekend trip outside of San Antonio into the Texas Hill Country. You can find both guided and self tour options that take you to some incredible wine tastings and vineyard tours and also get to explore these amazing and beautiful little Texas towns. You can stay in a cute bed-and-breakfast or Airbnb, go antique shopping, hear some live music at one of their many venues… it’s just such a fun time and let’s you get away for a bit.
What about the taxes in San Antonio?
#5 next, let’s talk a little bit about taxes. If you’ve researched Texas at all, you’ve probably seen that we have some of the highest property taxes and sales taxes in the US. The Texas sales tax rate is 6.25%, combined with San Antonio area taxes you can expect to pay 8.25% sales tax in San Antonio. There are some areas where it’s slightly lower, but 8.25% is typical. For property taxes, you can expect to pay anywhere from about 2.2% up to 2.7 or 2.8%, depending on what area of the city, what school district you fall in, etc. On the positive side of the property tax situation (because I always try to see positives I guess), they did recently approved to provide some tax relief due to the rising property values and tax appraisal situation so the homestead exemption was increased to 10%, and the over 65 and disability exemptions were increased to $85,000. Plus, we don’t have a state income tax, so while it doesn’t necessarily balance out with the higher property taxes, it definitely can help the tax situation.
HOAs in San Antonio
#6 this next one is pretty short sweet and simple. HOA neighborhoods are everywhere here in San Antonio. Some people love them, some are indifferent, some people hate them. They are super common here in San Antonio so if you are anti-HOA, that will definitely limit your housing options here. Some HOA‘s offer resort style pools, club houses, walking trails, basketball courts and other recreation. You can find non-gated and gated communities and even some of the more upscale communities like the Dominion, Summerglen, etc. that have guarded entrances. And of course, there are some HOA‘s that have no amenities and have very few, if any rules and regulations, so there are all different kinds of situations. But, just be prepared, they are everywhere!
Youth sports are HUGE in San Antonio!
#7 You may or may not be surprised to find out that youth sports are HUGE here in San Antonio! From sports leagues managed by the city of San Antonio, the YMCA, Cornerstone Youth Sports (which is the program that we LOVE for our kids), and so many other fantastic programs, you’ll find an endless supply of athletic related activities (like football, soccer, basketball, baseball, cheer, swimming, boxing, taekwondo, just to name a few). They’re all levels of competitiveness and there are some fantastic programs all over the city. College and high school sports (especially football) are huge all over Texas, and San Antonio is no exception. A few of our high schools in the San Antonio area actually ranked as the top schools for athletes in all of Texas.
How can I help?
Before I get to the last 3, let me just pause to say that since I’ve lived here for SO long-I know San Antonio and the suburbs of San Antonio very, very well. So once you reach out to me, I’ll get some ideas from you on the top needs & wants that you are looking for in an area and really help you to narrow it down to some great communities that you’ve probably never even heard of. And, more importantly, help you to avoid the areas that aren’t a match for you. All you need to do is call me, text me, email me, and I’ll take it from there!
Are there water activities in San Antonio?
#8 if the thought of the Texas heat intimidates you, or even if not that, but just that you love being around water, then you will definitely appreciate all the water activity options that we have in the San Antonio area! There are tons of public parks with pools and splash pads, Seaworld and Six Flags fiesta Texas both have amazing water parks. Schlitterbahn, which is a water park just north east of San Antonio in the New Braunfels area. It is a SUPER FUN day or weekend trip where they have water coasters and slides, wave poles, lazy rivers, and river rides. I definitely recommend staying at the resort or at the vacation rental homes there just because it takes a couple of days to take it all in, and your kids will remember the experience forever! The New Braunfels area is also home to several popular tube chutes where you can float the river, which is also a great experience. Literally all around San Antonio there are countless river and lake spots to swim, camp, fish, kayak, boat, ski, you name it! If you want a more coastal type experience, you can get to Corpus Christi in about an hour and a half. Probably the nicest beaches in Texas, (which still there is no comparison to other beaches in the US, of course), would be South Padre Island. It is about 4 1/2 to 5 hour drive from San Antonio, but well worth it for the experience. I just wouldn’t recommend going during spring break, it does get wild and crazy!
San Antonio is Military City, USA!
#9 We absolutely love our military personnel here in San Antonio! Obviously, we are called Military City, USA for a reason! Joint Base San Antonio, which is comprised of Randolph Air Force Base, Lackland Air Force Base, Fort Sam Houston, and Camp Bullis, is a vital part of San Antonio’s economy and job market, as it employs nearly 20% of SA’s population! It is not only home to active duty military personnel, but a destination spot for many military retirees and veterans, as well. And there are numerous places around San Antonio that offer discounts to active duty members, veterans, retirees and their families.
San Antonio culture
#10 San Antonio is incredibly culturally diverse and unique! It is home to a variety of demographics, families singles professionals artists executives pro-athletes and so much more. Because of the growth and development of the city, you will find that each area of San Antonio represents a completely different lifestyle with different influences, landscaping, amenities, types of housing, entertainment. That’s what truly makes San Antonio feel like it’s just a big small town, because each area has adapted their own sense of community, but they still come together to form one amazing, great city!
Did any of these things surprise you? I’d love to know your thoughts and questions about moving to SA in the comments! I hope that this video helped you, I look forward to connecting with you soon and I will see you in the next video!