What the Hill Country Flood Means for San Antonio Home Buyers, Sellers, and Owners

As of today, Monday, July 7, 2025, the Texas Tribune is reporting 109 confirmed deaths and 161 people still missing in Kerr County following catastrophic flooding across the Texas Hill Country. Additional deaths have been confirmed in Travis, Kendall, Burnet, Williamson, and Tom Green counties. Early estimates place destruction and economic losses between $18 billion and $22 billion. According to the Tribune, only the 1921 San Antonio flood, which killed 215 people, has been deadlier in Texas history. This is not a distant disaster. It is unfolding in communities that many San Antonio residents visit, commute through, and call home.

For anyone involved in San Antonio real estate right now, whether you are buying, selling, renting, or simply owning a home, this event is a serious moment to pause and think clearly about flood risk.

Kerr County sits roughly 60 miles northwest of San Antonio along the I-10 corridor. Kendall County, which includes Boerne and Comfort, reported six deaths and borders Bexar County directly. These are not abstract places. Boerne is a fast-growing community where many San Antonio families have relocated over the past several years, drawn by the Boerne Independent School District, lower land costs, and the scenic Hill Country lifestyle. Comfort, Ingram, Kerrville, and Hunt are communities where San Antonio residents own vacation cabins, investment properties, and second homes. If you own property in any of these areas, contact your insurance agent today. Do not wait for the dust to settle before understanding what your policy covers and what it does not.

Flood insurance is the first conversation this disaster demands. Standard homeowner's insurance policies do not cover flood damage. Flood coverage must be purchased separately, typically through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer. Many homeowners discover this gap only after water has entered their home. If you own property anywhere near a creek, river, or low-lying area in Bexar County or the surrounding Hill Country counties, review your policy this week. The Guadalupe River, the Medina River, and Salado Creek all run through or near San Antonio and have flooded before. The 1921 flood that this week's disaster is being compared to centered on San Antonio itself.

For home buyers currently shopping in San Antonio and the surrounding area, this event is a reminder to take flood zone designations seriously before making an offer. FEMA flood maps are a starting point, but they are not the whole picture. Ask your real estate agent for the flood zone designation of any property you are considering. In San Antonio, neighborhoods near Salado Creek, the San Antonio River, and Leon Creek carry real flood exposure. This applies to parts of the near north side, the Medical Center area, and communities along Loop 410 and Loop 1604 where older drainage infrastructure can be overwhelmed by heavy rainfall. In New Braunfels, which sits in Comal County just northeast of Bexar, the Guadalupe and Comal rivers are beloved amenities in normal times and serious hazards during extreme weather.

For home sellers, transparency is both a legal and a practical obligation. Texas law requires sellers to disclose known flood history on the Seller's Disclosure Notice. If your property has flooded before, or if it sits in a designated flood zone, that information must be disclosed. Buyers are paying closer attention to flood history right now, and rightfully so. Trying to minimize or obscure flood risk will complicate your transaction and could expose you to legal liability after closing.

Renters are not exempt from this conversation. If you rent a home or apartment near a creek or river in San Antonio, consider renters insurance that includes personal property protection. Your landlord's policy covers the structure, not your belongings. And know your lease: understand what your responsibilities are if the property sustains flood damage and where you would go if you had to leave quickly.

The broader economic impact of this disaster will ripple outward. Insurance costs across Central Texas are likely to increase. Lenders may tighten requirements around flood insurance for properties in affected counties. The construction and restoration industry, already stretched thin, will face even greater demand. All of this affects the cost of homeownership across the region.

What happened in the Hill Country this past weekend is a tragedy of historic scale. It is also a clear signal to every homeowner, buyer, seller, and renter in the San Antonio area: flood risk is real, it is local, and it deserves your full attention today, not after the next storm arrives.