Getting a Hill Country Home Ready to Sell: What to Fix

Fix the things an inspector will flag, especially anything involving water, wastewater, the roof, electrical or smoke detectors. Gather your septic, well, survey and disclosure paperwork before you list. Then clean, declutter and photograph the home well. What you can usually skip is a big remodel done in a hurry right before listing.

Here’s how I’d approach it, in order.

Start with a pre-listing inspection

Expect your buyer to have the home inspected. The TREC contract gives buyers access for inspections by inspectors licensed by TREC or otherwise permitted by law.

A pre-listing inspection lets you see that report first. Then you can decide, item by item, whether to fix it, price for it, or disclose it, instead of negotiating under a deadline.

On rural and lake property, consider adding:

• A septic inspection by a qualified septic professional
• A well and pump check, plus a water test
• A roof inspection if the roof is older or has had repairs

One caution: what you learn, you know. The Texas seller’s disclosure asks what you’re aware of, so plan to disclose known defects or fix them. If you’re unsure how to answer something, talk to a real estate attorney.

Gather your septic, well and land paperwork early

Start a folder now. Having these ready lets a buyer review your septic, well and land details without waiting on you.

Paperwork answers a buyer’s questions before they have to ask.

Septic

• Your septic permit and records. Comal County’s permit search lets you look up and download permit records.
• Your maintenance contract and recent service reports if you have an aerobic system. Comal County lets owners of aerobic systems serving a single home maintain their own, but it can require a maintenance contract if violations aren’t corrected or keep happening (Comal County).
• Receipts for any repairs. Comal County requires a permit before building or making non-emergency repairs to a septic system, so buyers may ask whether work was permitted.
• Texas REALTORS publishes a companion form, Information About On-Site Sewer Facility, that covers the drain field location, installer, approximate age, maintenance contract and when tanks were last pumped. It also notes the operating permit may need to be transferred to the buyer.

Well

• Your well’s driller’s report. The Texas Water Development Board explains how to find one by address, owner or drill date, including older reports held by TCEQ.
• A recent water test. Private wells have no state monitoring requirement, so testing is up to the owner. The Texas Groundwater Protection Committee links to accredited labs.
• Pump and equipment service records.

Water rights

• Texas now has a separate Seller’s Disclosure about Groundwater and Surface Water Rights, effective July 1, 2026. It asks about groundwater districts, how many wells you have and which are in use, shared wells, severed groundwater rights, surface water rights, and ponds, lakes or tanks on the property. If you have no well, pond or tank and get water only from a utility such as a city, MUD or water supply corporation, the TREC contract has a box for that instead.

Land and lake

• Your existing survey. The TREC contract has an option for the seller to provide the existing survey with a T-47 affidavit or T-47.1 declaration.
• Corps paperwork if you’re next to Canyon Lake, such as a mowing permit or a water intake license, plus anything you know about a flowage easement (USACE).
• Any certificate of mold remediation from the past five years, which the TREC contract requires you to provide if the home was remediated.

Fill out the Seller’s Disclosure Notice before you list

Texas Property Code Section 5.008 requires a seller’s disclosure, and TREC’s Seller’s Disclosure Notice is the form for sellers of previously occupied single-family homes.

The form asks about much more than appliances:

• Septic or public sewer, and water from a city, well, MUD or co-op
• Propane, and whether it’s a tank on the property or a community system
• Known defects in the roof, foundation, plumbing, septic and electrical
• Drainage, termites, previous structural or roof repairs, and work done without permits
• Floodplain, flood pool and reservoir location, past flooding, flood insurance claims, and any FEMA or SBA flood assistance
• Groundwater conservation districts, private roads you maintain, conservation easements and storage tanks
• Whether you have working smoke detectors installed under Chapter 766 of the Health and Safety Code

Timing matters. Under the TREC contract, if the buyer receives the notice after signing, they can terminate for any reason within 7 days of receiving it. Handing it over up front keeps that door from opening mid-deal.

For most homes built before 1978, federal rules also require a lead-based paint disclosure, the EPA pamphlet, and any records you have.

What’s worth fixing, and what usually isn’t

Worth fixing before you list:

1. Active leaks, roof problems and anything that isn’t working
2. Septic or well issues, done with the right permits
3. Missing or dead smoke detectors
4. The small items that pile up on an inspection report: sticking doors, torn screens, loose rails, burned-out bulbs
5. Drainage problems near the house

Keep every receipt. If you agree to repairs in the contract, the TREC contract calls for licensed professionals (or people commercially engaged in that trade when no license is required), documentation of the work, and any required permits, unless you agree otherwise in writing.

Usually not worth it right before listing:

• A full kitchen or bath remodel chosen on a tight timeline
• Upgrades well above what nearby comparable homes offer
• New flooring throughout when what you have is in sound condition
• Adding a major feature like a pool to chase a higher price

A home’s price is anchored to its comps. Spending well beyond them doesn’t change which homes buyers and appraisers compare yours to.

Curb appeal, decluttering and photos

Curb appeal in the Hill Country starts at the road. Clear the entrance and gate, trim brush back from the drive, mow, power wash, fix fence sections near the house, and clean the gutters.

On acreage, clear a walking path to the features buyers will want to see: the well house, barn, pond or tank, and property corners if your survey marks them.

At the lake, remember that Canyon Lake’s level fluctuates year-round. Your photos should show the view honestly, and your listing shouldn’t promise a waterline the lake won’t always have.

Decluttering is easier when you treat it as early packing. Clear counters, thin out closets, store extra furniture, and take down most personal items so buyers can picture their own things in the space.

Photos are the first showing. Schedule them after the cleanup, on a bright day, with every light on. For acreage, aerial photos help buyers understand the shape and lay of the land.

If you’re getting ready to list

A little order goes a long way: inspect, gather your paperwork, disclose, fix what matters, then make it shine. If you’d like a full checklist to work from, my Seller’s Guide walks through each step.