If you are buying or selling a home in Comal County, Texas, foundation issues are not a rare edge case. They are a regular part of the real estate conversation, and how each party handles them often determines whether a deal gets done or falls apart.
Yitzchak Pierson, a real estate broker at Yitzchak Pierson Real Estate who works across the New Braunfels, Canyon Lake, and San Marcos markets, deals with foundation questions regularly in both his listing and buyer representation work. His approach is detailed, disciplined, and grounded in what he has seen go wrong when people cut corners on this issue.
Why Foundation Problems Are Common Here
The soil composition across parts of Comal County, particularly in older neighborhoods and areas closer to the hill country, tends to be expansive. This means the soil shifts with moisture levels, expanding when wet and contracting when dry. Over time, that movement places uneven stress on home foundations, leading to settling, cracking, and in some cases, significant structural movement.
Homes that are 10 to 20 years old are the ones where Pierson sees it most often. Some have already had foundation work done. Some have not. And buyers do not always know what they are looking at when they walk through a property.
What Sellers in Comal County Are Required to Do
Texas law requires sellers to disclose known material defects, and foundation problems fall squarely in that category. Pierson’s guidance to sellers is direct: disclose, disclose, disclose.
Trying to hide a foundation issue is both legally risky and strategically counterproductive. A buyer’s inspector will almost certainly find it, and discovering it during the option period gives the buyer maximum leverage to renegotiate or walk away. Disclosing it upfront, with documentation, keeps the seller in control of the narrative.
Pierson’s recommended first step for sellers who know or suspect a foundation issue is to contact a foundation repair company before listing. In Texas, most foundation repair companies will come out and take measurements at no cost to the seller. They measure the variance between the lowest and highest points of the foundation and produce a report showing where the home stands.
That report is something Pierson puts in front of buyers so they understand exactly what they are looking at. “There is always a buyer for whatever house it is,” he says. “Disclosing it directly targets the people who are going to take it on and weeds out the ones who are not comfortable with it.”
Why You Also Need a Structural Engineer, Not Just a Foundation Company
This is where Pierson draws a line that most buyers and sellers do not know exists.
A foundation repair company will take measurements and tell you how much the foundation has shifted. They will also give you a quote for fixing it. That is their business, and there is nothing wrong with getting that report. But a foundation repair company is selling a service, not giving independent professional judgment.
A licensed structural engineer serves a different role. Structural engineers evaluate whether the variances they see fall within acceptable tolerances, or whether they represent a real structural risk that needs to be addressed. They are not selling the repair, so their assessment carries a different kind of credibility.
Pierson’s recommendation for buyers who are still interested in a property with known foundation movement: get the foundation repair company report to understand the scope, then hire a structural engineer to provide an independent assessment of whether the situation is genuinely serious or within normal limits for the area.
The Timing Question: When Was the Foundation Work Done?
If a seller has already had foundation repairs completed, that is generally a positive, but the timing matters.
Pierson is cautious about homes where foundation work was completed recently, particularly homes that have been sitting vacant after being repaired. When a home is vacant, no one has been running the plumbing. Foundation leveling can shift the position of pipes, and if the home has sat empty without anyone testing the system, there is no way to know whether anything has been pulled apart or cracked during the process.
His preference as a buyer’s agent is to see foundation repairs that were completed at least a year or two before the purchase, with the home having been occupied since. That time period allows any secondary issues from the repair to surface and be addressed.
He also looks for transferable warranties. A foundation repair company that provides a warranty transferable to the new owner is significantly more valuable than a repair with no coverage for the buyer going forward.
For Buyers: When to Walk Away
Pierson typically advises buyers away from properties with active foundation settling that has not been repaired, especially if the seller wants to negotiate the repair into the offer terms, meaning they want to fix it before closing.
His reasoning is that even if the seller agrees to the repair, the buyer then has to deal with the aftermath on an accelerated timeline, with minimal visibility into what the repair may have disturbed in the structure or plumbing. Getting the seller to complete the repair and having enough time pass to verify the results is rarely possible within a standard transaction window.
If the problem is disclosed, documented, and already repaired with a transferable warranty, that is a different conversation. Those homes can represent real value, especially for buyers comfortable with the history and the documentation. You can learn more about how Pierson approaches buyer representation at Buy a Home.
The Practical Bottom Line
For sellers: disclose what you know, get a foundation company out to document the current condition, and if there are issues, have a structural engineer provide an independent opinion. Offer concessions or repair the issue, depending on your financial situation. Do not leave buyers to find out during the option period.
For buyers: assume that any home over 10 years old in parts of Comal County deserves a look at the foundation. If the disclosure or inspection raises questions, pay for a structural engineer. It is a few hundred dollars against what could be a six-figure problem.
About Yitzchak Pierson: Yitzchak Pierson is a licensed real estate broker in Texas serving buyers and sellers across New Braunfels, Canyon Lake, San Marcos, and Seguin. He has been named Best Real Estate Agent in New Braunfels for two consecutive years and was ranked in the Top 100 agents by the San Antonio Business Journal.
Disclaimer: This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.
