Start with probate, because so many inner-loop calls are heirs. Bexar has three statutory probate courts, all at 100 Dolorosa downtown, and they handle wills, heirship declarations for people who died without one, muniments of title, and small estate affidavits. That matters on the phone. A muniment of title can move title without a full administration, but the county's own checklist says the estate cannot owe debts and Medicaid recovery has to be cleared. If Mom was on Medicaid at the end, expect that to slow things down.

The other probate trap is time. Texas expects a will to be probated within four years of death, and Bexar's probate courts publish a separate set of requirements when it is filed later: the applicant has to explain why they were not in default, list every heir, and bring two disinterested witnesses. We talk to a lot of families who let a house sit for six or eight years after a parent passed. Those deals close, but plan for an heirship hearing and a title company that wants every sibling's signature.

Foreclosure here is non-judicial. The lender has to give a homeowner at least 20 days to cure, then post and file a notice of sale at least 21 days out. Sales happen the first Tuesday of the month between 10 and 4 on the west side of the Bexar County Courthouse, near Nueva and Main. The county keeps a foreclosure map of current-month mortgage and tax notices. By the time a seller reaches us, they may have two or three weeks. Speed and a real closing date matter more than squeezing the price.

Tax foreclosures run through the Sheriff's Office at the same location and the same first Tuesday. Properties that don't sell get struck off and resold later as is, with a quitclaim deed. The part investors miss is redemption: a homestead owner gets two years after the tax deed is filed of record to buy it back, at a 25% premium in year one and 50% in year two. Other property gets 180 days. Buying from the owner before the sale is usually the cleaner path.

Condition in this county comes down to age and dirt. A big share of San Antonio's single-family homes predate 1960, and the city rates most of them average or fair. Add expansive clay that heaves and settles with wet and dry seasons, and you will see a foundation line item on a lot of inner-loop houses. Ask about door frames, brick cracks, and when the slab was last looked at. Sellers usually know and are relieved someone asked.

A call we hear a version of every month: an airman stationed at Randolph bought a house in Converse on VA financing, got orders to another state, and rented it out. The tenant left, the place needs paint and carpet, and he is paying a mortgage from two time zones away. He doesn't want to list and pay for months of showings he can't attend. He wants a number and a date that lines up with his report date. That is a motivated seller, and our note tells you exactly that.