Can I negotiate utility costs into my land purchase price?

For water, start with New Braunfels Utilities (NBU) and Canyon Regional Water Authority — between them, they cover much of the county's served areas. The Texas Water Development Board's interactive maps can help identify which groundwater conservation district a parcel falls within for well-water planning. For electric, the Public Utility Commission of Texas maintains a service territory lookup tool at puc.texas.gov that identifies the certificated provider for any Texas address. For sewer, contact NBU or the relevant municipal utility district. Your buyer's agent and a local title company can also help identify the relevant utility contacts for a specific property.

A will-serve letter is a written commitment from a utility provider that they are able and willing to extend service to a specific parcel under standard terms and at a specified cost. It is not a guarantee of service — it can have conditions attached — but it is the clearest documentation available before closing that the utility infrastructure is accessible. Without a will-serve letter, you are relying on the utility's verbal assurance, which is not binding and has no recourse if service turns out to be unavailable or far more expensive than stated. For land purchases involving utility connections, make a will-serve letter a required deliverable before the inspection contingency deadline.

FHA's general minimum is around 580 for the lowest 3.5% down payment, with a larger down payment, roughly 10%, required for scores from 500 to 579. In practice many lenders set their own higher minimums, so the score you actually need depends on the lender.

As little as 3.5% of the purchase price when your credit score meets the standard minimum. That money can come from savings, a documented gift from family, or an eligible down payment assistance program.