Boerne, TX Home Buying Guides

Boerne's median sale price is about $602,600, up 3.0% year over year, with 308 active listings against 832 trailing-twelve-month closings — roughly 4.4 months of inventory (SABOR MLS, September 2026). The biggest value driver is jurisdiction: inside city limits the combined 2025 tax rate is 1.8645 versus 1.3929 unincorporated, about $2,840 a year.

The contract mechanics match any Texas purchase; the diligence does not. Before touring, verify four things: city limits or unincorporated (1.8645 versus 1.3929 combined 2025 rate), MUD status, Boerne ISD versus Comfort ISD, and the deed restrictions. Kendall County has no zoning and no residential building code, so well, septic and inspection carry the whole load.

At roughly 4.4 months of inventory and 3.0% annual appreciation (SABOR MLS, September 2026), appreciation no longer rescues a pricing mistake — price correctly in week one. Comps are thin because in-town, subdivision and acreage Boerne do not cross-comp. Documentation of well, septic and ag records removes the buyer's uncertainty discount cheaply.

On an identical $602,600 house with a homestead exemption and 2025 adopted rates, annual property tax runs $6,978 in unincorporated Kendall County, $9,820 inside Boerne city limits, and $11,032 inside San Antonio in Northside ISD. Boerne's sticker prices are higher, but its effective rate is lower. Under about $450,000, San Antonio has the inventory.

Boerne ISD earned an A with an overall score of 92 in the TEA ratings released August 2026 — its seventh consecutive A, with a 99.2% graduation rate. A Boerne mailing address does not guarantee Boerne ISD; western and northern Kendall County is Comfort ISD. Verify the campus with Administrative Services at (830) 357-2011.

The largest variable is jurisdiction: on the roughly $602,600 median, 2025 annual property tax runs about $6,978 unincorporated, $9,820 inside city limits, $13,004 in Miralomas MUD. Neither the City of Boerne nor Kendall County offers a general homestead exemption — only the $140,000 school exemption, worth roughly $1,415 a year. Sales tax is 8.25%.

Kendall County's population reached an estimated 53,289 in 2025, up 20.3% since 2020. The mistake relocating buyers make is underwriting off the seller's tax bill: the 10% homestead appraisal cap and any over-65 ceiling freeze reset at sale. Calculate purchase price times the parcel's combined rate, minus the $140,000 school exemption.

Boerne is in Kendall County, not Bexar. Tax year 2025 adopted rates: Boerne ISD 1.0109, City of Boerne 0.4716, Kendall County 0.3770, Cow Creek GCD 0.0050 — 1.8645 combined inside city limits, 1.3929 unincorporated. Neither the city nor the county offers a general homestead exemption; only the $140,000 school exemption applies. Protest by May 15.

San Antonio's short-term rental rules do not apply here. Boerne's Ordinance 2023-09 requires a permit for any STR inside city limits or the ETJ: $200 application, $100 inspection (ETJ exempt), two-year term. It bars operation within 200 feet of another STR on the same residential block face and caps occupancy at two per bedroom plus two.

Kendall County has no zoning and no building code for single-family residential in unincorporated areas, so recorded deed restrictions are the only land-use control. Two items decide a land deal: septic feasibility, which needs a licensed site evaluator and a contract contingency, and well yield. Losing a 1-d-1 ag valuation triggers a rollback of back taxes.