Beacon Hill Area Neighborhood Association

Advice for Flippers and Re-habbers in Beacon Hill

Note: Any disparity between this information and the City of San Antonio documents, the City of San Antonio documents shall prevail. This information is provided as a summary and quick glance only. Only a few zoning districts are summarized here. All properties are also subject to other city codes, including NCD, Property Maintenance and the Uniform Development Code (UDC). Consult the city's One Stop for help.

Home

Beacon Hill is an attractive area for Flippers and Re-habbers because there are still many homes in need of substantial repair. Many of those homes are owned by elderly folks that have not been able to maintain their properties for many years so they are unable to sell or refinance and are vulnerable to be exploited by "investors" that offer "fire sale" prices or cash prices.

Beacon Hill Area Neighborhood Association is perhaps the most organized when it comes to spotting and reporting flippers. The objective is not to stop flippers but to force them to do a quality job. Simply leveling and painting a house is usually not rehabilitating a house in this neighborhood.

Recently, the mortgage industry has rolled out mortgage products that make it easy for owners to buy and renovate before they move in. In the past, these loans have been very difficult to acquire and manage but they are much easier to use today and at great interest rates. The community is very supportive of this type of investment.

If you are planning to buy and sell in a short period of time, or "fix and flip", or just flip a home in Beacon Hill, be on notice. Many in the community are concerned about this activity and are actively looking for telltale signs of a "re-habber". In order to rehab a home in Beacon Hill, you need to be aware of and do all of the following:

1)	Get all your permits. The City has all permits posted on their website and many people check to make certain permits are pulled.
2)	Do not do any work outside the scope of the permits you pulled.
3)	Know and follow the NCD. These are design standards for the area and they are incorporated into the Uniform Development Code. There is a quick reference guide to the NCD here.
4)	You may want to visit with the ZUD Committee before beginning your project. You will receive sound direction from the Committee and it could help you avoid Stop Work orders or even fines.

Updated 08/08/2016