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Program 03
Ground-Up Construction in New Braunfels
Ground up construction loans for new builds in New Braunfels.
Built for spec builders and developers taking a lot from dirt to finished home. We fund the land and the vertical build up to 70% LTV and 85% of cost, with draws that keep pace with your schedule. In New Braunfels, impact fees, not land or labor, are the line item that swings a construction budget the most, and the builder has already pulled back from the pace it kept a few years ago. Business-purpose only, and every draw schedule is set in underwriting.
70%
max LTV
85%
of cost
Most states
funding
$5M
max loan
Typical figures, subject to underwriting and market conditions. Not a commitment to lend.
How it works
We finance both the land and the vertical construction, with a draw schedule built around your timeline. Experienced builders can access higher leverage on cost.
Who it's for
Spec home builders
Developers and operators
Lot purchase or teardown
Build-to-rent strategies
Typical terms
Loan amountUp to $5M
LeverageUp to 70% LTV / 85% LTC
Term12 to 24 months
DrawsPer build schedule
RateFrom 10.00%*
UseSpec or build-to-rent
*Typical terms, subject to underwriting and market conditions.
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Local FAQ
Ground-Up Construction in New Braunfels, answered.
Why do two identical New Braunfels spec houses end up with such different construction budgets?
Because the lot's final plat recording date decides the impact fee bill, and the spread is tens of thousands of dollars. New Braunfels Utilities assesses water and wastewater impact fees for a single 5/8-inch meter on a schedule tied to plat date: as little as $2,481 on an older plat (Schedule A-2) up to $25,692 on any lot final-platted after January 31, 2023 (Schedule E). Add the city's roadway impact fee, which runs $1,471 to $10,829 per single-family unit depending on the service area, and the all-in swing on otherwise identical houses runs from roughly $5,400 to about $38,000 before a foundation is poured. Pull the recorded plat date and the roadway service area before you set the construction budget line, not after.
Is the New Braunfels building permit itself a meaningful cost?
No, and that is worth knowing before the impact fees eat the budget by comparison. The city prices the building permit off ICC valuation data at a rate of 0.00355 for any project containing residential (R-3) area. A 2,000 square foot Type VB single-family house values out to about $241,500 on the city's own fee estimator, which puts the permit fee at roughly $857. That is a rounding error next to the water, sewer and roadway impact fees on the same house, which is where a construction budget actually needs the scrutiny.
Is there still enough building activity in New Braunfels to make a spec build worth financing?
Population is still growing fast while the builder has pulled back hard, and that is the supply setup a spec builder is underwriting into. Comal County single-family permits fell from 3,858 in 2021 to 1,726 in 2025, down 55%, and the county permitted zero units in structures of five or more in 2025. Over that same year the county added roughly 7,680 residents. A construction lender reads that combination as tightening resale inventory ahead, even though active listings have not caught up yet. Price your exit before you break ground, whether that's the resale math on our fix and flip loan or a hold financed with a DSCR rental loan if the rental numbers work better.
Should I build multifamily or single-family in New Braunfels right now?
The permit record is telling builders to build single-family. Comal County permitted zero units in structures of five or more apartments in 2025, down from 1,164 in 2024 and 1,835 in 2022, while the county added roughly 7,680 residents that same year. Single-family permitting has also pulled back, but it never went to zero: the county still authorized 1,726 single-family units in 2025. Whatever is driving the multifamily pullback (financing cost, absorption risk, construction cost), it has not touched single-family activity the same way, which is the practical read for a builder choosing between a duplex-and-up product and a single-family spec build on the same lot.
Does it matter which county my New Braunfels lot sits in while I'm carrying a construction loan?
Yes, and check the special district line too, not just the county. A New Braunfels parcel in Comal County carries a lower county tax rate than the same parcel across the line in Guadalupe County, and that is before checking whether the lot sits inside a municipal utility district or water district. Several Comal and Guadalupe MUDs add 0.85 to 1.20 per $100 of taxable value on top of the base stack, which is real carrying cost during a 12 to 24 month build. Confirm both the county and any special district on the parcel before pricing the hold.
I'm looking at a lot in San Marcos instead of New Braunfels. Do the same impact fee numbers apply?
No, and San Marcos's own fee amounts are not published yet. San Marcos operates under a separate 2018 water and wastewater impact fee ordinance and is currently running a 2026 fee update, but the per-connection dollar figures were not available. Budget with a placeholder and confirm the current fee directly with the City of San Marcos before you close on a San Marcos lot. See our DSCR rental loan program if the plan is to hold and rent the finished build instead of selling it.
How much of a New Braunfels build do I have to fund myself?
About 15% of total cost, and the impact fees land inside that number. We fund up to 70% LTV and up to 85% of cost, so on a $600,000 all-in New Braunfels build that is up to $510,000 from us and $90,000 from you (600,000 x 85% = 510,000), whichever of the two tests binds first. The impact fee swing on otherwise identical houses here runs from roughly $5,400 to about $38,000, so pull the recorded plat date before you set the cost basis you are borrowing against. Subject to underwriting.
What credit score do I need for a ground up construction loan in New Braunfels?
There is no minimum score on this program. We run credit, but a construction loan is asset-based, so it carries far less weight than it would at a bank. The lot, the budget, the draw schedule and the finished value do the work. Weaker credit is usually answered with lower leverage rather than a decline. No hard credit pull to start. Subject to underwriting.
Do I need a building track record to borrow on a New Braunfels spec build?
No, but it moves your leverage. Experienced builders can access higher leverage on this program, and a first-time spec builder should plan on bringing more cost to the table. Either way we want a real budget and a real draw schedule, and in this market that budget has to name the plat date and the roadway service area, because those two lines decide the impact fee bill. Subject to underwriting.
More Ground-Up Construction questions, answered on the program page
Resources
Guides for Ground-Up Construction
Fix and Flip · 6 min read
Fix and Flip Loan Requirements: What You Need to Get Funded
Read the guide Fix and Flip · 5 min read
What Is ARV (After-Repair Value) and How Do You Calculate It?
Read the guide Construction · 5 min read
How Ground-Up Construction Loans Work
Read the guide Getting Funded · 4 min read
LTV vs LTC: What's the Difference?
Read the guide More in New Braunfels
Other programs in New Braunfels
Fix and FlipUp to 90% / 100% rehabRental / DSCR30-yr fixed, DSCR from 0.75CRE BridgeUp to $10M, 24-36 moTransactional FundingSame-day double-close capitalBank Statement / No-DocNo tax returns requiredConventional InvestmentNon-owner-occupied investmentPortfolio LoansMultiple properties, one loanCRE PermanentLong-term agency & permSBA Financing7(a) & 504 placement
About the local figures on this page
Local rules move. Every tax rate, fee, ordinance and market figure here comes from a primary source and carries the date we read it, and we correct them as the rules change. Where a number is mid-change or we could not verify it, we say so rather than guess. Before you commit a budget, confirm anything that drives it with the city or county, and talk to your attorney or CPA on questions of law or tax.
Published by USA Mortgage Funding, LLC, NMLS #152588. Researched from primary sources by our team, drafted with AI assistance, and every figure checked against its source before publishing. Where an answer rests on a public record, that record is linked under it. Figures read on 2026-08-22.
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