Garden Ridge, TX for VA Buyers in 2026: Prices, Lot Sizes, Taxes and the Drive to JBSA-Randolph

LAST UPDATED: OCTOBER 8, 2026 | BY CHRISTOPHER BEAL, U.S. ARMY VETERAN & REALTOR

Where Is Garden Ridge?

Garden Ridge is a small incorporated city in southern Comal County, bordered by Schertz to the south. The 2020 census counted 4,186 residents. Its main roads are FM 3009 and FM 2252, and Interstate 35 runs through Schertz a few miles south. That location puts it closer to JBSA-Randolph than most Hill Country communities, which is the main reason military buyers look at it.

One point causes real confusion in searches and listings: ZIP code 78266 is not the same as the City of Garden Ridge. Of the 235 residential sales recorded in ZIP 78266 from October 8, 2025 to October 8, 2026, only 43 were listed with Garden Ridge as the city. Most of the rest were newer Bexar County subdivisions with a San Antonio address, typically on lots of about a seventh of an acre. If a listing says 78266, check the county, the city and the taxing units on the appraisal record before you compare it to a Garden Ridge home.

Homes inside the city are a mix of older custom homes from the 1970s through the 1990s and newer construction, mostly on lots well above typical subdivision size. For nearby options with smaller lots and a similar Randolph commute, see my guides to living in Schertz and living in Cibolo, and for the rest of Comal County, living in New Braunfels.

What Do Homes in Garden Ridge Sell For?

Source: SABOR/LERA MLS, closed sales, residential property type, ZIP 78266 with the MLS city field Garden Ridge, close dates October 8, 2025 to October 8, 2026; 43 sales from a complete 235-record ZIP pull, queried October 8, 2026. MLS sales only; private sales are not included. Past sales do not set the price of any specific home.

Two things stand out. First, the lots: a common assumption is that every Garden Ridge home sits on at least an acre, and the sold data does not support that. Most sales were between three-quarters of an acre and just under an acre. If acreage matters to you, for a shop, an RV pad or simple privacy, confirm the exact lot size on the survey and plat. Second, the price range is wide. Older homes that need updating and newer custom homes sit side by side, so the median says less here than it does in a uniform subdivision.

For buyers comparing Garden Ridge with other higher-priced areas, my guide to San Antonio's most affluent neighborhoods and property taxes on a $1M+ home cover the Bexar and Kendall County side.

How Far Is Garden Ridge From JBSA?

Source: OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM public router) from 9400 Municipal Parkway, Garden Ridge, checked October 8, 2026. These are free-flow estimates with no traffic, not rush-hour times. Weekday peak-hour drives on I-35 and FM 3009 will take longer, so test your own route at the hour you would actually drive it.

If your orders are for Lackland, Garden Ridge means a long daily drive through the I-35 and US-90 corridors. For a Randolph assignment it is one of the shorter large-lot options, and Schertz, Cibolo and Universal City sit even closer on smaller lots.

How Do Property Taxes Work in Garden Ridge?

Garden Ridge does levy a city property tax. For the 2025 tax year, the city's published notice lists a no-new-revenue rate of $0.253534 and a voter-approval rate of $0.246430 per $100 of value (City of Garden Ridge notice of tax rates, posted by Comal County). The county, the school district and any other special district on the bill add their own rates. The appraisal record for the property lists every taxing unit, and the Comal County tax office publishes the adopted rates each year.

The homestead rules are the same statewide and matter more than the rate:

• School homestead exemption. School districts must exempt $140,000 of a residence homestead's value (Texas Tax Code 11.13(b), per the Texas Comptroller).
• Homestead appraisal cap. Once the homestead exemption is in place, the taxable value of the home generally cannot rise more than 10 percent a year (Tax Code 23.23). The cap starts the year after you qualify, so your first bill can reflect the seller's exemptions, not yours.
• Disabled veteran exemptions. A veteran awarded 100 percent disability compensation, or rated individually unemployable, can qualify for a total exemption on the homestead (Tax Code 11.131). Lower ratings qualify for a partial exemption that varies by rating (Tax Code 11.22). The appraisal district decides eligibility, and the effective date matters as much as the eligibility. My Texas disabled veteran property tax exemption guide walks through the filing.

File for your homestead exemption with the Comal Appraisal District, not Bexar, once you own and live in the home. If you are buying in the Bexar County part of ZIP 78266, the Bexar Appraisal District handles it instead.

How Does a VA Loan Work at Garden Ridge Prices?

Full entitlement. If you have never used your VA home loan benefit, or your earlier loan was paid off and entitlement restored, the VA loan limit does not apply. You can borrow without a down payment as long as the lender approves your income, credit and debts, and the loan does not exceed the appraised value or the purchase price, whichever is lower (VA.gov, VA home loan limits). Many lenders apply their own overlays to larger loans, such as higher credit or reserve requirements, so ask each lender what applies to a loan of your size.

Partial entitlement. If you still have a VA loan on another home, VA uses the county loan limit. For 2026, Comal County uses the baseline one-unit limit of $832,750 set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. VA's formula is: 25 percent of the county limit, minus the entitlement already charged, equals your remaining entitlement. Lenders generally want entitlement, a down payment or both to cover 25 percent of the loan.

Illustrative example, not a quote: $832,750 x 25% = $208,187.50. If $50,000 of entitlement is tied up in a prior loan, $158,187.50 remains, which supports about $632,750 with no down payment ($158,187.50 x 4). On a $750,000 loan, 25 percent is $187,500, so the gap of $29,312.50 would typically come from a down payment. Your Certificate of Eligibility shows the actual entitlement charged, and your lender makes the final calculation.

Funding fee. For a purchase with less than 5 percent down, the VA funding fee is 2.15 percent for first use and 3.3 percent after first use; 5 percent down lowers it to 1.5 percent and 10 percent down to 1.25 percent. On a $740,000 loan with no down payment, that is $15,910 for first use or $24,420 after first use. You do not pay the fee if you receive, or are eligible to receive, VA compensation for a service-connected disability, among other exemptions listed by VA. The fee is the only closing cost that can be financed into a VA purchase loan; other charges are paid at closing, though seller concessions (capped at 4 percent of the reasonable value) and allowable credits can cover some of them (VA.gov, funding fee and closing costs). More detail is in my VA funding fee guide and my guide to buying a $1M+ home with a VA loan.

Appraisal. A VA appraisal sets the reasonable value on the Notice of Value and checks the home against VA's minimum property requirements. Large-lot and older homes can raise questions about wells, septic systems, access and condition, so read my rural VA loan guide before you write an offer on acreage.

What to Check on a Garden Ridge Property

Garden Ridge homes vary more than homes in a single builder's subdivision, so the property-level checks do most of the work:

1. County and taxing units. Confirm from the appraisal record that the home is inside the City of Garden Ridge and in Comal County, and list every taxing unit on the bill.
2. Lot, survey and restrictions. Verify the acreage on the survey and plat, then read the deed restrictions and city rules for what you plan to add, such as a shop, a pool, fencing or parking for an RV or trailer.
3. HOA. Some streets have an association and some do not. Get the resale certificate and the dues for the specific property rather than relying on a general answer.
4. Water and wastewater. Ask whether the home is on a septic system or a sewer connection and have any septic system inspected. VA's minimum property requirements apply to both.
5. School district. Garden Ridge is served by Comal ISD. School districts are listed here for reference only, not rated. Campus assignment depends on the exact address and boundaries change; verify the zoned campus with the district and review current information on the Texas Education Agency's TXschools.gov before you write an offer.
6. Insurance and condition. Get insurance quotes before your option period ends, especially for older homes, large roofs or homes with outbuildings, and order a full inspection even when the VA appraisal comes back clean.

If you already have a low-rate VA loan to protect or are hoping to take one over, my assumable VA loan guide explains how assumptions work and what they do to your entitlement.

About the Author: Christopher Beal

Christopher Beal is a U.S. Army veteran and the Owner of Veteran Real Estate San Antonio, a Beal Group practice brokered by eXp Realty (TREC License #723559). A Military Relocation Professional (MRP) and VAREP member, he is a 7-time eXp Realty ICON agent, winner of Best Real Estate Agency in the 2026 Best of San Antonio Readers' Choice (San Antonio Current, 100,000+ voters), and a 3x San Antonio Business Journal Top 25 Individual Agent (#13 in 2024, #14 in 2025, #20 in 2026). His recognition also includes 3x Platinum Top 50, 2x RateMyAgent Agent of the Year, 2x Real Producers Top 100, Five Star Professional (2026), and a RealTrends 2026 ranking. He has helped 325+ families, closed more than $125M in career volume, and holds 5.0 stars across 370+ verified reviews, working almost exclusively with military and veteran buyers and sellers across Bexar, Comal, Kendall, Medina, and Bandera counties, with a focus on VA loans, PCS moves, and homebuying near JBSA-Lackland, JBSA-Randolph, and Fort Sam Houston. If you are weighing Garden Ridge against Schertz, Cibolo or New Braunfels, he will run the commute, tax and VA entitlement numbers for the specific homes you are considering. He can be reached at (210) 882-8583.

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore More Resources

• VA Home Loans
• Military Relocation
• Free Home Evaluation
• Serve & Save Program
• Client Reviews
• About Christopher

Serve & Save. If you are an active-duty service member, Guard or Reserve member, or an honorably discharged veteran and you use me as your buyer's agent, the Serve & Save program reduces your closing costs by 1 percent of the gross buyer's agent commission for each verified year of active service. It must be agreed in writing before you sign a purchase contract and approved by your lender, and it is applied on the Closing Disclosure at settlement.

Call or text Christopher Beal at (210) 882-8583 with the addresses you are considering and your duty station, and I will pull the county record, the tax units and the drive for each one.

Watch: Is Garden Ridge TX a Good Place to Live?

In this short video I give you the quick answer on Garden Ridge: it fits buyers who want room more than a short drive, and I cover lot sizes, prices, the drive to JBSA-Randolph and the septic-or-sewer question to ask before you write an offer.