Dear Mr. Conroy,
Great question the answer, is best answered by Bexar Appraisal District, however, yes you have the right once you file your homestead expemtions which by the way happens after you close of cours. It is not instant so depending on when you close you will address this at the closing table, as a courtesy the title company can provide the form for you to fill out.
You may think of contacting the local VA to see what other bennefits you may have. Some only apply to Texas Vets. Since you said your just looking or if you need assistance in finding a property, please check out SABOR HOME PAGE.COM then go to the consumer side to view or research properties. or Realtor.com, this will give you a healthy start before you arrive. If you need additional assistance please feel free to contact a realtor in San Antonio, it makes life so much easier. I know I am one and am well qualified to assist you in your effort to purchase a home in San Antonio. You can also go to RE/MAX.com and you will find properties to view there as well. My name is Geneva Bailey and you can reach me @agatz99@yahoo.com
Best Wishes and Happy House Hunting.
Geneva Bailey-210-692-9300

Just a little more information on Texas and Disabled Veterans. Effective for the 2009 Tax Year, veterans that are 100% disabled are now entitled to a 100% exemption of the value of their homestead property.

Thanks to House Bill 3613, this provides much needed relief for our disabled vets out there.

More information can be found here: http://www.window.state.tx.us/news2009/090626-veterans.html

An application for this exemption can be found here: http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/taxforms/vetexempt.pdf

Semper Fi,

John King,
Texas REALTOR

We are certainly very excited to welcome you and your family to our city Michael.

You have received correct information from the answers below, make sure to appreciate the January 1 cut off that Matt was referring to, but if it's something you can't avoid then no bother crying over spilled milk.

Thank you again for your service to our Country!! Your dedication and sacrifice is NEVER taken lightly from me and my family!

Have a blessed week!

Josh

Mr. & Mrs. Conroy,

Yes you will still be eligible for the Homestead exemption. I would be honored to meet with you when you come to San Antonio to review any questions that you will have. Before working with just any Realtor I would advise you interviewing a few to see who best fits your qualifications on what you expect from a Realtor. I would be honored to be in your interview process. Please feel free to call me at 210-385-6458 or view my website at http://www.cresswellsells.com. I am also an Accredited Buyers Representative. I know you will be pleased with my services. We welcome you to SA TX! You will love it here! God Bless and be safe on your trip. Hopefully I get to meet you when you get here!

Michael,

You can combine exemptions on property taxes (as in your case, the homestead and disabled veteran exemptions). Homestead has to be filed at the beginning of the year, so depending on when you buy the property, you may have to wait to claim it. You must occupy the home on January 1st of the year you claim it, so if you buy a property (close and occupy) on Jan 2nd of 2010 (for example), you would have to pay tax without the exemption for the first year, then could claim in in 2011.

Because many clients wind up having to wait months before they claim their homestead exemption, I always set alarms on my calendars so that I can remind them to claim it in the following year. It often gets overlooked.

Hope that helps!

Matt Stigliano, Realtor®
RE/MAX Access
(210) 646-HOME
http://www.RErockstar.com
"Your all access pass to San Antonio real estate."

In the coming two years, perhaps you would like to track the San Antonio market (and some particular zip codes), so you can get a historical view of that area's real estate market. You can view market reports (and sign up for weekly emails of reports with analysis) at:

http://www.rerockstar.com/market-reports/

Hi Michael,

Well, we look forward to having you move to San Antonio! As long as you have owned the home and it is your principal residence from January 1st of the year you are filing, you would qualify for the exemption.
You would also qualify for a VA disability tax exemption for 30 percent disability or above.

Visit this link http://www.bcad.org/Home-65-DisabledSavings.htm for information on all of the tax exemptions for San Antonio.

I, myself am a retired vet with a 30% disability. The tax savings can be a real help. If you need any help with your relocation, please feel free to give me a call, my information is below. Additionally, check out my website for more information on San Antonio and military relocation. Again, we look forward to having you!

Brenda Mullen, ABR
Home Team of America
210-807-0818
brenda.mullen@sbcglobal.net

Hello Michael,

Great! That sounds exciting and I think you both will really like it here.

Currently there are no proposed changes to those exemptions, so YES you would qualify as long as you only have one principal residence here in Texas.

I am an Accredited Buyer's Representative and would glad to assist you with your relocation and home purchase here! Please feel free to contact me for further assistance.

Amanda P. Herring
Realtor, Broker
Accredited Buyer Representative
(210) 771-8607
amanda@amandaherring.com