San Antonio is one of the most economically segregated cities in the U.S., with higher incomes and resources overwhelmingly concentrated in the northern half of Bexar County. Yet one important factor in financial stability and asset accumulation defies that geographic disparity: owning a home. Homeownership in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods on the East, West, and South Sides tells a quiet story of generational wealth. Many of these homes were purchased decades ago and passed down within families, often mortgage-free.
In partnership with the San Antonio area chapter of the Asset Funders Network and LISC San Antonio, CINow conducted new research to shed light on a significant threat to these community legacies: heirs’ property.
Released on May 7th, the brief is summarized below. Be sure to check out the full brief to see the data visualized and explored in depth.
Two major issues contribute to that locked-away value of heirs’ properties:
- Fractionated ownership, where many heirs own the property in common; and,
- Tangled title, where legal ownership cannot be clearly established.
A common scenario is when a homeowner dies without a will or formal estate plan, leaving ownership in legal limbo among surviving family members. Together, these conditions leave families unable to sell, refinance, or access programs to repair and maintain their homes.
This work was undertaken for two primary purposes: (A) to estimate the number of heirs’ properties in Bexar County with tangled title; and (B) to identify areas of the county where residential property is at greatest risk of becoming heirs’ property over the next 5 to 10 years.
- Bexar County has an estimated 12,000 heirs’ properties across all residential property types—about 2.1% of all residential properties examined. Single-family homes make up about 11,000 (92%).
- For each property type, residential properties flagged as possible heirs’ property were 2 to 5 times more likely to be delinquent on 2024 property taxes than unflagged properties. Single-family homes specifically were 5 times more likely.
- Neighborhoods on the near-West Side and the entire area southeast of I-35 emerge at higher risk of heirs’ property formation when risk factors such as longtime ownership, free-and-clear title, low income, lower educational attainment, and limited English proficiency are mapped together.
- Investor activity is making heirs’ properties harder to identify and more vulnerable to acquisition. Special Warranty Deeds, which shift title risk to the buyer and are favored in tangled-title purchases, peaked at 42% of all Warranty Deeds in 2024—a level not seen since the Great Recession.
Hosted by the Mexican American Unity Council (MAUC), CINow conducted focus group sessions with Bexar County residents to understand what data alone can’t show.
Before the group discussions, participants introduced themselves and shared how long they had lived in their homes or neighborhoods. The number of years was added “live” so everyone could see the total. In total, there were over 600 years of community knowledge and experience in the room.
- Residents deeply value keeping homes in their families, seeing them as a source of stability, security, and generational wealth. Homes passed down across generations embody that legacy—but without a will or clear title, that legacy is put at risk.
- Long-term homeowners described persistent pressure from investors and redevelopment activity in their neighborhoods, increasing the risk that properties will slip out of family hands.
- Aging homes, costly repairs, and financial strain compound over time, making properties more legally and financially vulnerable.
- Misinformation, cultural taboos around discussing death and estate planning, and limited access to legal and financial resources leave many families exposed — often without the legal capacity to borrow to improve their property, or even the ability to sell it.
- Trusted, community-based organizations provide critical support for families navigating title issues, taxes, and repairs — and residents expressed deep appreciation for that help.
A coalition of local organizations is working to address heirs’ property through coordinated prevention and remediation. A full list of near-term recommendations for 2026 and 2027 and onward is included in the brief, outlining approaches to coalition building, prevention, remediation, and policy reform — including a citywide Heirs’ Property Summit in mid-2026 to develop a community-wide Action Plan.
Addressing heirs’ property isn’t just about individual families — it’s about the health of entire neighborhoods, the city’s fiscal stability, and the preservation of decades of hard-won community wealth. The goal is to ensure that residents have the legal standing, resources, and support to keep a home in their family if that’s their wish, or to sell it at full value, rather than losing it to neglect, tax delinquency, or investor pressure. That wealth, preserved or realized, is what keeps neighborhoods stable, families rooted, and communities strong.
