Buying on Cedar Creek Lake: Two-County Due Diligence Checklist

Step One: Identify Which County Your Parcel Is In

Before any other due diligence, confirm whether your specific parcel is in Henderson County or Kaufman County. The lake straddles both, and the county line does not follow an obvious geographic boundary. Your county determines your tax rate, your school district, and which appraisal district handles your homestead exemption. The fastest way to determine your county: pull your prospective property's address on both Henderson CAD (henderson-cad.org) and Kaufman CAD -- only one will return a result for your specific parcel. Alternatively, ask your title company to confirm the county of jurisdiction during the title search process, which they do as a matter of course.

Step Two: Verify TRWD Boathouse Permit Status

If the property has a boathouse, dock, retaining wall, or any other shoreline improvement, verify its permit status with TRWD before closing. Contact the TRWD Cedar Creek Lake Office at (903) 432-2814 and provide the property address. Ask TRWD to confirm whether all shoreline improvements have current, valid TRWD improvement permits, and whether there are any outstanding violations or compliance issues on the property's shoreline structures.

Specific items to verify with TRWD:

• Original improvement permit for the boathouse (request the permit number and issuance date)
• Whether any modifications have been made since the original permit, and whether those modifications were separately permitted
• Whether the structure contains any bathroom facilities (TRWD prohibition -- unpermitted bathrooms are a compliance violation)
• Whether TRWD has any pending enforcement actions or compliance notices on the property

Also hire a qualified marine contractor to physically inspect the boathouse for structural integrity, electrical compliance, and condition before closing. TRWD's general compliance inspection is not a substitute for a professional condition assessment.

Step Three: Confirm School District and File the Right Exemption

After confirming your county, confirm your specific school district -- not all properties in Henderson County are served by the same ISD. The school district affects your tax rate and your children's school assignment. Get the school district confirmed through the appraisal district record for your specific parcel, not from the listing agent or from the city name alone. File your homestead exemption with the appraisal district of the county your parcel is in, not with the wrong county's CAD. Filing with the wrong county is a common mistake and delays your exemption by an entire tax year.

Step Four: Flood Zone and Elevation Certificate

Run a FEMA flood zone check on the specific property address. If the property falls in Zone AE or is near the 322-325 foot flood easement band, order an elevation certificate during your option period. Elevation certificates typically cost $400 to $700 but can save significantly more than that annually in flood insurance premiums if the property's lowest finished floor is well above base flood elevation.

Step Five: Water and Septic Verification

Confirm whether the property is served by municipal water and sewer or by private well and septic. Outside Gun Barrel City's incorporated limits and portions of Mabank, many Cedar Creek Lake properties are on private systems. If on well and septic, have both systems inspected during your option period by licensed professionals separate from your general home inspector. Well water quality testing should include bacteria, nitrates, and any contaminants common in East Texas aquifer geology. Septic systems should be pumped and inspected with a camera inspection if the system is over 10 years old.