Episode 01
El Paso Real Estate · 8 min read
Welcome to living in El Paso, Texas. Our team at Peña El Paso Realty Group has years of experience in the El Paso real estate market. We specialize in helping individuals and families relocate seamlessly to our vibrant city, whether you're looking to purchase new construction, find the perfect neighborhood, or PCS to Fort Bliss. We're here to guide you through every step of your relocation.
This is a longer video, but we've included chapters so you can skip to the sections most relevant to you.
El Paso stands out as an excellent destination for home buyers due to affordable housing, high quality of life, and moderate weather. The average home value in El Paso is approximately $225,000, significantly lower than the national average. This affordability makes El Paso appealing for individuals and families looking to purchase without the financial strain found in other markets.
El Paso boasts a high quality of life with sunny climate, cultural attractions, and family-friendly amenities. The city enjoys over 300 days of sunshine annually, providing ample opportunities for outdoor activities year-round. El Paso has various cultural attractions including museums, theaters, and festivals that contribute to a vibrant community atmosphere. Family-friendly amenities such as parks, recreational centers, and educational institutions further enhance the living experience.
For military families undergoing a permanent change of station to Fort Bliss, we specialize in personalized support for your relocation needs. Our deep understanding of the unique challenges during a PCS enables us to provide tailored assistance in finding the perfect home. We're committed to serving those who serve through specialized services designed to make your transition as seamless as possible.
Purchasing a home is a significant milestone. Understanding the process makes your relocation to El Paso seamless and stress-free.
Securing a mortgage preapproval is the crucial first step. A lender evaluates your financial situation and commits to providing a loan up to a specific amount. This process requires a credit check, which might slightly impact your credit score. Pre-approvals are typically valid for 60 to 90 days depending on the lender.
You can find a lender by reaching out to your preferred bank, using online platforms like Rocket Mortgage, or asking us to recommend reputable lenders we work with frequently. A helpful tip: consult multiple lenders to compare terms and interest rates for the best deal. Multiple credit inquiries within a short period are typically treated as a single inquiry, minimizing impact on your credit score.
Working with a real estate agent is essential for finding the right home. We at Peña El Paso Realty Group have deep understanding of the El Paso market combined with commitment to personalized service. We provide invaluable market insights, negotiate effectively on your behalf, and have a proven track record helping hundreds of buyers relocate to El Paso. Google "Peña El Paso Realty Group" and check our reviews.
Embarking on your home search involves exploring neighborhoods and properties that align with your preferences and budget. Decide on your criteria: do you want a one-story home? How many bedrooms and bathrooms? New construction or older home? If you can visit in person, we'll schedule showings. For those unable to visit, we offer comprehensive walkthrough videos of homes you're interested in, providing detailed virtual experience to assist your decision-making.
Making an offer means submitting a formal proposal to purchase the property at a specified price, which starts the negotiation process. We work closely with you to craft a competitive offer using our in-depth market experience. When you're ready to purchase, we thoroughly explain all contract details, ensuring you understand everything before moving forward.
Home inspection and appraisal follow after your offer is accepted. The home inspection assesses the property's condition to identify potential issues. We can recommend a reputable home inspection company. Once the inspection report is completed, you have the opportunity to negotiate repairs with the seller, potentially having them cover costs. This negotiation ensures significant concerns are addressed before purchase.
Your lender will then coordinate the appraisal to determine the property's value, typically occurring within two to three weeks after going on contract. The appraisal ensures the home's value aligns with the agreed price, providing confidence in your investment.
Closing involves signing documents to transfer ownership, officially making you the homeowner. This process typically takes 21 to 40 days from offer acceptance, with an average of around 30 days. Before closing, review all documents carefully and ensure your funds are in place for closing costs.
Before signing, we conduct a final walkthrough to confirm any agreed repairs are completed. If you're in town, we do this in person. If not, we arrange a virtual walkthrough. If you're in town for closing, we meet you at the title company to sign papers together. If not, the title company coordinates a mobile notary to meet you, ensuring documents are signed efficiently.
When purchasing a home in El Paso, buyers often include a home sale contingency in their offer. This means the new home purchase depends on the successful sale of your current property. This approach avoids carrying two mortgages simultaneously, but sellers might view contingencies cautiously as they introduce uncertainty.
To strengthen your offer, have your current home either sold or under contract before making an offer on a new property. This demonstrates to the seller that you're a serious buyer with a solid plan.
Choosing the right neighborhood is crucial, especially for military families PCSing to Fort Bliss who often prioritize shorter commutes. Areas like the Northeast, Far East, and Horizon City are popular due to proximity to base and family-friendly environments.
For non-military buyers, the East Side, Sakuro, the West Side, and neighborhoods near the New Mexico border like Santa Teresa and Coño are also great options. We've created numerous videos detailing various El Paso neighborhoods, providing in-depth looks at what each area offers.
Plan your move by researching and hiring reputable moving companies. El Paso offers various options to suit different needs and budgets. Decluttering your belongings before packing makes the process more manageable. Consider timing your move to avoid peak moving seasons, which are expensive and stressful. Preparing a first-night essentials bag with necessary items makes your arrival more comfortable.
As a former teacher, I understand the importance of educational opportunities for families with children. El Paso offers several reputable school districts, each with unique strengths.
The Ysleta Independent School District has been recognized as the top school district in the El Paso area for four consecutive years according to Niche's 2025 best schools and district rankings. The El Paso Independent School District, the largest district, serves a significant portion of the city including areas near Fort Bliss. In the 2021-2022 school year, EPISD received a B rating from the Texas Education Agency, reflecting solid academic performance.
For families prioritizing athletic programs, Niche ranks EPISD 53rd out of 87 districts in Texas for best school districts for athletes. When comparing test scores, El Paso's public schools perform slightly above the national average, with school test scores 4% higher than the national average.
For military families, Fort Bliss offers resources through the school liaison office providing support and information for smooth educational transitions. Researching schools in your desired neighborhood helps ensure they meet your family's educational needs.
We are passionate about El Paso real estate and dedicated to helping you achieve your real estate goals. Our extensive knowledge of El Paso neighborhoods and the local market positions us as your ideal resource for relocation.
Understanding the challenges of remote home buying, we offer comprehensive virtual tours with detailed walkthroughs visible from anywhere. Our clients have appreciated this service, noting how it saved them stress during their move.
Purchasing a home is one of your most significant financial decisions, and doing so from a distance adds complexity. Effective communication is crucial in real estate transactions, preventing misunderstandings, managing expectations, and fostering trust. We prioritize clear and consistent communication using the latest technologies to keep you informed at every step. Our commitment to transparency ensures you feel informed and secure, reducing anxiety and increasing satisfaction.
We recognize the unique challenges you face when relocating to El Paso. Our dedicated team is ready to provide personalized assistance tailored to your needs. We're here to answer questions and guide you through every step of your relocation journey.
If you're considering relocating to El Paso, reach out to us for personalized assistance. Google "Peña El Paso Realty Group" and check our reviews. For more insights and updates, follow us on social media. To check our current listings, visit our website at peñaelpaso.com. Contact us directly by email or phone-we look forward to assisting you with your move to El Paso.
We get messages every week from people asking what the process looks like for moving to El Paso. Military families PCSing to Fort Bliss, remote workers leaving expensive cities, retirees looking for sunshine and affordability. The specifics vary, but the steps are the same. Here's the updated version for 2026, including some important changes to how the home buying process works now.
This is step one for a reason. You're going to be working closely with this person for weeks or months, and if you're relocating from out of state, they're your eyes and ears on the ground in a city you might have never visited.
Reach out by phone, text, or email. Have a real conversation. Talk about what you're looking for: what side of town, how many bedrooms, square footage, whether you have kids or pets, if you need a big backyard, what the kitchen should look like. All of it.
But just as important, figure out if this is someone you trust. Moving to a new city is stressful. You want an agent who's going to be straight with you about what a neighborhood is really like, not just someone who tells you what you want to hear. Ask how many relocating buyers they've worked with. Ask about the neighborhoods they'd personally avoid. See how they answer.
Here's what's new in 2026: Before your agent can show you a single home, you'll need to sign a written buyer representation agreement. This is now required by both the NAR settlement (effective August 2024) and Texas Senate Bill 1968 (effective January 2026). The agreement spells out what services your agent provides and how they get paid.
This is actually a good change. Under the old rules, if you didn't sign anything, the agent showing you homes was technically representing the seller, not you. Now, your agent has a clear legal obligation to act in your interest. The agreement also addresses commission: how much you'll pay, and how it interacts with any compensation the seller might offer. Have this conversation upfront so there are no surprises.
Once your agent knows what you're looking for, they should set you up with a custom search through the MLS (Multiple Listing Service). This is the system real estate agents in El Paso use to list and search properties.
Why this matters: Zillow, Realtor.com, and the other big sites pull data from the MLS, but there's often a delay. A home that shows as "active" on Zillow might already be under contract. Nothing is more frustrating than falling in love with a house online and finding out it sold three days ago.
A direct MLS search is current and accurate. Your agent can set it to send you new listings daily or weekly, filtered to your exact criteria. You can favorite the ones you like, and your agent can see what caught your eye. That feedback loop helps both of you zero in faster.
Here's some context on what you'll see. The median home price in El Paso is $300,000 as of September 2026, with the market projected to appreciate 2.5 to 4.5% over the next year. Homes are selling in an average of 67 days and going for about 98.6% of asking price. That means the market is active but not frantic. You have time to be deliberate, but you can't sit on a good listing for two weeks and expect it to still be there.
Unless you're paying cash, you need a mortgage, and that means talking to a lender. This is the step most people put off because it feels like a hassle. It is. Do it anyway.
There's a difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval, and it matters. A pre-qualification is a quick estimate based on what you tell the lender about your income and debts. It's tentative. A pre-approval means the lender has actually pulled your credit, reviewed your pay stubs, looked at your tax documents, and verified your financial picture. They're giving you a real number they'll back with an actual loan.
The process takes time. You'll submit pay stubs, W-2s, tax returns, bank statements, and probably a few more documents you'll need to dig up. It's not a one-day turnaround. Start this early.
Why does it matter? Two reasons. First, when you find the house you want, you need to move fast. Having a pre-approval letter ready means you can submit an offer the same day. In a market where homes sell in 67 days on average, the buyer who's pre-approved beats the buyer who's still waiting on their lender. Second, knowing your real budget keeps you from wasting time looking at homes you can't afford or undershooting and missing out on what's within reach.
If you're military: VA loans let you buy with zero down payment and no PMI (private mortgage insurance). Make sure your lender is experienced with VA loans, because the process has some specific requirements around appraisals and eligibility that not every lender handles well. With an E-5 BAH of about $1,773/month in El Paso, a VA loan on a $250,000 home is very doable.
This is the part people enjoy. You've narrowed down your favorites, you've got your financing lined up, and now it's time to actually see the homes.
If you can make it to El Paso in person, that's ideal. Let your agent know when you're coming and they'll line up showings. When you're here, don't just look at the houses. Drive the neighborhoods. Check the commute to work at the time you'd actually be driving it. See where the grocery stores are. Get a feel for whether this area actually works for your life, not just on paper.
El Paso is a spread-out city. A home in the Far East might be a 35-minute drive to the West Side in normal traffic. If you're working at Fort Bliss, the Northeast puts you 10 - 20 minutes from the gates, but the West Side could be a 20 - 30 minute commute. These things matter more than they look on a map.
If you can't come down, virtual tours work. Your agent gets you on a video call, walks through each property with the phone, and you direct the camera. "Show me the backyard. What does the neighborhood look like from the front porch? Drive around the block." We do this constantly for military families and out-of-state buyers. It's not the same as being there, but it's close.
Plan to see multiple homes even if you think you've already found "the one" online. Photos lie. A house that looked perfect in pictures might have a weird layout or back up to a busy road. And sometimes the house you almost skipped turns out to be the winner.
You've found the house. You've got your pre-approval. Now it's time to write an offer.
This is where your agent earns their commission. The offer isn't just a price. It includes contingencies, timelines, earnest money, and terms that can make or break the deal. A good agent knows what the seller is likely to accept and structures the offer to get it done without leaving money on the table.
Don't forget about concessions. In today's market, 44% of home sales include some form of seller concession, whether that's closing cost credits, repair allowances, or rate buydowns. If you're stretching to cover your down payment and closing costs, asking the seller to contribute toward closing or buy down your interest rate can save you thousands. Your agent should know when and how to ask for these without killing the deal.
Once your offer gets accepted, you've got roughly 30 to 60 days to closing. During that window, a lot happens: home inspection, survey, appraisal, title work, repair negotiations, and final loan approval. If you're relocating, you're probably still at your current location while all of this plays out. Your agent handles the day-to-day in El Paso, and most documents get signed digitally.
The inspection is the part that matters most. That's when you find out what the home looks like under the surface. Your agent will help you negotiate repairs or credits based on what the inspector finds. This isn't the time to be polite. If the roof is old or the HVAC is on its last leg, you need to know and you need to negotiate accordingly.
Then comes closing day, and you get the keys.
The whole process, from first phone call to keys in hand, usually takes 60 to 90 days depending on your timeline and the market. If you're PCSing to Fort Bliss with a specific report date, we can work backward from that to make sure everything lines up.
The biggest mistake people make is waiting too long to start. Analysts expect mortgage rates to stabilize in 2026, which could increase relocation volume by 20 to 25%. That means more competition for the same inventory later in the year. If you're thinking about moving to El Paso sometime in the next six months, start the conversation now. The earlier we get the search set up and the lending in motion, the smoother everything goes when it's time to pull the trigger.
John David Peña is the owner of Peña El Paso Realty Group and has helped hundreds of families relocate to El Paso. Start the process at penaelpaso.com or reach out directly at john@penaelpaso.com.
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Welcome to Living in El Paso, Texas. My name is Alejandro Sosa. My name is John Peña and this is your complete guide to moving to El Paso 2026 edition. If you move to El Paso, you're basically joining a population of about 680,000 people, where our cost of living is 12%
below the national average. We get to about 297 sunny days per year. Median home price here is about $265,000 and the crime rate is about 14% below the national average. Fort Bliss is here, huge army base, and its economic impact
basically brings in about $28 billion a year. Okay, so El Paso is a unique, thriving, smaller city, which takes us into this next question. Alejandro, what makes El Paso different than some of the other Texas cities? It's going to be the location.
El Paso is going to be closer to Phoenix than Houston. It is located in the Chihuahuan Desert and we are a border city. We are next to Ciudad Juarez, which El Paso and Ciudad Juarez has a combined population of two and a half million people.
Now, the population doesn't grow nearly as fast as places like Houston. Yeah, for sure, and the other thing, you know, we've helped kind of hundreds of families relocate to El Paso, Texas, and you're probably like, well, what brings them there versus, say, Dallas or Austin?
Well, typically it's affordability, maybe outdoor lifestyle, kind of calm, laid-back, friendly community, so those are a couple of the things. And then, of course, another thing that does bring people here, that first one that I mentioned,
is cost of living. So, how far does your money go? So, we mentioned that basically El Paso's cost of living is 12% lower than the national average with the biggest savings, housing, and health care, all right? Obviously, as real estate agents, we're
gonna, like, tell you about the housing affordability, but here's some other stats just to keep track of. Housing costs are 32% below the national average, so median sales price at $255 to $265 more or less in El Paso, whereas the U.S. median price
is over $400,000, so pretty considerable difference. Health care runs about 5% below the national average. Of course, groceries come in 2% lower. This is interesting. Utilities are about 10%
lower than the national average. Now, one area where El Paso tracks a little bit higher is actually transportation, about 2% more because we do have some public transportation here, but El Paso is like, you gotta have a car in El Paso. Like,
it's not walkable. It's really not bikeable. Like, of course, around your neighborhood, you're going to be able to do those things, but other than that, you're going to be in a car, so those expenses are a little bit higher. Another really awesome thing, though,
about cost of living in Texas is that we don't have any state income tax, so that's going to save you some money, and then you're going to have to use that money, though, if you buy a home to offset some slightly higher property taxes, so I guess it's a little bit of a win-lose
there, so that's cost of living in El Paso. Next up, it's going to be climate and weather. Here in El Paso, we get an average of 297 days of sunshine per year. It doesn't rain much. We only get about 8.8 inches of rain per year. It doesn't really snow. If it does snow,
it's going to melt pretty quickly. Now, it's pretty dry, especially if you're coming from a climate that is very humid. It's going to take you a little bit of time. To me, it took me about two months to get used to how dry it is in here. Now, when it comes out to the temperatures,
June is going to be the warmest time of the month. Most of the temperatures are going to be mid-90s, but there's going to be a few days that it will exceed 100. It's not very common, but it's maybe like 27 days average of the year, so that happens. Now, spring and fall are the most
comfortable times of the year, in my opinion. Most of the times, we're going to be between 60s and 70s. Now, dust storms occasionally roll through. That typically starts February and March, but they're pretty brief. They don't really last that long.
Now, since we are in the desert, December does get a little cold. We average about 44 degrees, especially at night when there's a little bit of windy. It can get a little bit colder than that. Now, like I said, the snow is very brief when it does happen, and it melts pretty
quickly. Yeah, I think it's fair to say that there's basically no snow. Yeah, I mean basically, yeah. Don't count on snow if you're moving to El Paso, Texas. Okay, so next up, let's talk a little bit about the economy
and employment. This is a big one for people. They always ask us about this. So, El Paso's economy is kind of anchored by three main pillars. Okay, let's start with number one. That's Fort Bliss. Like I said, this is a very large army base right kind of in the heart of El Paso.
It basically supports about 127,000 jobs, and like I said at the beginning, contributes almost 28 billion dollars to the El Paso and the Texas economy. So, the base is home to about 28,000 active member service, and it has about 41,000 direct employees. So,
there's a lot going on at Fort Bliss, and the the cool thing about it is it kind of makes a like a recession resistant economic floor for El Paso. So, when there might be like an economic downturn nationally, El Paso actually typically does pretty
well because we've got all that income, all that movement with Fort Bliss. The second pillar is international trade and logistics basically. So, obviously being a border city, we're a major port. So, there are literally billions coming of the products
coming over the border here. So, warehousing, distribution, transportation, lots and lots of jobs there. And then, that third pillar for employment here is essentially health care and education. So, health care, we've got let's see,
University Medical Center, the Hospitals of Providence, Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare, our major employers. And then, aside from just you know schools, the public schools, private schools, we've got UTEP here, and then a pretty expansive El Paso Community College as well
that also employs folks in El Paso. Moving on, we're going to talk about where to live in El Paso. There's many different areas in El Paso. Mainly, we're going to talk about three of the big ones. One is going to be the west side. The west side is one of the most
popular areas here in El Paso. It's an established area here that mainly is going to divide into sections, the Upper Valley, and you know what the traditional west side of El Paso. Now, it's very popular where families are looking for homes that are
your typical homes that have a lot of character, possibly you know three, four hundred thousand and up. It's a very popular area. You got Kern, which is also very historic, really, really nice neighborhood close to UTEP as well. The other area we're going to talk about
is the east side. The east side is your established area, your established neighborhoods. The more you go to the east side, the farther east you go, that's where you're going to find a lot of the new construction, which is very popular for many people, especially for
PCS clients. It's a very popular area. Also, Horizon City, that's where you're going to find most of the newer homes. We call it the most bang for your buck. It's going to be that area. Very, very popular military and also people are looking for, you know, pretty, pretty new homes, new
construction homes. Another popular area is going to be the northeast. The northeast is a beautiful area by the mountains, really established neighborhoods, established communities. You're going to find some new constructions on the northeast side,
more the north side of the northeast side, that is also very popular with military folks. What we call the far east and the northeast since it's close to base. It's very popular areas. Now, there's other area called the lower valley, which is south
of I-10, south of Horizon City, which is a popular area as well, especially if you're looking for maybe more land or a little bit more, you know, far away from the city, which some people like that type of lifestyle. Yeah, absolutely. And then moving on to schools and education.
So, of course, we have a pretty extensive public school environment here. Of course, you're going to want to kind of check the schools out. It's such an important topic. Honestly, my my kids are already out of school and Alejandro doesn't have kids yet, so
we're not the experts on exactly the schools, but check out, you know, look up test scores. My understanding is that we do actually pretty well, consistently better than the national average. We also have public charter schools. They're all
like IDEAS, I-D-E-A-S. I see a ton of those. So, but like I said, do your homework. We have different school districts, the El Paso Independent School District, the Ysleta School District, the Socorro School District. So, do your research, but my understanding and
belief is that the schools here are better than average, which is awesome. And then we already mentioned UTEP is the big university here, and then we have a super extensive El Paso community college scene. So, schools, education, pretty good, but do your own research
and validate that for us. All right, moving on to if you're making the move to El Paso for the military. Basically, we get tons of people that PCS to El Paso every year. Typically, spring, early summer is the timeline when most folks are coming in.
Alejandro and I, we have helped hundreds of PCS buyers make the move to El Paso. So, making the move to El Paso, it's pretty smooth if you choose the right real estate agents. It's really important that you have somebody who can
really explain to you what those different areas are, the neighborhoods. Like I said, we're experts on all the neighborhoods and areas in El Paso. So, if you are making that move, definitely reach out to us and we can provide a little bit of
further guidance in that department. And make sure you check out our YouTube channel, Living in El Paso, Texas. We got in-depth videos of the different areas and communities so you can, you know, have a better idea of what to look for in those different neighborhoods. Yeah, that's a super, that's a great point
because it's one thing for us to be like, oh, you might like the Far East, but then just go on our channel, watch the Far East video. We've got like 2022, 23, 24, 25, like they're all updated every year. So, you can see exactly what they look like, price points, everything. Super good resource for you. So,
let's move on to just a couple of little quirky things you need to know about before you move. Number one, driver's license and vehicle registration. People ask me about this. So, let me just read this. Texas requires new residents to obtain a Texas driver's license and register their
vehicle within 30 days of establishing residency. Okay. So, make sure you remember that. Voter registration, you can register to vote online through the Texas Secretary of State website or, you know, you can go to your county election office here. Internet utilities, easy. Basically,
Spectrum, AT&T. AT&T is laying down fiber everywhere. So, it's not everywhere, everywhere, but it's coming. So, make sure, by the way, if you're finding this video useful, go to our website, PenaElPaso.com. It has even more resources for you, including guides that you can download and check out. So, that's a super good
resource for you as well. All right. So, that kind of sums it up. Let's just do some rapid fire things here and get in all of our last little points for you. In a nutshell, would you say that El Paso is a good place to live? Yeah. I think El Paso is a great option if you're looking for a safe city with
great weather and affordable living. Absolutely. Affordable living. We did some research. Basically, a single adult can live comfortably in El Paso if you're making about $55,000 to $65,000 a year. That means you're going to own your own home and you're going to be good to go. You're not going to be, you know,
hopefully living paycheck to paycheck. So, we already talked about how unbelievable the weather is, but another question that we get all the time is, is El Paso safe? Okay. Yes. Crime rates, 14% lower than the national average. Here's some more numbers. El Paso is safer than 40% of U.S. cities, according
to Neighborhood Scout crime data. So, despite being a border city, I know that El Paso sometimes gets a bad rap in the media, but you come and visit, spend a couple of days here, and you're going to see that this is a safe city. You're going to feel safe. A lot of times people are like, you know, what area should I
move to? I want a safe area. I'm like, well, pick anywhere. Like I said, come here and you'll see that for yourself. So, we kind of already talked about some of the employment situations, and to be totally honest, I think it is fair to mention that being bilingual is going to be helpful for you. Would you agree
with that? Definitely helpful, not required. A lot of people think that you need to speak Spanish in order just to survive here, and that's not the case, but it'll definitely help. Yeah, it'll definitely help. Obviously, Alejandro is bilingual. I am not, shamefully so, and I've been able to get by pretty well,
but I think that's just because as a real estate agent, it's been okay, especially since we do deal so much with relocating buyers who are also not bilingual. But, like I said, it's not a necessity, but it helps. So, that is your complete guide to moving to El Paso in 2026. Thank you so much for watching the
video. Again, check out PenaElPaso.com. Unbelievable resources there for you. If you're considering making that move to El Paso, by all means, reach out to us. We've helped hundreds of people do the exact same thing.
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