37-Room Motel, San Leon, San Leon

Start with the number you can check. $1,499,995 across 37 rooms is a little over $40,500 a key. For an independent motel on the Galveston Bay side of the county, that is the figure a lender anchors on, and it puts this firmly in the independent economy bracket rather than anything flagged.

What the price point means

• Around $40,000 a key buys a working building with a working business. It does not buy a renovated one.
• No flag means no property improvement plan and no brand fees, and also no reservation system. Whoever buys this owns the demand problem outright.
• The upside and the risk are the same fact: nothing about this property is set by a brand, so everything about it is changeable.

Three things to check before writing an offer

• Where the demand actually comes from. San Leon is a bay community, which means weekend and seasonal leisure, fishing traffic, and contractor and plant work from the industrial corridor nearby. Those three behave completely differently across a year. A property living on summer weekends is a different investment from one living on weekday contractor crews, and the mix is the whole story.
• The building, honestly. An independent motel at this price in a coastal county almost always carries deferred maintenance, and the coast is unkind to roofs, HVAC and anything metal. Get a property condition assessment early. Budget for it as part of the purchase rather than as a surprise.
• Insurance, before you commit to a price. This is near the bay in a Texas coastal county. Windstorm and flood coverage are a material annual cost and the availability of either can change between offer and closing. Get a real quote during diligence, not an estimate.

Who it fits

• A hands-on owner operator, ideally one who lives close enough to be there. At 37 rooms this is a property somebody runs, not one somebody oversees.
• A buyer who sees the independent status as the opportunity, and has a plan for filling rooms without a brand behind them.

Who it does not fit

• A passive investor. There is no management company layer in these numbers.
• A buyer who has not priced coastal insurance and deferred capital together.

Financing

• Independent motels are eligible for SBA 7(a) and 504 where the buyer will operate the property.
• The lender will want the trailing financials, a property condition assessment and an insurance quote, and the appraisal on an independent takes longer than on a flagged property.
• Under the rules effective October 1, 2026 the equity injection is 10 percent of total project cost, and on a special purpose asset such as a hotel a 504 lender may look for 15 percent.

Not a commitment to lend. Subject to lender underwriting. Terms vary by borrower.

Next step

Occupancy, rate, trailing financials and the operating detail are released after a signed NDA is verified. Sign it and they come to you by email.