Selling your Texas home, step by step

TREC requires license holders to give you the Information About Brokerage Services notice (form IABS 1-2, effective January 1, 2026) at the first substantive conversation about a specific property. It explains who the agent represents.

A good price comes from recent sales of similar nearby homes, adjusted for condition, size and updates. Your agent should show you those sales, not just a number.

The listing agreement sets the term, the price, how the property will be marketed and the brokerage compensation. Read it before signing; every term in it is something you agree to.

Repairs, cleaning, photos and the Seller's Disclosure Notice required by Texas Property Code 5.008 for most single-family homes. Disclose what you know accurately.

Most resale homes use the TREC One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale), form 20-19, currently dated May 4, 2026. It covers price, financing, earnest money, an option period, title, survey, repairs and closing date.

During the option period the buyer usually inspects and may negotiate repairs or terminate. If the buyer uses a loan, the lender orders an appraisal.

The title company examines title, issues the commitment, collects documents, and at closing receives the buyer's funds, pays off your loan and costs, records the deed and sends you the proceeds.

The Texas Department of Insurance says title companies search for ownership problems that must be fixed before a sale, such as unpaid liens or missing heirs. Problems found early are much easier to solve.

Before closing, the title company issues a title commitment listing items that will be excepted from coverage. TDI advises reading it carefully, because those items can become exceptions in Schedule B of the final policy.

In Texas, title insurance premiums are set by TDI and every title agent charges the same premium. Escrow and closing fees can vary, so they are worth comparing. TREC form 20-19 has a checkbox for whether the seller or the buyer pays the owner's policy, which is negotiable.

The title company holds earnest money and the buyer's funds, prepares the settlement statement, and disburses to every party at closing. TDI advises verifying any electronic payment instructions directly with your title agent.

It arranges notarized signatures, including mail-away or remote closings when its underwriter allows them, and records the deed with the county clerk.

Paragraph 12 of form 20-19 lists the seller's expenses: releases of existing liens, including prepayment penalties and recording fees, release of the seller's loan liability, tax statements or certificates, preparation of the deed, one-half of the escrow fee, and other expenses the contract assigns to the seller.

Any mortgage or home equity balance is paid from the proceeds at closing, with interest through the payoff date.

Property taxes for the current year, HOA dues and assessments are prorated through the closing date. Texas taxes for a year are not delinquent until February 1 of the following year (Tax Code 31.02), so they are often unpaid at closing and the seller typically credits the buyer for the part of the year the seller owned the home.

Paid by the seller or the buyer depending on what the contract says. The premium is set by TDI based on the sales price.

A survey if the existing one is not accepted, repairs or credits negotiated after inspection, any contribution to the buyer's closing costs, and brokerage compensation under your written agreement.