How to sell a house in Texas.
Selling in Texas has its own rules, its own paperwork and its own cost structure. There is no attorney at the closing table. Your title insurance premium is set by the state, not by the title company. You are legally required to disclose what you know about the property. And the buyer gets a paid window in which they can walk away for any reason at all.
This guide walks the process in order, with what each stage actually costs and what the law actually requires. It is written for sellers in Austin, Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth and San Antonio, but the contract and the statutes are statewide.
How long it takes
From deciding to sell to funding, most Texas sales run 60 to 90 days. Preparation is the part sellers underestimate and the part they control.
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Pricing and pre-listing prep | 1–4 weeks |
| Photography and listing going live | 2–5 days |
| On market to accepted offer | Statewide median is 99–115 days depending on metro |
| Buyer’s option period | 5–10 days |
| Contract to closing, financed buyer | 30–45 days |
| Contract to closing, cash buyer | 10–21 days |
Days on market varies sharply by metro and by price band. Inventory across Texas has been running above five months, which is a more balanced market than 2021 — pricing accurately at the start matters more than it did then.
The six stages
1. Price it off comparable sales, not an online estimate
An automated value estimate does not know your floor plan, your condition, your orientation or your lot. A comparative market analysis looks at what actually closed nearby in the last three to six months, adjusted for the differences between those homes and yours. That is the number buyers’ agents and appraisers will work from, so it is the number you should work from.
Overpricing is the expensive mistake, and it is expensive twice: the house sits, and then the eventual price is usually below what a correctly priced listing would have achieved. Buyers read days on market as a signal, and by the time a listing is reduced, it has already been passed over by the people searching in its new price band.
2. Prepare what pays and skip what does not
The work that reliably returns more than it costs is unglamorous: deep clean, declutter and depersonalize, touch up paint, fix the visible small stuff, tidy the landscaping, and make sure every light works. Professional photography is not optional — nearly every buyer sees your house on a phone screen before they see it in person.
The work that usually does not return its cost right before a sale is the big stuff: a kitchen remodel, a pool, a room addition. If it is already dated, price for it rather than renovating for it. One exception worth considering is a pre-listing inspection, which turns surprises during the option period into decisions you make on your own timeline.
3. List and market
The listing goes into the MLS and syndicates to Zillow, Realtor.com and the rest. What matters here is accuracy — square footage, tax district, school zone and lot details are all checked by the other side, and a correction after an offer damages trust at exactly the wrong moment. Since the 2024 industry settlement, offers of buyer-agent compensation are no longer published in the MLS; whether and how much to offer is a strategy conversation, not a default.
4. Showings and offers
Expect activity to cluster in the first two weeks. When offers arrive, price is only one term: the financing type, the amount of earnest money and option fee, the length of the option period, the closing date, what the buyer asks you to pay at closing, and whether the offer is contingent on the buyer selling their own home all change what the offer is actually worth to you. A slightly lower cash offer with a short option period is frequently the stronger one.
5. The option period — from your side of the table
Once you accept, the buyer has a negotiated window, usually five to ten days, in which they may terminate for any reason at all and get their earnest money back. You cannot prevent that, and you should expect the inspection to produce a repair or credit request. Deciding in advance what you will and will not do — and what the house would need if this buyer walks and the next one inspects it too — is what keeps this stage calm.
6. Appraisal, closing and funding
The buyer’s lender orders an appraisal. If it lands below the contract price, the gap becomes a negotiation: the buyer brings more cash, you reduce, you split it, or the contract terminates. Meanwhile the title company clears title and prepares the settlement statement. You sign, the lender funds, the deed records, and the proceeds are disbursed. In Texas the title company runs all of this — there is no closing attorney.
What it actually costs to sell in Texas
Below is a typical seller cost sheet on a $340,000 sale — the Texas statewide median in July 2026 — excluding your mortgage payoff and prorated property taxes, which depend on your loan and your closing date.
| Cost | Typical amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Listing representation | $5,999 flat (a 3% commission would be $10,200) | The one line that is fully negotiable and where the models differ most |
| Buyer-agent compensation, if you offer it | $8,500 – $10,200 | No longer published in the MLS; negotiated case by case |
| Owner’s title policy | $2,371 | Set by the state — see below. Customarily paid by the seller in most of Texas |
| Survey, if a new one is needed | $500 – $650 | Often avoidable with an existing survey plus a T-47 or T-47.1 |
| Escrow and closing fees | $400 – $600 | Set by the title company, unlike the policy premium |
| HOA transfer and resale certificate | $200 – $450 | If applicable |
| Repairs or buyer credits | Varies | Negotiated during the option period |
There is also something Texas sellers do not pay: Texas has no state real estate transfer tax. In many states that alone is thousands of dollars at closing.
The title insurance fact almost nobody tells sellers
In Texas, title insurance premiums are promulgated by the Texas Department of Insurance — the rate is set by the state and is identical at every title company in Texas. Under the rates effective March 1, 2026, the owner’s policy on a $340,000 sale is $2,371, and on a $400,000 sale it is $2,664. Shopping title companies will not get you a cheaper premium, because there is no cheaper premium to find.
What you can compare is everything else that company charges — escrow fees, document preparation, courier and wire fees — and how well they close. Choose on service and fees, not on a policy price that cannot vary.
What you are legally required to disclose
Texas is not a caveat emptor state for residential sellers. The obligations are statutory and the penalties for ignoring them arrive after closing, when it is expensive.
- Seller’s Disclosure Notice — required by Texas Property Code §5.008 for most residential resales. You disclose what you actually know about the property’s condition. Some transfers are exempt, including certain estate, trust and foreclosure sales. “I don’t know” is an acceptable answer when it is true; guessing is not.
- MUD notice — if the property is in a Municipal Utility District, notice of the district’s tax rate and bonded debt is required under the Texas Water Code before the contract binds.
- PID notice — a separate required notice if the property sits in a Public Improvement District.
- Lead-based paint disclosure — federal requirement for any home built before 1978.
- Known material defects — the disclosure form is a floor, not a ceiling. If you know something material, disclose it even if no line on the form asks.
The practical rule: disclosing a known problem costs you something during negotiation. Not disclosing it can cost you far more afterwards, and it is the most common source of post-closing disputes in Texas residential sales.
When a flat fee is not the right answer
Below roughly $200,000, a 3% listing commission and a $5,999 flat fee are close enough that the pricing model stops being the deciding factor — choose on service. And if the house needs significant work, sits in a thin submarket, or you are selling under time pressure, the right question is which agent will get it sold, not which one is cheapest.
The flat fee advantage grows with price, because a percentage grows and a flat fee does not. On a $340,000 sale it is about $4,200. On a $700,000 sale it is about $15,000. That is the honest shape of it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to sell a house in Texas?
Excluding your mortgage payoff and prorated taxes, budget for listing representation, buyer-agent compensation if you offer it, the owner's title policy, escrow and closing fees, possibly a survey, and HOA transfer fees. On a $340,000 sale that is roughly $17,000 to $20,000 with a flat $5,999 listing fee, or roughly $21,500 to $24,000 at a 3% commission. Texas charges no state real estate transfer tax, which is a genuine saving compared with many states.
Do I have to pay the buyer's agent in Texas?
No — it is negotiable, and since the 2024 industry settlement offers of compensation are no longer published in the MLS. In practice most Texas sellers still offer something, because a buyer who has to pay their agent out of pocket has less money for your price. Whether to offer, and how much, is a strategy decision based on your price band and how much competition your listing faces.
Who pays for title insurance in Texas?
Customarily the seller pays for the owner's policy in most of Texas, though it is negotiable and the custom varies by region. The important point is that the premium is set by the Texas Department of Insurance and is the same at every title company — $2,371 on a $340,000 sale under the rates effective March 1, 2026. You cannot shop for a cheaper premium, only for better service and lower ancillary fees.
Do I need a seller's disclosure in Texas?
For most residential resales, yes — Texas Property Code §5.008 requires it. Certain transfers are exempt, such as some estate, trust and foreclosure sales. You disclose what you know; "I don't know" is a legitimate answer when it is true. Failing to disclose a known material defect is the most common cause of post-closing disputes in Texas.
Can the buyer back out during the option period?
Yes, for any reason at all, and they keep their earnest money. That is exactly what the option fee buys. You cannot prevent it, so the useful preparation is deciding in advance how you will respond to a repair or credit request — and remembering that if this buyer walks, the next one's inspector will find the same things.
Should I get an inspection before I list?
It is worth considering. A pre-listing inspection turns surprises during the buyer's option period into decisions you make calmly and on your own schedule, and it lets you fix or price for issues before they become a mid-negotiation demand. The trade-off is that anything it finds becomes something you now know, and therefore something you must disclose.
Is a flat fee listing the same as flat fee MLS?
No. A flat fee MLS service puts your listing on the MLS for a few hundred dollars and leaves pricing, showings, negotiation, the option period and closing coordination to you. A full-service flat fee listing is a licensed agent doing all of that work, charging a set dollar amount instead of a percentage. Both are legal in Texas; they are very different products at very different prices.
When is a flat fee not the better choice?
On lower-priced homes. Below roughly $200,000, a 3% commission and a $5,999 flat fee land close together and the advantage largely disappears — at that point choose on service rather than price. Flat fee MLS is also the wrong choice if you have not sold before, your timeline is tight, or the house has condition issues that will need real repair negotiation.
Who represents you, and what it costs
Listing agents are paid in different ways — a percentage of the sale price, a flat fee, or a tiered fee that rises with price. Read which one you are signing, and ask what you would pay at two different sale prices; if the answers differ a lot, the fee is not flat.
KAT Realty Group is a full-service flat fee real estate service operating under Texas Ally Real Estate Group. Listing representation is a flat $5,999 regardless of the sale price, with $600 due at signing and the balance at closing — and only if the home actually sells. See how the $5,999 listing service works.
Figures on this page reflect Texas statewide data for July 2026 from the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University and title rates effective March 1, 2026. Costs vary by property, county and closing date; this is general information, not legal advice.