Selling a House in Texas: Contract to Closing
Selling a home in Texas has its own rules. Whether you own a single-family home in Dallas, a townhouse in Fort Worth, or a condo in Plano, the process follows the same framework. The closing happens at a title company, not an attorney’s office. There’s a mandatory seller’s disclosure most other states don’t require. The standard residential contract is a promulgated TREC form. And the option period - a paid inspection window unique to Texas - sits at the front of every deal.
DFW Real Estate Review - independent since 2016 and written by a licensed Texas real estate agent (TREC #679806) - built this walkthrough for North Texas homeowners. Read it before you sign a listing agreement, a cash-buyer offer, or any FSBO contract.
Five Steps Every Home Seller Walks Through
Stage 1: Decide the lane. Traditional listing with a full-service agent, discount agent, flat fee MLS, cash sale, or FSBO. Each has different marketing, different negotiation, and different post-contract obligations. Our cost hub breaks down the net-proceeds difference between them.
| Selling lane | Typical net proceeds | Typical time to close |
|---|---|---|
| Full-service listing | Highest (after 5–6% commission) | 30–90 days |
| Discount agent / flat fee MLS | High (commission cut to ~1–3%) | 30–90 days |
| Cash sale (as-is) | Lower (no commission, discounted offer) | 7–14 days |
| FSBO | Varies (no listing commission, more work) | 30–120 days |
Stage 2: Prepare disclosures. Texas Property Code §5.008 requires the seller of most residential property to complete and deliver a written Seller’s Disclosure Notice covering known defects, systems, and property history. Filling this out sloppily is how sellers get sued after closing. Complete it carefully. If the home was built before 1978, add the federal lead-paint disclosure. If there’s an HOA, order a resale certificate.
Stage 3: Sign the contract. Most Texas residential resales use the TREC One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale). Standard components:
- Purchase price and financing terms
- Earnest money (typically 1% of price)
- Option period - usually 5–10 days, paid separately, gives buyer the unrestricted right to terminate
- Inspection contingencies and repair negotiation deadlines
- Closing date
- Any addenda (HOA, lead paint, third-party financing)
Cash-buyer companies frequently use their own contracts. Those are legal but do not have the buyer-protection language of a TREC form. Read them line by line - especially the section on how repair-cost “adjustments” work.
Stage 4: Move through the option period. Buyer inspects the home, requests repairs or credits, and either accepts, negotiates, or terminates. This is where deals live or die. On a cash sale that’s marketed as “as-is, no inspection contingency,” the option period is often waived entirely - read the contract to confirm.
Stage 5: Close at the title company. Texas closings are done at a title company by an escrow officer, not an attorney. Seller signs the deed and closing documents; lender wires the funds; title company records the deed; seller receives net proceeds by wire or check. Typical closing appointment: 30–60 minutes.
Costly Mistakes DFW Home Sellers Make
Underestimating the disclosure. The seller’s disclosure is not a formality. Failure to disclose known defects can expose you to post-closing litigation. When in doubt, disclose.
Not reading the cash-buyer contract. Most complaints DFW Real Estate Review has documented about cash-buyer companies come from sellers who signed a contract with vague “repair adjustment” language and were surprised when the offer dropped $15k the day before closing. Read the whole thing.
Assuming a wholesaler is the end buyer. Wholesalers are legal in Texas but they don’t buy - they assign the contract to a third party. If you weren’t told upfront, you have a right to ask.
Skipping the option period. Even if you’re motivated, the option period is your negotiation leverage. Not having one puts all the leverage on the buyer.
Choosing a title company blindly. Not all title companies work the same. A good escrow officer catches lien and heirship issues weeks before closing; a mediocre one flags them the day of.
TREC Forms, Disclosures, and Closing Guides
Every step above has a dedicated guide:
- Understanding the TREC One to Four Family contract
- Texas seller’s disclosure form (TREC OP-H)
- How title companies work in Texas
- What happens at closing when you sell in Texas
- How to spot a real estate scam in DFW
- What is a wholesaler, and should you sell to one?
- How long does it take to sell a house in DFW?
Selling a house in Texas is not complicated. It’s just specific - especially across Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, and Denton counties where each county’s title and tax office has its own quirks. This hub is your map through the process.