The short version
- Get a market analysis and set a price based on recent nearby sales and current competition.
- Prepare the home and gather documents: survey, HOA, MUD and PID information, warranties and repair receipts.
- Sign a listing agreement and complete your Seller's Disclosure Notice and any other required notices.
- Launch with photos, marketing and showings.
- Review offers on the TREC contract and accept, counter or decline.
- Handle the option period: the buyer inspects and may ask for repairs or credits.
- Clear title and survey while the buyer's loan is finalized.
- Close, hand over keys and receive your proceeds from the title company.
Want the dates in one place? Jump to the seller timeline. Want to know what you will spend? See seller costs.
Pricing your home from a market analysis
Price is the single biggest factor in how a listing performs, and it should come from the market, not from what a neighbor hopes to get. A pricing recommendation starts with a comparative market analysis:
- Recent sales of similar homes nearby, adjusted for size, condition, updates, lot and location.
- Homes currently for sale, which are your direct competition.
- Homes that did not sell, which show where buyers said no.
- Local factors buyers in Central Texas compare closely: school district, total tax rate, MUD or PID charges and HOA dues.
A market analysis from a real estate agent is a pricing recommendation. Separately, if your buyer finances the purchase, the buyer's lender will order its own appraisal later, and the contract's financing terms decide what happens if it comes in below the price. You make the final call on list price. Start with a free market analysis from one of our agents.
Preparing the home and your paperwork
Repairs are a choice
No Texas law requires you to make repairs before you list. Many sellers fix obvious items, such as leaks, broken fixtures and deferred maintenance, so the buyer's inspection report is shorter and the photos are cleaner. Cosmetic updates are a judgment call; we help you weigh cost against what buyers in your price range expect.
Pre-listing inspection
A pre-listing inspection by a TREC-licensed inspector can surface problems before a buyer's inspector does, giving you time to repair or price accordingly. Keep in mind that what you learn becomes something you know about the home, and the Seller's Disclosure Notice asks about known conditions and previous inspection reports.
Documents to find now
- Your survey from your purchase closing. Under the TREC contract, you can often provide it with a T-47 Affidavit or T-47.1 Declaration instead of paying for a new survey.
- HOA information: management company, dues, and how to order a resale certificate.
- MUD and PID information, since the buyer must receive those notices before signing.
- Warranties, permits and receipts for roof, HVAC, foundation or other major work.
- Leases for anything that does not convey automatically, such as leased solar panels, propane tanks or security equipment.
The listing agreement and compensation
Before marketing starts, you and the brokerage sign a listing agreement that sets the term, the list price, how the home will be marketed and how the brokerage is paid. You will also receive TREC's Information About Brokerage Services notice, which explains the duties a broker owes you.
Brokerage compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable, and the current TREC contract says so. Buyers now sign their own written agreements with their brokers. The contract lets a seller agree to contribute a specific amount toward the compensation the buyer owes the buyer's broker; whether to offer that, and when, is your decision, made with your listing agent.
What Texas sellers must disclose
Seller's Disclosure Notice
Most sellers of a Texas home must give the buyer a written notice of the property's condition under Texas Property Code Section 5.008. TREC publishes a form (TREC No. 55-1), and Texas REALTORS publishes another. It covers known defects, past repairs, and conditions such as previous foundation work, water penetration and termite treatment. If you deliver it after the buyer signs, the buyer can terminate for any reason within 7 days after receiving it, so have it ready before you list.
Section 5.008 exempts some transfers, including court-ordered sales, foreclosures, transfers by a fiduciary administering an estate, guardianship or trust, transfers between co-owners or to certain relatives, and sales of a new home that has never been occupied. Being exempt from the form does not permit hiding a known problem. When in doubt, disclose, and ask an attorney.
Flood disclosure
Since amendments that took effect September 1, 2019, the notice asks whether you are aware that the property is in a 100-year floodplain, 500-year floodplain, floodway, flood pool or reservoir, whether it has flood insurance, and about previous flooding. TREC's form also asks whether you ever filed a flood damage claim with any insurer, including the National Flood Insurance Program, and whether you ever received FEMA or SBA assistance for flood damage. Check your address on FEMA's flood map before you answer.
Other required notices
- Lead-based paint. For homes built before 1978, federal law requires a lead-based paint disclosure and gives buyers an opportunity to test.
- MUD notice. If the home is in a municipal utility district or similar district, Chapter 49 of the Texas Water Code requires the statutory notice of the district's tax rate and bonded debt to be delivered and signed before the buyer signs the contract.
- PID notice. If the home is in a public improvement district, Property Code Section 5.014 requires written notice of the assessment before a binding contract. A buyer who signs without it may terminate.
- HOA. The HOA addendum sets who obtains the subdivision information and resale certificate. Texas caps the resale certificate fee at $375 and an update at $75, and the association must deliver within 10 business days of a proper request.
- Water rights. The 20-19 resale contract adds a Seller's Disclosure About Groundwater and Surface Water Rights. You may skip it only if every condition listed in the contract applies, such as no known well or pond and water service only from a city, MUD or water supply corporation.
Reviewing offers
Offers arrive on the TREC One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale), No. 20-19, effective July 1, 2026. You can accept, counter or decline, and you are not required to take the highest price. Compare the whole package:
Term | What to look at |
|---|---|
Price and net | What you keep after the buyer's requested contributions, title policy and other costs. |
Financing | Cash or loan type, pre-approval, and the Buyer Approval window in the financing addendum. |
Appraisal terms | Whether the buyer waived or limited the right to terminate over a low appraisal (TREC No. 49-1; not available with FHA or VA loans). |
Option period and fee | How many days the buyer can walk away for any reason, and what they pay for that right. |
Earnest money | The buyer's deposit, held by the title company. |
Closing date and possession | Whether you need a few days after closing; TREC's Seller's Temporary Residential Lease covers that in writing. |
Contingencies | For example, an Addendum for Sale of Other Property by Buyer. |
You can also accept a backup offer with TREC's Addendum for Back-Up Contract. It moves into first position only if the first contract terminates.
The option period and repair negotiations
Once the contract is signed, the buyer delivers earnest money and the option fee to the title company within 3 days. During the option period, the buyer inspects and can terminate for any reason by 5:00 p.m. local time on the last day. If they do, you keep the option fee and the buyer's earnest money is refunded.
Most repair negotiation happens in this window. The buyer may ask for repairs, a lower price or a credit toward closing costs, and anything agreed goes on TREC's Amendment to Contract, signed by both parties. A few rules from the contract matter here:
- Agreed repairs must be completed by licensed or commercially engaged professionals, with receipts and any transferable warranties provided to the buyer.
- Repairs are completed before closing unless you agree otherwise in writing.
- Neither party must pay for repairs the buyer's lender requires unless they agree. If nobody agrees, the contract terminates. If lender-required repairs and treatments exceed 5% of the sales price, the buyer may terminate.
After the option period ends, the buyer's remaining exit rights are limited to the contract's other contingencies, such as financing approval or title objections.
Title, survey and the buyer's appraisal
You furnish the title commitment through the title company within 20 days after it receives the contract. If the buyer objects to a title issue, you have 15 days to cure it. Tell your agent early about anything that could affect title, such as a home equity loan, a lien, a divorce, a death of a co-owner or a recent refinance.
If you chose to provide your existing survey, deliver it with the T-47 Affidavit or T-47.1 Declaration within the days stated in the contract. If the title company or lender will not accept it, the contract says who pays for a new one.
If the buyer's appraisal comes in below the price, your options depend on the financing and appraisal addenda. Common outcomes include lowering the price, the buyer covering the difference in cash, splitting the gap, or asking the lender to reconsider with stronger comparable sales.
Seller closing costs in Central Texas
The TREC contract lists default expenses, and the rest are negotiated. Here is how the common items usually fall. Anything marked customary is not law and can change with the market and the deal.
Item | Who usually pays | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Mortgage payoff and lien releases | Seller | Contract default. Includes release recording fees and any prepayment penalty. |
Tax certificates and deed preparation | Seller | Contract default. |
Escrow (closing) fee | Split 50/50 | Contract default; the fee is set by each title company. |
Owner's title policy | Seller, customarily | Customary in much of Central Texas resale sales, but a negotiable box in the contract. |
HOA resale certificate | Seller, often | Set in the HOA addendum; negotiable. Capped by statute at $375. |
New survey | Depends on the contract | Often avoided by providing an existing survey with a T-47. |
Repairs or credits | Only if agreed | Written on the Amendment to Contract. |
Buyer's closing costs | Only if agreed | A dollar amount in Paragraph 12 of the contract. |
Residential service contract | Only if agreed | The contract sets a maximum reimbursement. |
Brokerage compensation | Per your written agreements | Not set by law and fully negotiable. |
Property taxes | Prorated | You pay your share through the closing date; see below. |
What an owner's title policy costs
The Texas Department of Insurance sets title premiums, so the basic premium is the same at every title company. Under TDI's rates effective March 1, 2026, the basic premium for a policy from $100,001 to $1,000,000 is $780 plus 0.494% of the amount over $100,000. On a $450,000 sale, that is $2,509 for the basic owner's policy. Endorsements, escrow fees and other charges are separate, and your title company's settlement statement shows exact figures.
Texas has no state real estate transfer tax. The Texas Constitution prohibits a new tax on a transaction that conveys real property.
Property tax prorations, your homestead and income taxes
Prorations. Texas property taxes are billed in the fall for the whole year and paid in arrears. At closing, taxes for the current year are prorated through the closing date: you usually give the buyer a credit for your share, and the buyer pays the full bill when it arrives. If the actual bill differs from the estimate, the contract says the parties adjust once tax statements are available. HOA dues and other regular assessments are prorated the same way.
Your homestead exemption. Your exemption generally stays on the home for the rest of the tax year you sell. File a new application on your next Texas home. If you are 65 or older or disabled, you can ask your appraisal district about transferring your school tax ceiling percentage to the new home.
Income tax on your gain. Texas has no state personal income tax, and a constitutional amendment approved by voters in November 2025 bars a state tax on individuals' capital gains. Federal tax may apply. The IRS lets many owners exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for married couples filing jointly, if they owned and lived in the home at least two of the last five years. Confirm your situation with a tax professional.
Closing day and getting paid
- Both spouses may need to sign. Under the Texas Family Code, a spouse may not sell the family homestead without the other spouse joining, even if only one is on the deed. The title company will ask about marital status.
- What stays. Under the contract, fixtures and built-in items convey, including ceiling fans, light fixtures, mounted TV brackets, garage door openers and landscaping. List anything you want to keep as an exclusion before you sign, and hand over access codes for smart devices at possession.
- Getting paid. After the buyer's lender funds, the title company pays off your mortgage and other liens, pays the costs on your settlement statement and sends you the rest, usually by wire or check.
- Staying after closing. If you need a few days, the buyer must agree in writing using TREC's Seller's Temporary Residential Lease. Without a written lease, the contract warns that a tenancy at sufferance is created. Talk to your insurance agent, since coverage may change when ownership transfers.
Protect your proceeds. Confirm any wiring instructions by calling the title company at a number you already know. Never act on instructions that arrive only by email or text.
Seller timeline at a glance
When | What happens |
|---|---|
Before listing | Market analysis and price; repairs and prep; find survey; order HOA, MUD and PID information; complete the Seller's Disclosure Notice |
Before the buyer signs | MUD and PID notices delivered; ideally the Seller's Disclosure Notice too |
Effective date | Contract fully signed; deadlines start |
Within 3 days | Buyer delivers earnest money and option fee to the title company |
Option period (negotiated days) | Buyer's inspections and repair requests; any agreement on an Amendment |
Within 20 days after the title company gets the contract | Title commitment delivered; 15-day cure period if the buyer objects |
Days stated in the contract | Existing survey and T-47 delivered, if that option was chosen |
Before closing | Agreed repairs completed with receipts; buyer's appraisal and loan approval |
Closing date | Sign, fund, hand over keys and codes; proceeds disbursed |
From the TREC resale contract (20-19) as written; your contract's filled-in days control.
How Jorgenson Real Estate helps sellers
Jorgenson Real Estate is an independent, veteran-owned brokerage at 306 N Lampasas St in Round Rock, serving sellers from Temple and Belton down to Buda and Kyle. We price from a local market analysis, spell out the school district, tax, MUD, PID and HOA details buyers will ask about, handle photos, signs and launch, review every offer's net with you, and manage the option period, title and closing. Start with a free market analysis, and if you are also buying, read our buyer's guide.