Selling a home in Texas has a few features that catch sellers off guard, particularly if they have sold elsewhere before. The disclosure obligation is substantial, the pricing exercise is harder than it is in disclosure states, and the buyer holds an unconditional right to terminate early in the contract. None of it is difficult once you know it is coming.
The seller's disclosure notice is not a formality
Texas sellers of residential property are generally required to give the buyer a written disclosure notice covering the condition of the property and known defects. It is detailed. It asks about structural items, systems, previous repairs, and — importantly in this state — whether the property has flooded and whether you are aware of conditions affecting it.
Answer it carefully and honestly. The instinct to minimise is understandable and is a genuinely bad idea: an inaccurate disclosure is the kind of thing that follows a transaction afterwards. "I do not know" is an acceptable answer when it is true. Guessing optimistically is not.
Practical advice: if you have had work done, gather the documentation before you list. Foundation repair with a transferable warranty, a re-roof with the invoice, a plumbing repipe — these are all things that reassure a buyer when documented and alarm them when discovered without paperwork.
Pricing is harder here, and that is the agent's job
Because Texas does not publicly disclose sales prices, the price history data a seller can assemble alone is thin. Public-facing automated estimates are working with less information in Texas than in most states, and it shows. Anchoring your expectations to one of those numbers is a common and expensive mistake in both directions.
Real pricing comes from an agent with access to the local multiple listing service, looking at genuinely comparable recent sales — same submarket, similar age and construction, similar condition, adjusted for what makes your property different. Ask to see the comparables and ask why each was chosen. A good agent will walk you through the reasoning rather than presenting a number.
Prepare for the option period before you get an offer
Once you are under contract, the buyer typically has a short, negotiated option period during which they may terminate for any reason at all. You cannot argue them out of it and you do not get to hear a justification. What you can do is remove the reasons.
The most effective move available to most sellers is a pre-listing inspection. You learn what a buyer's inspector will find, on your own timeline, and you get to decide what to fix, what to disclose, and what to price for. It converts a mid-contract renegotiation — where you have lost leverage — into a pre-market decision where you still have all of it.
What Texas buyers' inspectors reliably flag
- Foundation. Expansive clay soils across much of the state make slab movement routine. Documented past repair with a transferable warranty is far better than an unexplained crack.
- Roof condition and hail history. Large parts of Texas see serious hail. Age, claim history and insurability all come up.
- Drainage and grading. Especially where flooding has been an issue regionally.
- HVAC. Systems work hard in Texas summers and their age is scrutinised.
- Plumbing under slab. Older homes in particular; a sewer scope is increasingly a normal buyer request.
Presentation still does the heavy lifting
Nothing about the Texas market changes the fundamentals. Declutter until the rooms read larger than they are. Fix the small visible things — the sticking door, the dead bulb, the caulk line — because buyers extrapolate from small neglect to large. Get the photography right; the overwhelming majority of buyers form their opinion online before they ever set foot inside.
Where Texas does add something: get the outdoor space right. Patios, shade, and a yard that looks manageable in July matter more here than they do in cooler markets. And make the home genuinely comfortable for showings in summer — a hot house shows badly in a way no amount of staging fixes.
Choosing who lists it
Interview more than one agent, and weight local specificity heavily. An agent who works your submarket knows which comparables the appraiser will actually use, what buyers in your price band are choosing between, and how long homes like yours genuinely take. Ask for their verified record in your area rather than a company-wide statistic. You can start by browsing agents in your area.
Looking for an agent who actually works this area? Get matched free — we connect you with one license-verified local agent (plus at most one backup), never a call center and never a list sold to five people. Matching is always free for buyers and sellers.
What a Texas seller actually nets
Sellers routinely plan against the sale price and are surprised by the net. Ask your agent for a written estimate of proceeds early — before listing, not at closing — so you are working from a real number.
Line items that commonly appear: title policy costs, which in Texas are customarily a seller expense in many transactions but are negotiable; escrow and closing fees; a survey if a new one is required; prorated property taxes through the closing date, which in a high-tax state is a meaningful figure; any repairs negotiated during the option period; any closing costs you agree to contribute toward the buyer's side; the payoff on your existing mortgage including interest through the date of funding; and brokerage compensation as agreed in your listing agreement.
Timing the sale against the tax calendar
Property taxes prorate at closing, so the timing of your sale determines how much of the year's bill you carry. Worth a conversation with your agent if you have flexibility — it is not usually the deciding factor, but it is real money and it is easy to overlook until the settlement statement arrives.
If you hold a homestead exemption, confirm how the sale affects it and what you will need to do at your next property. The exemption does not follow you automatically.
Buying and selling at the same time
Most sellers are also buying, and in Texas the option period cuts both ways: your buyer can terminate on short notice, which makes a tightly coupled purchase risky. Talk through the sequencing before you list — a temporary lease-back after closing, a longer closing window, or a bridge arrangement can all reduce the exposure.
The failure mode to avoid is committing to a purchase whose timing depends on a sale that can still evaporate during someone else's option period. Build slack into the plan.
Choosing an agent on evidence
Interview at least two. Ask each for their verified record in your specific submarket, the comparables they used to reach their suggested price and why, and their plan for the first two weeks. Be wary of the highest number offered without reasoning behind it — overpricing costs you the strongest weeks of buyer attention and often ends in a lower final figure than a realistic start would have produced.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to disclose that my home flooded?
The Texas seller's disclosure notice asks directly about flooding and related conditions, and you should answer truthfully. Beyond the legal obligation, undisclosed water history is among the most damaging things for a buyer to discover late.
Can the buyer really walk away for any reason?
During a negotiated option period, effectively yes — that is what the option fee purchases. It is short, and preparing the property beforehand is the best defence against it being used.
Should I fix the foundation before listing?
Often yes, if there is genuine movement — repaired and documented with a transferable warranty is a much better position than unrepaired and disclosed. Get an engineer's opinion before committing to a scope.
Does Homegrity charge sellers?
No. Matching is free for sellers as it is for buyers, and your details go to your matched agent and at most one backup — never resold to a pool.
Agents: if you work this market, join the network. Your profile is free, you keep 100% of your commission, and placement is never for sale — you're ranked on your verified record in the areas you actually cover, not on an ad budget.
