How Long Does Closing Take in Texas?
Most financed home purchases in Texas close in about 30 days from the signed contract to the closing table. Cash purchases can close in as little as a week to ten days, because there is no lender underwriting to wait on. A typical 30-day timeline Week 1. Earnest money and option fee are delivered, the […]
Earnest Money in Texas: How It Works and When You Get It Back
Earnest money is a good-faith deposit the buyer makes shortly after going under contract, typically around one percent of the sales price in Texas. It is not an extra fee. It is held safely by the escrow agent and credited toward your down payment and closing costs at the closing table. How much, and when […]
New Texas Homeowner? File Your Homestead Exemption (It Is Free)
If you bought a home in Texas and live in it as your primary residence, filing your homestead exemption belongs at the top of your to-do list. It is free, it takes a few minutes, and it lowers your property tax bill every year you own the home. What the homestead exemption actually saves Two […]
The Texas Option Period, Explained
In a Texas home purchase, the option period is a negotiated number of days at the start of the contract when the buyer can terminate for any reason and get their earnest money back. The buyer pays the seller a small option fee for that unrestricted right. Inspections and repair negotiations happen inside this window. […]
What Does Title Insurance Cover in Texas?
Title insurance protects your ownership of a property from problems that happened before you bought it, like forged deeds, missing heirs, or old liens that were never released. You pay one premium at closing, and an owner’s policy protects you for as long as you or your heirs own the home. In Texas, the state […]
Who Pays Closing Costs in Texas?
Both the buyer and the seller pay closing costs in Texas, but they pay for different things. By custom, the seller pays for the owner’s title policy and the buyer pays the costs tied to their loan, with the escrow fee split down the middle. And almost every line item is negotiable in the contract. […]