Selling a House in Texas

Selling a house in Texas is a seven step process with a few rules that are specific to this state: a mandatory disclosure form, a title policy the seller customarily pays, property tax that gets prorated at closing, and no state income tax on the gain. This guide covers the whole thing in order, with the current numbers and where they come from.

By Milo Corner, Texas real estate sales agent, TREC license 845034. Updated October 2026.

The seven steps

1. Get a real number. Not an online estimate. A home value report from closed sales in your school zone, free. Then run the seller net sheet to see what you keep at that price.
2. Decide how to sell. With an agent, as is to a cash buyer, or on your own. The trade offs are below and they are large.
3. Prepare the house and the paperwork. Fix what fails inspection, clean and stage, and fill out the Seller's Disclosure Notice honestly. Gather the survey, permits, warranties and HOA documents.
4. Price to the last ninety days. Buyers compare you with what closed in the last three months and what is listed this week, not with last spring.
5. Market and show. MLS, portals, video that gets watched, and showing access that does not make buyers wait.
6. Negotiate the contract. Price, option period, earnest money, buyer agent contribution, repairs after inspection, and the appraisal. In 2026 almost every Dallas offer asks for something.
7. Close. Title company handles the deed, the payoff, the prorations and the money. Remote online notarization works if you are not in town.

What it costs

Selling costs in Texas commonly run about 6 to 10 percent of the sale price including agent fees, depending on the commission and repairs. Our calculator shows about 7.5 percent at its defaults, with agent fees as the largest line. Fees are negotiable, as they always have been. The 2024 NAR settlement ended offers of buyer agent compensation in the MLS. The owner's title policy is a seller cost by Texas custom, and its price is set by the Texas Department of Insurance, which cut the basic premium about 6.2 percent effective March 1, 2026. Full breakdown and a calculator: cost of selling a house in Texas and seller closing costs.

The seller disclosure

Texas Property Code 5.008 requires a written Seller's Disclosure Notice for any previously occupied single family home, delivered on or before the contract date. The TREC form runs about thirty categories: roof, foundation, plumbing, electrical, water damage, flood status, prior insurance claims and more. You answer to the best of your knowledge as of the day you sign. The exemptions are specific: foreclosures and court ordered sales, sales by an executor or trustee administering an estate or trust, transfers between co owners, transfers to a spouse, child, parent or other lineal relative, divorce transfers, sales to or from a government entity, and brand new homes no one has lived in. Skip it and the buyer can terminate the contract for any reason within seven days after receiving the notice (Property Code 5.008(f)). Hiding a known defect can also bring a Deceptive Trade Practices claim, where a knowing violation can mean up to three times economic damages plus attorney fees. Selling as is does not remove the duty. More on the as is page.

Taxes on the sale

There is no Texas income tax, so the only tax on your gain is federal, and most homeowners owe nothing because of the section 121 exclusion. Property tax is a different matter: it is prorated at closing, so you credit the buyer for the part of the year you owned the house. Details on the capital gains page and the property tax hub.

How long it takes

MetroTex reported that North Texas homes averaged 62 days on market in September 2026, two days fewer than a year earlier. Add preparation before listing and the contract to close period after. It varies by city, so we pull the current numbers for your neighborhood when we price your home. The timeline page walks through each stage.

Agent, as is, or on your own

• With an agent. The highest net for most houses. NAR's 2025 profile put the median agent assisted sale at $425,000 against $360,000 for owner sales, an 18 percent gap, though the two groups sell different houses.
• As is to a cash buyer. Fastest and simplest, and typically the lowest number, because the buyer is pricing in repairs, risk and their own margin. See selling as is.
• On your own. Saves the listing fee, costs the exposure and the negotiation, and you still owe the disclosure and the title work. See selling without a realtor.

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to sell a house in Texas?

Selling costs in Texas commonly run about 6 to 10 percent of the sale price including agent fees, depending on the commission and repairs. Our calculator shows about 7.5 percent at its defaults: 5 percent in agent fees, the owner title policy, escrow, prorated property tax and repairs. Agent fees are the largest piece and are fully negotiable.

Do I have to give a seller disclosure in Texas?

Yes. Texas Property Code 5.008 requires a written Seller's Disclosure Notice for a previously occupied single family home, delivered on or before the contract date, with narrow exemptions such as foreclosures, estate sales and new construction.

Does Texas have capital gains tax on a home sale?

Texas has no state income tax. Federal tax may apply to the gain, but the section 121 exclusion shelters up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly, if you owned and lived in the home two of the last five years.

How long does it take to sell a house in Texas?

MetroTex reported that North Texas homes averaged 62 days on market in September 2026, two days fewer than a year earlier. Add one to three weeks of preparation before listing and 30 to 45 days from contract to closing on a financed sale.

Selling in Texas, the full series:

• Selling a House in Texas
• Cost of Selling a House in Texas
• Seller Closing Costs in Texas
• Capital Gains Tax When Selling a House in Texas
• Selling a House Without a Realtor in Texas
• Selling a House As Is in Texas
• How Long Does It Take to Sell a House in Texas?

General information, not legal or tax advice. Figures quoted from the named sources on the dates shown.