Texas Home Seller Checklist: From Prep to Closing Day

Phase 1: Prep (4–8 Weeks Out)

1. Know your numbers. Ask for your loan payoff, and estimate commissions, title, taxes and other costs of selling in Texas.
2. Decide on the timing if you're also buying. See selling before buying.
3. Fix what a buyer's inspector will flag first: leaks, broken windows, missing GFCI outlets, dead smoke detectors, HVAC service.
4. Consider a pre-listing inspection on an older home, so the foundation or roof doesn't surprise you during the option period.
5. Pick the updates that pay off and skip the ones that don't. See pre-sale updates.
6. Declutter, deep clean and depersonalize before photos.

Documents to Gather

• Your survey of the property (from your closing file) so you can sign a T-47 Affidavit or T-47.1 Declaration if nothing has changed
• Your owner's title policy and the deed
• Mortgage statement and lender contact for the payoff, plus any home equity loan or lien
• HOA contact information, dues amount and any pending assessments
• Property tax statement and your exemptions
• MUD or PID information if the property is in one
• Repair and permit records: roof, foundation, HVAC, water heater, plumbing, electrical
• Warranties and manuals for appliances, roof, foundation work and systems
• Utility bills from the past year (buyers often ask)
• Any inspection reports from when you bought or from a pre-listing inspection
• Smart device list with codes and accounts to transfer at closing

Phase 2: Pricing and Disclosures

1. Price from recent sold comps, not active listings or online estimates. See how much your home is worth and pricing strategy.
2. Fill out the Seller's Disclosure Notice yourself. Texas Property Code §5.008 requires it for most resale homes. Disclose what you know: past repairs, leaks, foundation work, flooding and insurance claims. Some sales are exempt (for example, foreclosure sales and estate sales handled by an executor or trustee), so ask your agent if that applies to you.
3. If the home was built before 1978, add the lead-based paint disclosure. Federal law requires you to give the buyer the EPA pamphlet, disclose any known lead paint or reports, and give the buyer up to 10 days to test (they can waive it).
4. Complete the other notices that apply: HOA membership, MUD or other utility district, and the groundwater and surface water rights disclosure on the current TREC contract.
5. Have the disclosures ready before the first showing, so buyers can read them before they offer. A buyer who gets the Seller's Disclosure Notice after signing can terminate within 7 days of receiving it.

Phase 3: Listing and Showings

1. Sign the listing agreement and review how offers, showings and marketing will be handled.
2. Get professional photos after the home is clean and staged.
3. Make showings easy: lockbox, a showing service, and a plan for pets and valuables.
4. Watch the first two weeks. Showings and feedback tell you whether the price is right. Read about selling in a buyer's market.

Phase 4: Reviewing Offers

1. Compare net proceeds, not just price. Seller contributions, who pays for the title policy and survey, and the closing date all change your bottom line. See seller concessions.
2. Look at the option terms: the option fee and the number of days. A shorter option period means less time you're tied up.
3. Check the financing: loan type, down payment, pre-approval letter and any appraisal addendum. Compare with cash offers.
4. Check for a sale contingency. If the offer depends on the buyer selling their home, the listing shows as Active Kick Out and you can keep marketing.
5. Counter in writing. Nothing is final until both sides sign. See handling multiple offers.

Phase 5: Under Contract

1. Confirm the earnest money and option fee arrived at the title company within 3 days of the Effective Date.
2. Keep utilities on. The contract requires it while the contract is in effect, so inspectors can test everything.
3. Allow inspections at reasonable times. You don't have to allow hydrostatic plumbing tests unless you agree in writing.
4. Expect a repair request before the option period ends. You can agree, offer a credit or price reduction, or decline. Get any deal in a signed amendment.
5. Use licensed contractors for agreed repairs, pull any required permits, finish before closing and keep the receipts.
6. Send your survey and T-47 to the title company by the date in the contract.
7. Order HOA documents if the contract says you'll provide them.
8. Know the lender repair rule. Neither side has to pay for lender-required repairs unless you agree. If the parties don't agree, the contract terminates and the buyer gets the earnest money back.

Phase 6: Closing and Move-Out

1. Review your settlement statement from the title company before closing day.
2. Book movers for before closing, unless you've signed a lease to stay after.
3. Leave what conveys: fixtures, attached items and anything listed in the contract. Leave remotes, keys and manuals.
4. Reset smart devices. At possession you must give the buyer codes and app information and remove your own access.
5. Sign the deed at the title company and bring ID. You'll get your proceeds after the sale funds.
6. Cancel or transfer utilities for the day after closing, and cancel homeowners insurance only after the sale funds.
7. Update your address and keep your closing file for taxes.

Want the bigger picture? Read the selling process step by step.

Frequently Asked Questions