How much does it cost to sell a house in Texas? Every cost, one by one

• The biggest line is usually what you owe. Your mortgage and anything else secured by the house get paid at closing, using the payoff figure.
• The commission, which we agree on in writing before we start. It is paid at closing, not before.
• The owner's title policy: the Texas contract has a box for whether the seller or the buyer pays it.
• Property taxes are prorated. Texas taxes are paid after the year ends, so at closing you pay your share of the current year up to closing day.
• Repairs and buyer credits are negotiable. That is where the number moves most from one home to the next.

1. Your mortgage payoff. Not the balance on your statement: it includes interest through the payoff date. The title company requests it in writing from your servicer. A second mortgage or home equity line gets paid too.
2. The commission, which we agree on in writing before we start. It comes out of the sale price at closing.
3. The owner's title policy. This insurance protects the buyer if a problem with the title shows up later. The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) resale contract has a box where the parties mark who pays it.
4. Title company and closing fees. The escrow fee, document preparation, recording the release of your loan and other charges. The contract spells out which belong to each side.
5. Prorated property taxes. In Texas, whoever owns the property on January 1 is liable for that year's taxes, which are due by January 31 of the following year. So at closing, your share of the year through the closing date is calculated and credited to the buyer.
6. HOA dues, if you have an HOA. Your share through closing, and sometimes transfer or resale certificate fees. Your HOA documents say which apply.
7. The survey. If your existing survey is still accurate, the contract allows you to provide it with an affidavit (the T-47) stating nothing has changed. If it will not work, who pays for a new one is negotiated.
8. Repairs. Whatever you agree to after the buyer's inspection, or what you choose to fix before listing.
9. Buyer credits. Sometimes the buyer asks the seller to cover part of their closing costs. It is negotiable and comes from your side.
10. A home warranty, if you offer one. Optional.
11. Costs that never show on the closing statement. Moving, cleaning, getting the house ready, maybe a few nights somewhere. They come from your pocket all the same.

Here's what happens next: put your own numbers in the walk-away calculator and see the result for your house, not an average.

All of these lines end up on one document: the closing statement (sometimes called the settlement statement) that the title company prepares before closing. It shows the sale price at the top, then every payoff, fee, proration and credit, and at the bottom, what the seller receives.

Ask to see it before closing day, not at the table. Read it line by line against your contract. If something does not match what you agreed, that is the moment to ask, while there is still time to fix it. Nobody signs what they do not understand.

You will find a percentage online for "the cost of selling." It is fine for small talk, not for decisions. Two homes at the same price can net very different amounts: one sells as is and the other needs a roof; one has an HOA and the other does not; one buyer asks for help with closing costs and another does not; one closes in February and another in November, which changes the tax proration.

Here's what that means for you: the only number worth using is yours, built line by line from your payoff, your contract and your closing date.

• Using the balance instead of the payoff. The gap is small, but when the money is your next down payment, small matters.
• Forgetting the tax proration. Texas property taxes for a year are due by January 31 of the following year, and many people feel they are "paid up." If the current year was already paid, it is credited to you at closing for the buyer's part; if not, your part comes out of your side. The title company prorates it.
• Not budgeting for inspection repairs. That used to be safe when homes sold in days with no requests. Today many buyers negotiate after their inspection. A pre-listing inspection lets you see that coming.
• Treating a buyer credit as lost money. Sometimes it is what holds your price. Decide with numbers, not pride.
• Spending on updates that do not pay back. Not every project raises what a buyer pays. Check before you spend.

Picture a family in Allen selling to buy something bigger. They had a number in their head from a friend: "they take this much and that is it." When we made the list one line at a time, things showed up they had not counted: a home equity line from a remodel, the current year's taxes, HOA dues and the chance the buyer would ask for help with closing costs.

With their real payoff and an estimated closing date, the final number changed, and they took that number to their lender for the next purchase. This is an example, not a real client; every home and every contract is different.

On the moves Veronica Yeary guides in Dallas-Fort Worth, this list gets built before the sign goes up, so the family knows what they keep before committing to anything.

Then you have costs on both sides, plus sometimes a double move or a short rental if the dates do not line up. It helps to see everything together. Read about the costs of selling and buying in the same year, and if you do not know your equity yet, start with how to find out how much equity you have in your Texas home.

• Your payoff: request it in writing from your servicer.
• Your taxes: last year's bill on your county appraisal district or tax office site, to estimate the proration.
• Your HOA: the association documents list dues and transfer fees.
• Your survey: look in the closing papers from when you bought.
• Your home's condition: read why a pre-listing inspection heads off the second negotiation.
• Your full number: what you walk away with when you sell in DFW.

This is not tax advice: your CPA confirms whether the sale affects your return.

What costs does a seller pay in Texas?

Usually the mortgage payoff, the commission, which we agree on in writing before we start, the seller's share of closing fees, prorated property taxes through closing, and any negotiated repairs or buyer credits. The owner's title policy is paid by whichever side the contract names.

Who pays for the title policy in Texas?

The TREC resale contract has a box to choose whether the seller or the buyer pays for the owner's title policy. It is settled in the offer. Check what your contract says before you sign.

Why am I paying property taxes at closing if I already paid them?

Texas property taxes for a year are due by January 31 of the following year. If the current year was already paid, it is credited at closing for the part that belongs to the buyer; the title company prorates it through the closing date.

Do I have to pay for a new survey?

Not always. If your existing survey is still accurate, the contract allows you to provide it with an affidavit that nothing has changed. If it will not work, who pays for a new one is negotiated.

How do I know how much I will walk away with?

Build it line by line from your real payoff, estimated price, taxes and closing date. The calculator gives you a first number, and then we refine it together with your contract.

Before you decide to sell, run your number with your own figures, not an average. If you want, we go through it together line by line afterward.

See what you would really walk away with: veronicayeary.com/en/walk-away

Call or text 469-441-8890 · veronica@veronicayeary.com