Home Selling Tips
Here’s a number that surprises most Texas homeowners: selling a $300,000 house the traditional way can quietly cost you $35,000 or more before you ever see a dime. Commissions, closing costs, repairs, and months of mortgage payments all come out of your check.
In this quick guide, we’ll break down where that money goes — and show you a simpler way to sell your house fast for cash and keep every dollar of your offer.
How much does it cost to sell a house in Texas?Budget 8% to 10% of the sale price for a traditional sale. Of that, about 5–6% is commission and 1% to 3% is closing costs — the owner’s title policy (a rate fixed by the state, cut 6.2% on 1 March 2026), the escrow fee, HOA resale and transfer fees, property tax proration and recording. Texas has no state or local transfer tax, and no attorney is required at closing.
Two costs sit outside that range and are currently the largest. 59.4% of San Antonio sellers paid the buyer a concession in May 2026, the highest share of any major Texas metro; and the median San Antonio–New Braunfels seller also cut the asking price by about $15,000. Neither shows up in a closing-cost estimate, and both come out of your proceeds.
In This Article
- The 4 Costs That Shrink Your Sale Price
- Try It Yourself: The Cost Calculator
- The No-Fee Alternative: Selling for Cash
- The Hidden Cost Nobody Calculates: Time
- 3 Questions to Ask Before You List
- How It Works in 3 Steps
- Seller Closing Costs: The Itemised List
- How Much Profit Will You Actually Make?
- Quick FAQs
The 4 Costs That Shrink Your Sale Price
The price on the listing is not the price you take home. Here’s what typically comes out first:
1. Agent Commissions — ~6% On a $300,000 sale, that’s about $18,000 paid to agents at closing.
2. Closing Costs — 1–3% Title fees, escrow, and taxes sellers are often asked to cover.
3. Repairs & Concessions — 2–5% Pre-listing fix-ups, plus credits buyers demand after the inspection.
4. Holding Costs — every month Mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities while you wait for a buyer.
And that’s if the sale goes smoothly. If a buyer’s financing falls through — one of the most common reasons deals collapse — you start over and the holding costs keep running.
Try It Yourself: The Cost Calculator
Drag the slider to your home’s approximate value and see what a traditional sale typically costs. (Estimates for illustration — every property is different.)
What a Traditional Sale Really Costs
With a cash sale to Money Fast 4 Houses, these costs are $0 — no commissions, no repairs, and we pay all closing costs. The offer you accept is the amount you take home.
The No-Fee Alternative: Selling for Cash
A direct cash sale removes every cost above. We buy houses as-is — no repairs, no cleaning, no showings — and close in as little as 7–14 days on a date you pick. Here’s the side-by-side:
| Traditional Listing | Money Fast 4 Houses | |
|---|---|---|
| Commissions & fees | ~6–9% of your price | $0 |
| Repairs & cleaning | Required | None — sold as-is |
| Time to close | 2–6+ months | 7–14 days |
| Certainty | Deals fall through | Guaranteed cash |
This is especially helpful if you’re facing foreclosure, handling an inherited property, going through a divorce, or relocating on a deadline — situations where speed and certainty matter more than squeezing out a top-of-market list price. Don’t just take our word for it: read what local sellers say on our Success Stories page.
The Hidden Cost Nobody Calculates: Time
A typical Texas listing takes 30–60 days to go under contract and another 30–45 to close. That’s 3–4 months minimum — 6 or more if the first deal falls through. At $2,000/month in holding costs, “waiting for a better price” can quietly cost $6,000–$12,000 before you ever reach the closing table.
If you’re carrying two mortgages, facing a foreclosure date, or maintaining an inherited house from out of town, time isn’t just money — it’s stress with a monthly invoice.
3 Questions to Ask Before You List
- What will this house realistically appraise and inspect at — as it sits today? Zillow doesn’t walk your foundation. Price your condition, not your neighbor’s remodel.
- What are my true monthly holding costs × realistic months on market? Mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities — write the number down. It belongs in your math.
- What would I net from a cash offer with zero deductions? Get the actual number in writing, then compare it to your realistic traditional net — not your dream price. That’s the only fair comparison.
How It Works in 3 Steps
- Request your free offer Tell us about the property and we’ll do a quick walkthrough — in person or virtually.
- Get a cash offer in 24 hours A fair, written, no-obligation offer. No fees are ever deducted from it.
- Pick your closing date We handle the paperwork and title company. You sign and get paid — in as little as a week.
Want the full details? See our complete step-by-step home buying process.
Seller Closing Costs in Texas: The Itemised List
“Closing costs” and “the cost of selling” are not the same thing, and conflating them is why the figures online vary so wildly. Closing costs are the line items on the settlement statement. Commission and concessions sit on top.
| Line item | Typical 2026 cost | Who customarily pays in Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Owner’s title policy | Set by the state — about $1,274 on a $200,000 sale, $1,768 on $300,000 | Seller |
| Escrow / closing fee | $300–$700 | Negotiable, often split |
| Survey (new residential) | $400–$700 standard lot; $1,000+ rural | Buyer, but sellers often supply an existing survey with a T-47 affidavit instead |
| HOA resale certificate | $200–$400 | Seller |
| HOA transfer fee | $100–$500+ | Seller, negotiable |
| Property tax proration | Varies by closing date | Seller, through the closing date |
| Recording / release of lien | $25–$150 | Seller |
| Attorney or document prep | $0–$1,500 | Optional — no attorney is required at a Texas closing |
| State or local transfer tax | $0 — Texas has none | — |
A detail worth knowing, because most content online has not caught up: Texas title insurance rates are promulgated — the Texas Department of Insurance fixes the basic premium every title company must charge, so there is no shopping around on that line and nobody can offer you a discounted rate. TDI cut the basic premium by 6.2% effective 1 March 2026, the first reduction since 2013.
Realistic totals: 1% to 3% of the sale price excluding commission, and 8% to 10% including it. The low end is a no-HOA house where you already have a survey; the high end stacks HOA fees, a new survey and heavy tax proration.
Commission after the NAR settlement — what actually happened
You may have read in 2024 that commissions were about to fall. The transaction data says they did not. Buyer-agent commissions dipped to 2.36% in the quarter the new rules took effect, then recovered to 2.43% by mid-2025 — back to pre-settlement levels — and were 2.42% in Q3 2025.
And they are highest at the price point that dominates this corridor: 2.52% on homes under $500,000, against 2.21% above $1 million. A February 2026 survey of agents put the total Texas commission at around 5.88%.
What genuinely changed: buyer-agent compensation can no longer be advertised on the MLS, buyers must sign a written representation agreement before touring, and the seller now makes an explicit decision to offer compensation, usually as a concession written into the contract. Sellers still overwhelmingly pay it. In a buyer’s market, a seller who refuses loses showings.
How Much Profit Will You Actually Make?
Take the sale price, subtract what you owe, then subtract everything below. The last two lines are the ones sellers leave out, and in this market they are the biggest.
Commission: about 5–6%On a $320,000 sale, roughly $16,000–$19,200 — with about 2.5 points of it going to the buyer’s agent, still funded by you.
Closing costs: 1–3%$3,200–$9,600 on the same sale. Title policy, escrow fee, HOA documents, tax proration, recording.
Concessions: budget for them59.4% of San Antonio sellers paid the buyer a concession in May 2026 — the highest share of any major Texas metro, and higher than Dallas, Houston or Austin. These cover repairs, closing costs and rate buydowns, and they are separate from any price cut.
The price cut before thatThe median San Antonio–New Braunfels seller cut $15,000, about 4.6% of the original asking price, in April 2026. In Austin it was $19,000, or 5.4%.
Which is the honest version of the comparison people are really making. A listed sale at a higher headline number, minus commission, minus closing costs, minus a concession, minus a price cut, minus three to four months of mortgage payments, taxes, insurance and utilities — against a cash offer that is lower on the front but has none of those lines beneath it. Sometimes listing still wins. Often it does not, and it is worth doing the arithmetic rather than assuming.
Also worth reading: how long it takes to sell a house in Texas, and what not to fix before selling — because repair money is the one cost you can decide not to spend. And if the property is a rental rather than your own home, the tax side changes the arithmetic considerably — see how to sell a rental property without paying taxes.
Figures are 2026 and drawn from the Texas Department of Insurance, Redfin, the Texas Real Estate Research Center and published agent surveys. Your own numbers will differ — ask a title company for an estimated settlement statement before you list.
Find Out What Your House Is Worth in Cash
Get a free, no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours — no repairs, no fees, no pressure.
Quick FAQs
Are there really no fees or closing costs?
Correct — no commissions, no hidden fees, and we cover all closing costs. The number on your offer is the number you’re paid at closing.
Do I need to make repairs or clean first?
No. We buy houses completely as-is, in any condition. You can even leave unwanted belongings behind.
How fast can I close?
Most sales close in 7–14 days once title is clear. Need more time? You choose the closing date — and in many cases you can stay up to 15 days after closing while you move.
Am I obligated to accept the offer?
Never. Every offer is 100% free and no-obligation. Have more questions? Visit our full FAQs page.
What are the closing costs for a seller in Texas?
Typically 1 to 3 percent of the sale price excluding commission. The main items are the owner title policy, which in Texas the seller customarily pays and which is charged at a rate fixed by the Texas Department of Insurance, the escrow or closing fee at 300 to 700 dollars, HOA resale certificate and transfer fees, property tax proration through the closing date, and recording fees. Texas has no state or local real estate transfer tax and no attorney is required at closing.
How much does it cost to sell a house in Texas?
About 8 to 10 percent of the sale price for a traditional sale, made up of roughly 5 to 6 percent commission and 1 to 3 percent closing costs. On top of that, most Texas sellers are currently also paying a buyer concession and taking a price reduction, neither of which appears on a closing cost estimate.
How much profit will I make selling my Texas house?
Start with the sale price, subtract the mortgage payoff, then subtract commission at roughly 5 to 6 percent, closing costs at 1 to 3 percent, any buyer concession, and the carrying costs of the three to four months a listed sale currently takes. In May 2026, 59.4 percent of San Antonio sellers paid a concession and the median San Antonio New Braunfels seller had already cut about 15,000 dollars off the asking price.
Who pays the title policy in Texas?
The seller customarily pays for the owner title policy in Texas, though the TREC contract allows either party to be assigned it. Texas title insurance rates are promulgated by the Texas Department of Insurance, meaning every title company charges the same basic premium and there is no shopping around on that line. TDI cut the basic premium by 6.2 percent effective 1 March 2026, the first reduction since 2013.
Did real estate commissions go down after the NAR settlement?
No, not in the transaction data. Buyer agent commissions dipped to about 2.36 percent in the quarter the new rules took effect and recovered to 2.43 percent by mid 2025, back to pre settlement levels. They are highest on homes under 500,000 dollars at about 2.52 percent. What changed is that buyer agent compensation can no longer be advertised on the MLS and is now negotiated as a concession in the contract, still usually funded by the seller.
For more home selling tips, browse the rest of our blog — or reach us anytime at info@moneyfast4houses.com.