Houston is a wonderful, vibrant city, and one of the most populous and popular ones in the entire state of Texas. However, just because you live in Houston doesn’t mean you always want to live there. Maybe you’ve received a lucrative job offer across the state, or even across the country. Maybe you’ve decided to relocate closer to family (or perhaps farther away from family – we don’t judge). Or maybe you’re simply changing from one neighborhood in the city to another. Whatever the reason, there are some things you should know about the process involved in selling your house in Houston, or in anywhere within the state of Texas.
You Don’t Have to Use a Realtor
You may be tempted to try to sell your house through the help of a Realtor, but the truth is you don’t have to use a Realtor. While real estate agents are adept at assessing the current value of your home, comparing it to other houses in your neighborhood and then marketing your house to buyers looking for homes within your area, you’re going to have to pay a Realtor a hefty commission for their services. Meanwhile, you can sell your house on your own – and you can even do so in a hurry if you want to sell your house “as-is” for cash to a reputable real estate solutions company like Texas Ideal Properties.
Know What Goes Into a Listing
You’re going to need to know what exactly goes into a real estate listing if you’re going to be placing your house up for sale in Houston with a Realtor. Not only will you need to list the price of the house – and the commission your Realtor will be receiving if you’re using one – you also need to take steps to create a full list of what will be included in the sale and what will be left out, often in the form of appliances and other fixtures. The duties and obligations of you as a seller must be included, as well as any disclosures about the property – and yes, that includes as-is sales. This last stipulation is of supreme importance, as you must include any material defects you know about the property, either physically or if there are any restrictions on your deed. The Texas Real Estate Commission has a specific form that must be used to list these disclosures in order to make it legally binding. Leaving anything off of this list, either accidentally or on purpose, can land you as a seller in extremely hot water, so do your due diligence on this.
Offers, Counteroffers, and Purchase Agreements
If you’re not selling your house as-is directly to a company, you’ll have to wait until you get an offer on your house. At this point it’s up to you whether you want to accept the offer, make a counteroffer to the seller, or reject it outright. Once you hammer out the final offer the money doesn’t immediately change hands – instead it goes into an escrow account in order to comply with Texas state law.
Remember: not all real estate laws are created equal. If you’ve never sold a house in Houston but you’ve done so before moving to Texas, the laws might be different. Rely on a real estate lawyer to make sure you’re taking care and complying with state laws if you have any questions or concerns.