Houston Seller Questions, Answered

Yes. Water lines on the walls, torn out drywall, a half finished rebuild, mold, or a house that flooded years ago and was repaired: we look at all of them. You do not need to finish the insurance claim or the repairs first. Tell us when it flooded, how high the water got, and what has been done since, and send photos if you have them.

In most sales, yes. The Texas seller's disclosure form asks whether you know of previous flooding or water getting into the structure, whether the property is partly or wholly in a 100 year or 500 year floodplain, whether you carry flood insurance, whether you ever filed a flood claim with any insurer including the National Flood Insurance Program, and whether you received FEMA or SBA assistance for flood damage. Answer to the best of your knowledge. A real estate attorney can help with a tricky answer.

Yes. The flood questions are about what happened as well as where the house sits on the map. A house in a minimal risk zone that took water during a storm still has a yes answer on the previous flooding questions. Plenty of Houston streets outside the 100 year floodplain have flooded, which is why the form asks about both.

It can. Federal law (42 U.S.C. 5154a) generally requires that when flood disaster assistance was conditioned on keeping flood insurance, the owner must notify a buyer in writing of the requirement to obtain and maintain flood insurance, and an owner who fails to notify can be liable if a later flood occurs. Find your FEMA paperwork and give a copy to the title company. An attorney can confirm what your grant required.

Under the National Flood Insurance Program, a building is substantially damaged when repairs would cost 50 percent or more of its market value before the damage. In the City of Houston, substantially damaged homes in the floodplain must meet current elevation rules, which after the 2018 Chapter 19 changes means the lowest floor generally sits two feet above the 500 year flood level. That can turn a repair into an elevation job, and it is a common reason owners sell as is.

Maybe, but know how the program works. The Harris County Flood Control District buys homes on a voluntary basis, generally ones deep in a mapped floodplain that flood repeatedly from bayous and creeks, and only when a buyout is the cost effective choice and funding exists. You can submit a Notice of Voluntary Interest at any time, and doing so does not obligate you or the district. If you cannot wait on an uncertain timeline, compare that against selling now.

A municipal utility district is a local government that builds and runs water, sewer and drainage service for a subdivision, often paid for with bonds and a property tax that appears as its own line on your bill. Texas Water Code Section 49.452 requires the seller of property in such a district to give the buyer a statutory notice before the contract is signed. The title company has the form and the district's current tax rate.

Some newer subdivisions sit in a public improvement district, where owners pay an assessment for roads, drainage or other improvements on top of regular taxes. Property Code Section 5.014 requires a seller of property in such a district to give the buyer a written notice of the assessment before the sale. If your annual bill shows a PID assessment, mention it, and the title company will prepare the notice.

It depends on the county, not the mailing address. Homes in Harris County are valued by the Harris Central Appraisal District, which covers Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, Humble, Deer Park and Spring. Sugar Land is in Fort Bend County, most of Pearland is in Brazoria County, and Katy crosses Harris, Fort Bend and Waller counties. Your tax statement names the district and the account number the title company will need.

No, it stays with you, not the house. School districts must provide a $140,000 residence homestead exemption, plus an extra $60,000 for owners who are 65 or older or disabled, according to the Texas Comptroller. When you sell, taxes for the year are prorated at closing, and the buyer applies for their own exemption if they move in. If you buy another home in Texas, apply there with that county's district.

More each month. Taxes not paid before February 1 are delinquent and, under Tax Code Section 33.01, draw a 6 percent penalty for the first month that climbs to 12 percent by July 1, plus 1 percent interest per month that keeps running. Accounts handed to a collection attorney can carry an added fee. A sale ends it, because the title company pays the full balance from your proceeds before you are paid.

In most cases, yes. Without a will, Texas law decides who inherits, and each heir's share usually has to be conveyed by deed for a title company to insure the sale. Spouses of heirs are sometimes asked to sign as well. Start by listing every heir and how to reach them. Heirs who live out of state can usually sign with a mobile notary rather than traveling to Houston.

Sometimes. Under Texas Estates Code Section 205.006, when a person dies without a will and the homestead is the only real estate in the estate, title to that homestead can pass through a small estate affidavit approved by the court and recorded in the county deed records. The estate has to meet the other small estate requirements, including a value limit on assets other than the homestead. A probate attorney can tell you whether it fits.

It is a deed an owner records during life naming who receives the property at death, allowed in Texas since 2015 under Estates Code Chapter 114. If your parent recorded one and you survived them by 120 hours, the house generally passes to you without probate, and you can sell once the title company has the death certificate and its other requirements. Look in the county deed records for one before assuming probate is needed.

Yes. Many inherited Houston houses come with an old roof, a past flood, or decades of belongings. You do not need to clear it out or repair it. Take any items the family wants, and we deal with the rest after closing. The person with legal authority to sell still has to sign, so get the estate paperwork moving in parallel.

Not the basic premium. The Texas Department of Insurance sets the basic premium rates for title insurance, so the base premium on an owner's policy for a given price is the same at every title company in the state. Escrow fees and other charges can still vary, so the closing statement is where you compare. Who pays for the owner's policy is set in the purchase agreement.

No. Texas has no state personal income tax. Federal tax can still apply to a gain. If the house was your main home and you owned and lived in it for at least two of the last five years, federal law generally lets you exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Rentals and inherited houses follow different rules, so ask a CPA before you file.