Free Cheat Sheet | Texas EditionPart of the Home Buyer Course courseUpdated August 13, 2026
Texas Closing Cost Cheat Sheet
Five things Texas does differently, before a number at the closing table surprises you.
This is the Texas add-on, five things that are different here and don't show up on a national checklist. See the general Closing Costs Cheat Sheet
Free · 2-page PDF · no spam
- Five checks specific to Texas law and market custom
- No mortgage or legal background required
- Built to sit alongside the general Closing Costs Cheat Sheet, not replace it
What's inside
- Ask what your "option fee" buys you, it is not your earnest money.Texas contracts include a separate, non-refundable payment (usually $100 to $500) for an option period, typically 5 to 10 days, when you can walk away for any reason. Skipping it removes your easiest exit.
- Don't waste time shopping title insurance rates, ask about the survey instead.Texas regulates title insurance premiums, so every company charges close to the same base rate. If the seller has a current survey, ask for a T-47 affidavit instead of paying $400 to $700 for a new one.
- Get the seller-pays-title-policy split confirmed in writing.Texas custom has the seller pay the owner's policy and the buyer pay the lender's policy, but it's a market convention, not a law, and it can shift in a buyer's market.
+2 more inside the free PDF
“Now you know what's different about Texas. Nobody volunteers that the seller-pays convention is negotiable, that a MUD tax rate isn't on the sale price, or what your first escrow bill actually depends on. That's the lesson nobody hands you either.”
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