How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House in Texas?

Selling a home in Texas is not cheap — but most sellers are surprised by how many line items show up on a closing statement they never planned for. Between agent commissions, title insurance, property tax proration, and the inevitable repair credits that come out of inspection, the gap between your sale price and what you actually walk away with is almost always larger than expected.

This guide breaks down every major cost you should anticipate, explains what is standard in the DFW market specifically, and walks through a real example using a $450,000 sale price so you can see the math clearly.

Real Estate Commissions: What Changed and What Did Not

Commissions are still the single largest cost of selling. The NAR settlement that took effect in 2024 changed how buyer's agent compensation is disclosed and negotiated — but in practice, most Texas sellers are still offering to cover the buyer's agent fee as a way to attract financed buyers and keep deals moving. Refusing to offer a buyer's agent commission is technically possible, but it narrows your buyer pool in ways that often cost more than the savings.

What has changed meaningfully is the listing-side commission. Traditional full-service brokerages have historically charged 2.5–3% to list your home. That is $11,250 to $13,500 on a $450,000 sale — just for your side of the transaction.

EXL Realty Group operates on a flat-fee model for the listing side, which means sellers keep significantly more equity while still getting full MLS exposure, professional representation, and local DFW market expertise. The buyer's agent fee — typically 2.5–3% — is negotiated separately and paid at closing.

Texas Title Insurance: You Are Paying for the Buyer's Policy

This one surprises almost every first-time seller in Texas. In most other states, the buyer pays for the owner's title policy. In Texas, local custom flips that — the seller typically pays for the owner's title insurance policy that protects the buyer.

Title insurance rates in Texas are set by the Texas Department of Insurance, so premiums are not negotiable between companies. On a $450,000 purchase, the owner's title policy runs approximately $2,475–$2,700 depending on the title company. It is a one-time premium paid at closing, and it is non-negotiable as a rate — but which title company you use can affect service quality and bundled fees.

There is also a lender's title policy the buyer's lender will require if the buyer is financing. The buyer typically covers that one, though in a competitive negotiation it can end up as a seller concession.

Closing Costs: Escrow, Settlement, and Documentation Fees

Beyond the title policy itself, the title company charges for the work of actually closing the transaction. Sellers in DFW typically pay:

• Settlement/escrow fee: $300–$600, sometimes split with the buyer
• Document preparation fees: $150–$250
• Release of lien (if you have a mortgage): $50–$150 per lien
• Survey: If the buyer's lender requires a new survey and one cannot be located, this runs $450–$650 in most DFW counties. Whether the seller or buyer pays is negotiable.
• HOA transfer fees and resale certificate: Required if your home is in an HOA. The resale certificate alone can run $200–$400, and transfer fees vary by association.

In total, non-commission closing costs on the seller's side typically land between $1,500 and $3,500 on a mid-range DFW home.

Repair Credits and Buyer Concessions

Nearly every transaction in Texas involves some negotiation after the option period inspection. Buyers commonly request either repairs before closing or a credit at closing — and in the current DFW market, sellers who refuse to negotiate inspection findings often see deals fall apart.

Budget 1–2% of the sale price as a realistic buffer for repair credits or concessions. On a $450,000 home, that is $4,500 to $9,000. You may come in under that figure, but going into the process assuming zero inspection issues is a mistake.

Staging and Preparation Costs

Professional staging is not required, but it is correlated with faster sales and higher sale prices in the DFW luxury and mid-market segments. Full vacant staging on a $450,000 home can run $2,000–$4,000 for the first month. Occupied staging consultations — where a stager advises you on what to edit, rearrange, and store — run $300–$600 and often deliver most of the benefit.

At minimum, budget for professional photography ($250–$500), any cosmetic touch-ups, and deep cleaning ($200–$400). These are not optional in a competitive market.

Property Tax Proration: The Texas Seller's Hidden Cost

Texas property taxes are paid in arrears — meaning the 2026 tax bill you pay in January 2027 covers the year that already passed. When you sell, you owe the buyer a credit for every day you owned the home during the tax year through the closing date.

In Tarrant, Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties, effective tax rates range from roughly 1.8% to 2.6% of assessed value depending on the city, school district, and MUD district. On a $450,000 home with an effective tax rate of 2.2%, annual taxes are approximately $9,900. If you close on August 1, you owe roughly 7/12 of that — about $5,775 — as a credit to the buyer at closing.

Worked Example: $450,000 Sale in DFW

Here is how the numbers look side by side — traditional full-service listing versus a flat-fee listing model like EXL Realty Group:

The difference in this example is roughly $10,500 — real money that stays in your pocket rather than going to a listing-side commission you negotiated away before the home was even priced.

Your actual numbers will vary based on your specific tax rate, HOA situation, the strength of your buyer pool, and what comes out of inspection. But the framework above gives you a realistic baseline to plan from — and a reason to ask hard questions about what you are paying for on the listing side before you sign anything.