What happens after a home offer is accepted in Texas?
In Texas, once both parties sign the purchase contract, you have 3 calendar days to deliver your earnest money to the title company and pay your non-refundable option fee to the title company. The option period (typically 7–10 days in Dallas) is your window to inspect the home and terminate for any reason. After that, lender underwriting and the appraisal carry the transaction forward, with most Dallas buyers reaching the closing table in 30–45 days from the executed contract date.
By Matt Watson, Broker, REALTOR® | May 29, 2026
Your offer just got accepted. Now what?
The phone call from your agent is exciting, but the real work starts the moment the contract is signed by both parties. That date — called the effective date — starts the clock on several critical deadlines. Miss one of them, and you could lose your earnest money, jeopardize the deal, or waive rights you didn't realize you had.
Here's the full contract-to-close timeline I walk every Dallas buyer through before we submit an offer.
The First 3 Days: Earnest Money and Your Option Fee
Two things need to happen within 3 calendar days of the effective date:
1. Deliver your earnest money to the title company. In Dallas, this is typically 1% of the purchase price — around $4,000 on a $400,000 condo in Uptown, or $6,500 on a $650,000 townhome in Oak Lawn. Some sellers request more in competitive situations. The funds are held in escrow and credited toward your closing costs at close.
2. Pay your option fee to the title company. This is a smaller, non-refundable payment that buys you the unrestricted right to terminate the contract during the option period. Most Dallas transactions in 2026 use an option fee between $200 and $500, though buyers sometimes offer more to signal commitment in competitive situations.
If either payment arrives late, the contract can be voidable. Your agent should have both coordinated and ready to deliver the day the contract is executed — not the day after.
The Option Period: Your Most Valuable Window
The option period is one of the most Texas-specific parts of buying a home, and it's the most important phase of the transaction for you as a buyer.
During this window (typically 7–10 days in Dallas in 2026), you can terminate the contract for any reason and receive a full refund of your earnest money. No questions asked. The only thing you lose is the option fee.
What you do during the option period:
- Schedule a professional home inspection immediately. Good Dallas inspectors book up fast — don't wait until day 5.
- Consider a sewer scope if the home is older. Foundation and sewer issues are common in Dallas's urban core neighborhoods.
- Review the HOA resale certificate and governing documents if you're buying a condo or townhome. Texas law requires this package to be delivered to you, and you have 7 days after receiving it to terminate if you find anything concerning — underfunded reserves, pending special assessments, or active litigation against the HOA.
After your inspection, you have three paths: accept the property as-is, request repairs or a credit from the seller, or terminate and walk away. In today's Dallas buyer's market, sellers are more receptive to repair negotiations than they were in 2022. Asking for a credit at closing is often cleaner than asking for repairs — you control the contractors, and there's no re-inspection risk before closing.
For a deeper look at your rights during this window, see my post on the Texas option period and your right to terminate.
Appraisal, Underwriting, and the Road to Clear to Close
Once your option period ends and you've decided to move forward, the transaction moves on two tracks simultaneously: the lender's process and the title company's process.
The appraisal (roughly days 7–21):
If you're financing, your lender orders an appraisal shortly after the effective date. The appraiser visits the home, reviews comparable sales, and delivers a value opinion — usually within 7–14 days of ordering.
If the appraisal comes in at or above the contract price, the lender moves forward. If it comes in low, you and the seller have several options under the TREC contract. I covered every resolution path in my post on what to do when the appraisal comes in low in Texas.
Lender underwriting (ongoing, days 1–40):
The single biggest cause of closing delays in Texas isn't the title company, the inspection, or the survey. It's lender underwriting.
During underwriting, your lender verifies your income, employment, credit, assets, and the property's acceptability. They will likely issue "conditions" — requests for updated pay stubs, bank statements, or explanation letters — before they approve the loan.
A few moves that commonly slow or derail underwriting:
- Opening a new credit account or financing furniture after the contract is signed
- Changing jobs, even for more pay
- Large unexplained deposits in your bank account
- Missing or mismatched documentation from a co-borrower
Stay consistent. Don't make any major financial moves between contract and close without checking with your lender first.
Clear to close is when the lender has signed off on your income, assets, credit, and the property. Closing documents are drafted and sent to the title company, and a closing date is confirmed. Most Dallas buyers using conventional financing reach clear to close somewhere between day 28 and day 40.
Title Work, Survey, and Your Final Steps
While the lender is working, the title company runs a title search on the property to confirm ownership history, look for outstanding liens, and identify any encumbrances.
The title commitment lands in your inbox before closing. It's a detailed document showing what the title insurance policy will and won't cover on this specific property. Schedule A confirms the transaction details and legal description. Schedule B lists exceptions — easements, deed restrictions, mineral rights severances — that the policy excludes. Schedule C shows requirements that must be met before closing.
Your agent should walk you through anything unusual in Schedule B. Most are routine items you can live with. Occasionally, something shows up that needs to be cleared before you can proceed.
The survey is another Texas-specific item. Your lender and title company need an acceptable survey to close. If the seller has a recent survey along with a signed and notarized T-47 affidavit — a seller's sworn statement that nothing has changed on the property since the survey was done — that existing survey is often accepted. If a new survey is needed, typical costs in the Dallas area run $400 to $700 depending on the lot. Who pays is negotiated in Paragraph 6 of your TREC contract before you sign.
Three business days before closing: Your lender delivers the Closing Disclosure, a document showing the exact funds you need to bring to the table. Compare it carefully to your original Loan Estimate. The numbers shouldn't shift dramatically at this stage, but review every line with your agent.
The final walkthrough happens 1–3 days before closing. Confirm the home is in the same condition it was when you agreed to buy it, and that any negotiated repairs were completed to your satisfaction. Take your time here — this is your last opportunity to raise issues before you own the property.
Closing Day in Texas
Closing happens at the title company, in person. You'll sit down with the closing officer, review and sign a stack of documents, and wire your funds — down payment plus closing costs — to the title company before or on the scheduled close date.
For a detailed breakdown of exactly what you'll pay at the closing table, including lender fees, the updated title insurance rates (which dropped 6.2% as of March 2026), survey costs, escrow reserves, and how your earnest money is credited back, see my Dallas buyer closing costs guide for 2026.
Once everything is signed and the lender funds the loan, the deed is recorded and you're a homeowner. Your agent gets the call, and you get the keys.
The whole process — executed contract to keys in hand — typically takes 30–45 days in Dallas. Cash purchases can close in 10–14 days if title work is clean and both parties move fast.
One more step after you close: file for your Texas homestead exemption with the Dallas Central Appraisal District. The average Dallas homeowner saves over $1,700 per year, and you have to apply — it doesn't happen automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to close on a house in Texas?
Most financed purchases in Texas close in 30–45 days from the executed contract date. Cash purchases can close in 10–14 days if both parties move quickly and the title search is clean. The biggest variable is lender underwriting — if documentation is delayed or the lender issues multiple rounds of conditions, the timeline stretches.
What happens if I miss the earnest money deadline in Texas?
The TREC contract requires earnest money to be delivered to the title company within 3 calendar days of the effective date. Missing this deadline gives the seller grounds to declare the contract voidable. If you miss it, notify your agent immediately — in some cases, the seller will agree to an amendment, but you're at their discretion. Your agent should have delivery confirmed on day one.
Can I back out of a home purchase in Texas after the option period ends?
You can still exit after the option period, but you'll generally lose your earnest money unless a specific contingency protects you. The Third-Party Financing Addendum provides protection if your loan is denied for reasons outside your control. If the appraisal comes in low and you're covered by the financing addendum, you may be able to exit without losing earnest money. Once all contingencies are satisfied, termination is expensive.
What does "clear to close" mean in Texas real estate?
Clear to close means the lender has approved your loan and all conditions have been satisfied. It's the green light to proceed to closing. After CTC, the lender sends closing documents to the title company, who prepares your final Closing Disclosure with exact figures. You must receive your Closing Disclosure at least 3 business days before closing — that's a federal requirement under TRID, not just a courtesy.
Do I need to attend the closing in person in Texas?
In most Texas transactions, buyers sign at the title company in person. Power of attorney arrangements can sometimes allow a representative to sign on your behalf, and remote online notarization is available in some circumstances. If in-person attendance is a problem, talk to your agent and title company early — they can explore options, but this needs to be arranged before the closing date, not on the day of.
Getting from accepted offer to keys in hand has more moving pieces than most buyers expect. Knowing the timeline before you're in it helps you stay calm, hit your deadlines, and make good decisions when surprises come up — and they always do.
If you're getting ready to buy in Uptown, Oak Lawn, East Dallas, or North Oak Cliff, I'm happy to walk you through the full process before you make your first offer. No pressure, no obligation. Visit mattwatson.com to reach out or schedule a conversation.
About Matt Watson, Broker, REALTOR®
Matt Watson is a Dallas-based real estate broker and REALTOR® with over 25 years of experience in the city's urban core neighborhoods. He specializes in condos, townhomes, and single-family homes in Uptown, Oak Lawn, East Dallas, and North Oak Cliff. Whether you're buying your first condo or selling a longtime home, Matt brings deep local knowledge and straightforward guidance to every transaction. Connect with Matt at mattwatson.com.
