Last updated September 21, 2026 · Written by Meredith Sherwood, TREC License No. 0832882
Most pages answering this quote a single percentage from an unnamed study. There is no authoritative published figure for what Texas sellers pay, so this guide does it the honest way instead: every line, with its source, added up.
The short answer
For a typical Texas resale where the seller pays the owner’s title policy and contributes toward the buyer’s agent, expect roughly 5.5% to 6.5% of the sale price in actual fees. Add the property tax proration — which is not a fee, but does come out of your proceeds — and the total reduction is commonly in the 7% to 8% range.
The single largest variable is not on that list as a fixed cost, because it is not fixed: whether and how much you contribute toward the buyer’s agent. On a $500,000 sale that one line is worth around $12,500, and since August 2024 it has been genuinely negotiable rather than customary.
Every line, itemised
| Line item | Typical | Who customarily pays in Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Listing brokerage compensation | Negotiated — see the fees guide | Seller, per the listing agreement |
| Contribution toward the buyer’s broker | 0% – 3%, optional since 2024 | Negotiated, no longer automatic |
| Owner’s title policy | 0.52% – 0.57% of price | Seller by custom in DFW — a checkbox, not a rule |
| Escrow / closing fee | A few hundred dollars | Split 50/50 by default on the TREC form |
| Survey | Often avoided entirely | Usually seller furnishes the existing one |
| HOA resale certificate | Capped at $375 by statute | Seller, if that box is checked |
| HOA transfer fees above the contract cap | Variable | Seller pays the excess — see below |
| Deed prep, lien release, tax certificate | Roughly $230 – $575 | Seller |
| County recording fees | Roughly $30 – $75 in Denton County | Seller |
| Attorney fee | $0 in a normal sale | Texas closings are handled by title companies |
| Property tax proration | Often the second-largest line | Seller credits buyer — not a fee |
Each of these is broken down properly, with sources, in the itemised closing costs guide.
A worked example: $500,000 sale in Denton County
Assumptions stated openly, because they are the whole ballgame: the seller pays the owner’s title policy per local custom, contributes 2.5% toward the buyer’s broker, the home is in an HOA, and the seller furnishes an existing survey rather than buying a new one.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Listing brokerage compensation at 2.75% | $13,750 |
| Contribution to the buyer’s broker at 2.5% | $12,500 |
| Owner’s title policy on $500,000 | $2,756 |
| Escrow fee, seller’s half | ~$400 |
| HOA resale certificate | up to $375 |
| Deed prep, lien release, recording, tax certificate | ~$500 |
| Fees subtotal | ≈ $30,281, about 6.1% of the sale price |
The title premium there is not an estimate — it is the exact figure from the state’s promulgated rate schedule, which is explained below. The commission percentages are illustrative, because they are negotiated per transaction and there is no reliable Texas average to quote.
Take the buyer-broker contribution to zero and that same sale’s fee subtotal falls from about 6.1% to roughly 3.6% — a difference of $12,500. That is not a recommendation to offer nothing; what you contribute affects how your listing competes for buyers, and on a house that already failed once, competing well matters. But it is the largest genuinely negotiable number on the page, and it deserves a real conversation rather than a default.
Property taxes: the line nobody warns you about
This is the biggest surprise at a Texas closing table, and it is missing from most cost-to-sell articles because it is not technically a cost.
Texas property taxes are paid in arrears. The Texas Comptroller confirms the mechanics: a tax lien attaches to the property on January 1 each year, whoever owns it on January 1 is liable for that year’s taxes, bills go out starting in October, and payment is due by January 31 — of the following year.
So at any mid-year closing you have lived in the house for months of a tax year that nobody has paid and for which no bill yet exists. The standard TREC contract prorates taxes through the closing date, which in practice means you credit the buyer at closing for January 1 up to the day you close. They receive and pay the full bill the following January.
Texas has no state income tax and funds local government through property taxes that are high by national standards, which is exactly why this line lands harder here than in most states. On a mid-year closing it is frequently larger than title, escrow, survey and HOA costs combined. Get your actual tax rate and run the number before you list, so the settlement statement is not a shock.
Two further wrinkles from the same contract paragraph that sellers almost never anticipate:
- Exemptions can change the maths. The proration may be calculated taking into account any change in exemptions affecting the current year. If you have held a homestead exemption the buyer will not qualify for, the proration can be run against a materially larger tax bill than the one you were used to paying.
- It is not final at closing. If the actual taxes for the year differ from the estimate used, the contract requires the parties to adjust once the statements are available. A true-up request months after closing is normal, and it can go either way.
What is customary versus what is actually fixed
Sellers often treat all of these as fixed. Only some are.
Customary but negotiable — the contract has a checkbox or a blank for each of these. Who pays the owner’s title policy. How the escrow fee is split, where 50/50 is the printed default rather than a rule. Whether the seller furnishes an existing survey or buys a new one. Who pays for the HOA subdivision information.
Genuinely fixed — the title premium rate itself, which the state sets, so it is identical at every title company in Texas. The $375 statutory ceiling on an HOA resale certificate. County recording fees.
Fully open, with no custom left at all — both brokerage compensation lines. The TREC contract now prints on its face that brokerage compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable.
Costs before you list, which this guide has not counted
Everything above happens at closing. Money you spend to get the house ready is separate, and it varies enormously: photography, pre-listing repairs, paint, cleaning, staging, and any inspection you choose to do in advance.
That spending is where sellers most often get the arithmetic wrong in both directions — under-investing in the cheap things that change how the house presents, and over-investing in remodels that do not return their cost. Which repairs actually pay you back covers where that line sits.
Getting your own number
Percentages are orientation. A net sheet for your actual house — your price, your tax rate, your HOA, your remaining loan balance — takes about a day to produce and is the only version that helps you plan.
Send the address and Meredith will put one together alongside the valuation, at no charge. Or call 806-781-7464 and ask.
Title premiums come from the state’s promulgated schedule effective March 1, 2026. Contract references are to the TREC forms effective July 1, 2026. Statutory caps and recording fees are cited to their sources in the detailed guide. Rates and forms change — this page was last reviewed on the date shown above, and anything you are relying on for a specific transaction is worth confirming with your title company.