Tips for Selling a House in Texas

Mar 07, 2022

A “For Sale” sign is posted out in front of a single-family home with a freshly cut lawn.

If you’re thinking about selling your home, there are several considerations you’ll want to make as you begin the journey. From deciding how you want to sell your home to negotiating the selling price, this article will cover all aspects of the process to help support you along the way.

Decide How You Want To Sell

Once you have decided to sell your Austin home, you should consider how to do it. You typically have two basic choices; you can opt to sell yourself, or hire a real estate agent.

For Sale By Owner

Selling your house privately without the help of a real estate agent could save you money in agent commission. To successfully sell your house without a real estate agent, you will need to know all about how to sell a house in Texas. You will need to:

Prepare the property for sale
Decide on the selling price
Prepare your advertising, including photographs
List your property
Be available for viewings
Know how to negotiate a deal
Make sure you have a lawyer to process any sale

Despite its money-saving potential, the risks can outweigh the benefits when selling your property without a real estate agent. There are many pitfalls, including miscalculating the selling price and being over-involved with the selling process. You may save on your own real estate agent commission, but you may still have to pay a commission to your purchaser’s agent.

Hire a Real Estate Agent

Real estate agents are experts in their field, making the selling process easier for the owner. They take care of the legal process and you can be sure that everything is done by the book. Real estate agents know market trends, so they can handle the pricing, advertising, and negotiations for you. They know how to present your property in the best light. The commission price is offset by having an expert on board, which gives you peace of mind.

Real estate agents have wider areas to advertise. If you build a relationship with your agent, they will get to know you and what you want out of the market, and will be in the best place to sell your property. As you engage with them, they already have prospective buyers in mind, and can often proceed quickly.

Expect To Sell Fast

Houses in Austin, Texas are in demand, so you can expect your Austin home to sell fast. The Austin real estate market continues to boom, and the city remains one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S.

This is mainly because giant names in the tech industry such as Google, Apple, Tesla, Indeed, and Dropbox have expanded their operations in Austin, yet houses here remain affordable compared to other cities. Additionally, the overall tax burden in Texas is relatively low compared to other states.

More and more people are choosing to move to Austin, so it is currently a seller’s market. This is a perfect time to put your property up for sale.

Steps to Selling a House

Consider the following steps to make sure you have all your bases covered.

Research Current Market Trends

Whether you plan to sell your house yourself or hire a real estate agent, it’s always good to research the current market trends. A strong economy can increase the value of your property and dips in economic growth can mean a fall in prices. Market trends affect how you price your property, and your real estate agent will be helpful in this matter.

The Right Price

Since the market trend is variable, there are some factors that you or your real estate agent should consider in setting the price of your house. Set your expectations to a reasonable level. If you price your house too low to sell fast, the profit will be low. If it’s too high, you might put off potential buyers.

Observe the housing market in your area, starting from your state, down to counties and cities to determine the actual value of your property.

Even though Texas is a non-disclosure state, you may be able to discover how much properties sell for and compare the rate at which they were originally listed.

Consider Curb Appeal

What potential buyers think about your house is very important. Selling your house “as is” in Texas is your choice, but you should adjust your pricing to the condition of your home. A “fixer-upper” will attract purchasers who are prepared to invest in renovations, but most buyers are looking for a house that they will be comfortable moving into without undergoing renovations first. However you choose to sell, consider doing minor renovations and decluttering before putting your house on the market.

Curb appeal is vital to get buyers into your home to see its potential. Consider giving the front of your home a little attention in order to help get people in the door. It doesn’t have to be show-home quality — in fact, if your home looks like the most expensive house on the block, buyers may not be drawn to it — but the outside of your home should be welcoming and tidy to generate interest.

Highlight Surrounding Areas and Activities

One of the most important factors that will add to your house’s market value is nearby attractions. Are you near a good school or other facilities that will appeal to different types of families? You may also recognize that being near the University of Texas and several museums is a selling point.

Although a real estate agent will also have this information, it’s helpful if you’re familiar with it too. There is a high chance of closing a deal if the owner knows the strengths and advantages of the property.

Don’t Settle for the First Offer

Accepting the first offer is not the best way to deal with business, especially in selling your home, and there are strategic reasons why.

First, reject the first offer if it's lower than the initial listing price. This approach indicates that your house is worth what it’s listed for. Don’t be afraid to negotiate; let your prospective purchaser make another offer. It’s a good way to assess whether they are truly interested.

Second, if you aren’t in a hurry, chances are high that you will receive better offers later on. When you receive multiple offers, analyze them carefully. You can also do a background check if a specific buyer has available funds or pre-approval from the lending company and other important matters. This will help you select the right buyer and avoid problems in the process.

If you have several buyers who are seriously interested, you can arrange a bidding process. The highest bidder gets the house and you will get a higher price for your home.

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Last updated: 03/07/2022

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Christopher Penaloza

JC was very helpful during the process of buying my first home. He directed me to lenders that truly had my best interest at heart. I almost made a few bad decisions that JC was there to wave off for me. I truly appreciate JC's responsiveness to ALL of my many questions and his willingness to be a sounding board for my frustrations in the process. I still hear from JC from time to time ensuring that I am happy with my home and letting me know of up and coming business in my area that might affect my property value. I will absolutely be using JC to purchase my next home.

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Christopher Dunn

Ruth helped us to view many houses and (over months) to make multiple offers in a really, really tough market for buyers. Our low bids were our own fault! Ruth's guesses are always spot on. We finally had a bid accepted last month, and Ruth helped us re-negotiate after significant problems were discovered. Ruth has gone above and beyond for us, giving us far more time during this long search than we could reasonably have expected. She even helped us look for a rental when we'd basically given up. Her advice has always been immensely valuable and brutally honest. She is the most knowledgeable agent I've met on the Central Austin market. She also handled our stress well, and believe me, buying in Austin right now is stressful!

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Danielle Hughes

I had a great experience working with Bramlett Residential Real Estate. Jean Holm was my agent and she & her team made the whole process very simple. She explained everything very well, was knowledgeable, had great advice, and got our home sold. Definitely reccomend!

Jeremy K

I worked with Jeremy Vandermause to buy my first home. Jeremy was so patient throughout the process (which I definitely dragged out as I gathered all the facts). He consistently sent me homes I was interested in and was eager to show them off, and on the odd occasions where I found one he hadn't already seen he always made himself available to walk through with me. He was very helpful in those walkthroughs pointing out home features I would have missed, or providing context on neighborhood. As a native Austinite, he definitely knows the history and cultural fabric of the city and each neighborhood. I started with close to zero knowledge of the home-buying process and Jeremy walked me through every step with clarity and patience. So excited about the home I now own! Plus, he's just a legit cool dude. I always really enjoyed our conversations and could tell from the start he was someone worth knowing in Austin

Jian M.

This review is about Joe Gage, their real estate agent. I'm based in Sam Francisco and was looking for investment property in Austin. I tried out three different agents based on recommendations from different sources, including Yelp. Joe clearly stands out. He's very patient and responsive. I'm not familiar with the area at all thus had a lot of questions. His email reply contains detailed information of the neighborhood, including shops nearby, schools and so on. He regularly screen houses and give recommendations once he sees a good fit for investment house offered at reasonable price. He's very knowledgeable about the area. All his recommendations comes with details around why he thinks it's a good investment and sales/rental data in the neighborhood to justify the price he thinks it's worth as well as the expected rental income. I found him to be very methodical and organized. He's not a typical sales person. Maybe this is because he used to be an accountant. Needless to say he earned our trust and we went with him to make the purchase. I was very impressed through the whole process. He's very calm and never pushy. His recommendation on the bid price was right on and he was very good at following up with various parties to push things through. The process went through very smoothly. If anyone is looking for a good real estate agent in Austin, I'd recommend Joe whole-heartedly. His professionalism and calm personality make him a real pleasure to work with.

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