You inherited a house
Inherited houses usually arrive with three questions at once: who owns it now, what it needs, and how many relatives get a vote. Ownership comes first. If there's a will, it generally has to go through probate before anyone can sell, and Texas usually gives you four years to start that. If there's no will, families often use an Affidavit of Heirship filed in the county where the house sits. Whether a title company will insure a sale on one depends on the family, so ask early.
We're not your lawyer and won't pretend to be. We'll point you to a probate attorney and a title company that handle this every week. What we do: buy it as-is with Mom's furniture still in it, or fix and list it so the estate nets more. All three numbers go on one sheet, so every heir reads the same page.
Sources: Texas Estates Code §203.001 (heirship affidavits), §256.003 (four-year probate window).
Get my three numbers (you inherited a house)
You're behind on payments
Most Texas foreclosures never see a courtroom, so they move fast. The servicer has to send a notice of default and give you at least 20 days to catch up before it can post a notice of sale. The notice of sale has to go out at least 21 days before the sale. Sales happen on the first Tuesday of the month, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., at the county courthouse. Federal rules add a cushion up front: no first foreclosure filing until you're more than 120 days behind.
We never promise to “handle the bank.” What we can do is put a written cash number in front of you within 24 hours and close before a first-Tuesday sale when there's equity to work with — or tell you plainly when listing would net more. This is a calendar, not legal advice. A HUD-approved housing counselor is free: 888-995-HOPE.
Sources: Texas Property Code §51.002; 12 CFR §1024.41(f).
Get my three numbers (you're behind on payments)
There are tenants in it
You can sell a rented house in Texas with the tenants still in it. The lease goes with the house, and the buyer becomes the landlord. That's how we buy most occupied rentals: as-is, with the lease and deposits transferred at closing, and no need to empty it first.
Listing an occupied house is harder. Showings depend on what your lease allows and how cooperative the tenants feel, and many retail buyers want it vacant, which can mean waiting out the lease. If the tenants are behind or the house needs work you've been putting off, the gap between cash and list may be smaller than you'd guess — or bigger. The sheet will say which. Send the lease, the rent, and the deposit amount so the numbers aren't guesses.
Get my three numbers (there are tenants in it)
Hail got the roof
Texas has had more major hail events — hailstones an inch or larger — than any other state for 11 straight years, so a dented roof in DFW is less a disaster than a Tuesday. The part that trips sellers up is paperwork. The Texas seller's disclosure asks whether you've received insurance money for damage you didn't repair, so cashing a roof check and then selling without fixing it has to be disclosed.
You usually have three choices: file the claim and replace the roof before listing, credit the buyer at closing, or sell as-is for cash and let us deal with the roof. Many DFW policies now carry a percentage wind and hail deductible, which can make your share bigger than you'd expect, so check yours first. We'll price the roof, line it up against your deductible, and put each path on the sheet.
Sources: Insurance Information Institute, major hail events by state, 2015–2025 (NWS Storm Prediction Center data); Texas REALTORS® Seller's Disclosure Notice (TXR-1406).
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The foundation moved
Most of Dallas and Collin counties sits on Blackland Prairie clay, which swells when it's wet and shrinks when it's dry. DFW foundations move; that's not news to anyone who's lived through an August. Many houses built before 1965 — in Oak Cliff, the M-Streets and Casa View — are pier-and-beam; most built from 1970 on are slab.
A typical DFW repair runs about $5,000–$8,500. Pressed concrete piers cost roughly $300–$600 each, steel piers $1,000–$1,500, and 8 to 12 piers is common. An engineer's report costs $300–$800 and is worth it, because buyers trust a report more than a promise. If the work's been done, a lifetime transferable warranty is your best selling point, and the seller's disclosure asks about past foundation repairs, so keep the paperwork. Then pick: fix and list, credit the buyer, or sell as-is to us.
Sources: DFW foundation repair pricing, 2026 (Stratum Foundation Repair pricing guide); Stratum Foundation Repair, pier-and-beam vs. slab in DFW (2026); Dallas Central Appraisal District 2025 roll (Casa View).
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You're getting divorced
Two owners, two attorneys, one house, and usually a deadline. In Texas, a house bought during the marriage is generally community property, so expect both spouses to sign. What helps most is one set of numbers both sides trust.
We send the same written sheet (cash, list, creative) to both of you, or to both attorneys, at the same time. Nobody gets a private number. If one spouse is staying until the decree, we can set the closing date to match. If neither of you wants to deal with showings, the cash path closes in about 10 days. We don't give legal advice and we don't take sides; we work from the decree and from what your attorneys tell us.
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You're relocating
New job in Austin, Denver, or across the Metroplex? Moving and selling at the same time is the hard part, so decide which one gets to be easy.
On the cash path we close in about 10 days, you choose the date, and you can lease the house back for up to 30 days after closing, so the movers run on your schedule instead of ours. On the list path we list it after you're gone, and many title companies can close you by mail or by remote online notary, so you don't have to fly back to sign. Buying in DFW too? Say so on the form. Selling one house and buying the next at the same time is mostly a calendar problem, and we'll lay the dates out with the numbers.
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You're behind on property taxes
Texas property taxes are due January 31. Starting February 1, unpaid taxes pick up a 6% penalty plus 1% interest. The penalty climbs each month to 12% by July 1, when many taxing units add a collection fee of up to 20%. Interest keeps running at 1% a month after that, and taxing units can eventually sue to foreclose.
Homeowners who are 65 or older or disabled can defer the taxes on their homestead, so check that first, because it might solve the problem without a sale. If you do sell, the back taxes are paid from the proceeds at closing, like any other lien. On the cash path, one closing clears the taxes, the penalties and the house. Your sheet shows the payoff line, so you can see what's left.
Sources: Texas Tax Code §§33.01, 33.06, 33.07.
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You're just curious
Fair enough. Pick “just curious” on the form and we'll send the three numbers by text or email, with no calls unless you ask for one. You get the same written sheet a motivated seller gets: our cash number, what we think it lists for and what you'd net, and the fix-then-list number.
People use it to decide whether this is the year, or to sanity-check a Zestimate. We'll check back once, maybe twice, then leave you alone. Our feelings won't be hurt; we're real estate people. Questions before you fill anything out? Text (214) 616-6452.
Get my three numbers (you're just curious)