What Dallas Sellers Can Expect After Accepting an Offer: Your Texas Timeline

What happens after a seller accepts an offer in Texas?

After accepting an offer in Texas, the transaction moves through several distinct phases over 30–45 days: the buyer's option period (typically 7 days), home inspection and repair negotiations, appraisal, title search, final walkthrough, and closing at a title company. The seller keeps the option fee regardless of outcome, and earnest money is held at the title company until closing. Each phase has specific deadlines and decisions that affect whether the deal closes — and what you ultimately net.

By Paul Blair | May 29, 2026

You accepted the offer. That first exhale — the relief of seeing a number you wanted — is real. But most Dallas sellers don't fully understand what comes next, and the 30–45 days between accepted offer and the closing table are where deals succeed or fall apart.

Here's exactly how the transaction timeline works in Texas, and what your job is at each step.

Days 1–3: Earnest Money, the Option Fee, and the Clock Starts

Within three business days of the contract's Effective Date — the date both parties have signed — the buyer must deliver earnest money to the title company. In DFW, that's typically 1–3% of the purchase price. On a $550,000 home, expect $5,500–$16,500 to land with the title company.

At the same time, often on day one, the buyer pays you a small non-refundable option fee directly. This fee ($100–$500 in most DFW transactions) purchases the buyer's right to the option period. You keep this money no matter what happens.

The title company opens the file and begins the title search. Their job: trace the property's ownership history and confirm there are no liens, judgments, or encumbrances that could cloud the transfer. In Texas, title companies — not attorneys — handle closings. They're your neutral third party through this entire process.

The Option Period: The 7 Days Most Sellers Dread

During the option period (typically 7 days in DFW, though 5–10 days are negotiated), the buyer has the unrestricted right to terminate the contract for any reason. If they do, they get their earnest money back in full. The only money they forfeit is the option fee.

That means a buyer can walk away because they got cold feet, didn't like the inspection, or decided to buy in a different neighborhood. You can't stop it.

Here's the practical reality: most buyers don't terminate during the option period for no reason. They terminate because of inspection findings they can't get comfortable with. The inspection is the real event during these first 7 days.

What to do during the option period:

• Keep the home show-ready in case the deal falls through and you need to re-market quickly
• Confirm that your agent has your contact info in case the buyer's agent needs to schedule specialist access
• Stay patient — you won't hear much until the inspection report is delivered

The Home Inspection and Repair Negotiations

Most buyers schedule their inspection within the first 1–2 days of the option period. A licensed Texas inspector will evaluate the roof, foundation, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and every major system. In DFW, foundation movement and roof condition are the two items that generate the most buyer anxiety. Clay soil means minor foundation movement is common. Hail season means roof damage often goes unnoticed until an inspector flags it.

After the inspection, the buyer has three options: proceed as-is, terminate during the option period, or send a repair amendment requesting fixes or credits.

Repair requests are real in the current DFW market. Buyers aren't waiving inspections the way they were in 2022, and with homes averaging 45–55 days on market before going under contract, they have both the time to think and the leverage to ask.

How to handle repair requests:

• Safety items and habitability issues (non-functional HVAC, active roof leak, faulty electrical panel) are worth addressing — buyers and lenders care most about these
• For cosmetic or maintenance items, offering a credit rather than completing repairs preserves your control over cost and contractor quality
• You don't have to say yes to everything — work with your agent on what's reasonable for your price point and neighborhood

One important detail: if the inspection surfaces something you weren't previously aware of, you may need to update your Texas Seller's Disclosure Notice (TREC Form OP-H). Texas law requires sellers to update the disclosure if they learn of new material facts during the contract period. Your agent will flag if this applies.

The Appraisal: What Sellers Need to Know

Once the option period ends and the buyer isn't terminating, their lender orders an appraisal. The appraiser's job is to confirm that the home's market value supports the loan amount.

If the appraisal matches or exceeds the purchase price, you move forward. If it comes in low, you have three paths:

1. Renegotiate the price down to the appraised value
2. Have the buyer cover the gap in cash — they pay the difference between appraised value and purchase price out of pocket
3. Challenge the appraisal with additional comparable sales evidence through your agent

In the balanced 2026 DFW market, low appraisals happen, but sellers who priced correctly from the start rarely hit this problem. It's most common when sellers push their list price significantly above what comparable sales support.

For cash buyers, there's no appraisal at all — one of the reasons cash offers are attractive even at slightly lower prices.

Title Work and the Texas Survey

While the appraisal is in process, the title company is working through the title commitment — confirming the ownership chain, clearing any existing liens, and issuing the commitment to insure the transaction.

One Texas-specific item worth understanding: the survey. Your title company will need either a current survey of the property or a new one ordered. If you have an existing survey and nothing material has changed — no additions, no fence movements, no encroachments — you can execute a T-47 Survey Affidavit, certifying that the existing survey remains accurate. This avoids the cost and time of a new survey.

Ask your agent early in the process whether your existing survey will work. Survey issues that surface late can delay closing.

The Two Weeks Before Closing

Your buyer's lender is finalizing loan approval and preparing the Closing Disclosure, which must be delivered at least three business days before the scheduled closing date.

On your end:

• Complete any agreed repairs and collect receipts — you'll need to provide proof at or before the final walkthrough
• Arrange to have the home cleared of your belongings by the agreed possession date
• Notify your HOA of the upcoming transfer if applicable
• Cancel or transfer utilities effective on the closing date

Texas contract law requires you to maintain the property in the same condition it was in when the contract was accepted. If something breaks between contract and closing — the AC fails, the pool equipment dies — disclose it and work with your agent on how to handle it. Hiding it creates legal exposure.

The Final Walkthrough

The buyer's final walkthrough usually happens 24–48 hours before closing. They're confirming that repairs were completed, that nothing that was supposed to convey has been removed, and that the home's condition hasn't changed.

Have repair receipts ready. If the walkthrough surfaces legitimate problems at this stage, it can delay or complicate closing. Most of the time it's uneventful — a brief visit before everyone meets at the title company.

Closing Day: What Sellers Sign and How You Get Paid

In Texas, closings happen at the title company's office. You'll sign the deed (the document that transfers ownership), the settlement statement confirming all debits and credits, and a small stack of additional documents. The process usually takes 30–60 minutes.

Many DFW title companies now offer hybrid or remote online notarization (RON) closings, where most documents are signed electronically in advance and you come in only for the deed and notarized items. Ask your title company what they offer.

Once documents are recorded with the county, your proceeds are wired to the account on file — typically same-day or next-business-day, depending on the time of recording.

One worth noting for sellers who've sold in other states: Texas has no state real estate transfer tax. That cost that shows up in other states' closing statements doesn't exist here — and it's one of the real financial advantages of selling in Texas. For a full breakdown of what you will owe at the closing table, see What Dallas Sellers Actually Pay at Closing.

The 30–45 days between offer and closing have a lot of moving parts. Most of them aren't in your direct control — but knowing what's coming, when to push back, and when to stay out of the way makes a real difference in how your deal closes.

If you're preparing to list in Dallas, Highland Park, Plano, Frisco, or anywhere in the DFW suburbs, I'd rather walk you through your specific situation before the offer comes in than after. Reach out any time — or get a current estimate of your home's value at greysq.com/home-value.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a buyer back out after the option period expires in Texas?

Once the option period ends, the buyer's unrestricted right to terminate is gone. They can still back out if a contingency in the contract isn't met — for example, if they can't secure financing despite a good-faith effort, or if the appraisal comes in low and the seller won't renegotiate. Outside of contract contingencies, backing out after the option period typically means forfeiting earnest money.

What is the Texas option fee and who keeps it?

The option fee is a small non-refundable payment the buyer makes directly to the seller — usually $100–$500 in DFW — to purchase the right to an option period. The seller keeps this money regardless of whether the buyer terminates or proceeds. If the buyer closes, the fee is typically credited back at closing.

Does the seller have to make repairs after the inspection in Texas?

No. Texas sellers are not legally required to make repairs after a home inspection. However, buyers can make repair requests, and the seller must either agree, counter, or decline. If negotiations don't resolve, the buyer can terminate during the option period and get their earnest money back. Most sellers in the 2026 DFW market address safety and habitability items and offer credits for other items rather than completing all requested repairs.

What happens if the appraisal comes in lower than the offer price?

If the appraisal comes in below the purchase price, the transaction doesn't automatically fall apart. The seller and buyer typically negotiate: the seller reduces the price to the appraised value, the buyer makes up the difference in cash, or the parties split the gap. If no agreement is reached and the buyer has a financing contingency, they can terminate and recover their earnest money.

How long does closing take in Texas after an offer is accepted?

Most Texas residential transactions close in 30–45 days from the effective contract date. Conventional loans typically close in 30–35 days; VA and FHA loans often run 45–60 days due to additional underwriting requirements. Cash deals can close in as little as 10–14 days.

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About Paul Blair

Paul Blair is the founder and broker of Grey Square, a virtual real estate brokerage representing buyers and sellers across Dallas and Los Angeles. With 22 years in the business and more than $200 million in closed transactions, Paul works the full range of the market, from luxury homes in the Park Cities and Preston Hollow to estates in the Hollywood Hills and across the Westside. Connect with Paul and the Grey Square team at greysq.com. TX TREC #9011505 · CA DRE #01792671.