You can buy a home in Texas without your own real estate agent. But the 2026 listing agreement lets the seller pay their broker extra when you do, and nobody is running comps, deadlines, or repair talks for you. What going unrepresented actually gives up.
The contract is where a Houston home sale is really won or lost. These articles break down the parts that trip people up — the option period, earnest money, financing contingencies, multiple-offer situations, and what to expect at closing — in plain English. Texas rewrote its promulgated contracts and disclosure forms in 2026, so several of these cover exactly what changed on the paperwork you’ll be asked to sign. I’m Kevan Pewitt, REALTOR® and broker-owner of Houston Prime Realty, translating the Texas forms so you can sign knowing what you agreed to.
Didn’t Get the Seller’s Disclosure? A Texas Buyer’s Right to Terminate
Paragraph 7B gives Houston buyers a second exit most never hear about: 7 days from receiving a late seller’s disclosure to terminate for any reason, earnest money refunded.
The Texas Option Period: When It Starts, How to Count the Days, and What the Fee Buys
The Texas option period runs on exact rules — day zero, calendar days, the 5 p.m. deadline that never slides. How to count it, from Paragraph 5 of the TREC contract.
Hurricane Hits Before Closing — Now What?
Hurricane damage before closing is the seller’s problem, not yours. What Paragraph 14 of the Texas contract gives a Houston buyer — and the insurance step to take during your option period.
Houston’s Flood Disclosure Questions, Mapped
Eight checkboxes, two completely different questions. Here’s what floodway, flood pool, Zone AE and the FEMA/SBA line on the Texas Seller’s Disclosure actually mean for a Houston buyer.
What Houston Home Buyers Should Know About the 2026 Texas Contract Changes
The Texas purchase contract changed July 1. Here’s what TREC form 20-19 means for Houston buyers — Paragraph 12 compensation, holiday deadlines, water rights, and generators.