How long does mortgage underwriting take? About one to two weeks for most Houston buyers. The stage-by-stage timeline, common conditions, and the Texas contract deadlines that protect your earnest money.
Earnest money is the good-faith deposit you put down once your offer is accepted ā it tells the seller you mean business. In Texas it isn’t a fee you lose; handled right, it’s credited to you at closing or refundable inside your contract’s protected windows. Here I walk through how much to put down, who holds it, and exactly when you get it back.
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 ā 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 ā Now What?
Hurricane damage before closing is the seller’s problem, not yours. What Paragraph 14 of the Texas contract gives a Houston buyer ā and the insurance step to take during your option period.
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 ā Paragraph 12 compensation, holiday deadlines, water rights, and generators.
What is an earnest money contract?
Earnest money is your good-faith deposit in a Texas home purchase. Here’s how it works, when you get it back, and how it differs from the option fee.