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 option period is one of the most buyer-friendly parts of a Texas contract ā a short, negotiated window where you can inspect the home, ask hard questions, and back out for any reason if the answers aren’t good. I’ve seen it save buyers from expensive surprises more times than I can count. These posts cover how the option period works, what it costs, and how to make the most of every day of it.
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.
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 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.