Resources · Buyer's Guide
Buying a home in Dallas, honestly.
Here's the playbook I use with my buyers — relocation families landing from out of state and move-up buyers going from their first house to their forever house. The numbers are Texas-specific. The advice is what I actually tell clients, not what the brochures say.
01 · The Process
From pre-approval to keys in nine steps.
Most buyers go from "we should look" to closing in 60–120 days. Here's how the timeline actually unfolds in Dallas — and what matters at each step.
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01
Get pre-approved before you tour anything
A pre-approval is a lender's written confirmation of how much you can borrow. It's not the same as a pre-qualification — pre-approval pulls credit and verifies income. In Dallas, sellers won't take an offer seriously without one, and on multiple-offer days they'll throw yours in the trash. Talk to two or three lenders the same week and compare rate, fees, and how fast they answer the phone.
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02
Decide what you actually need
Before we look at houses, I ask move-up buyers the same questions: how many bedrooms, do you need a study, who works from home, what's the school situation in five years. Then we talk commute. The Dallas market is wide — North Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Lake Highlands, the Park Cities all feel like different cities. Picking a target lifestyle first saves you from touring 40 houses across three counties.
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03
Hire a buyer's agent (this is me)
In Texas, buyer representation now requires a written agreement before I can show you a home — that's a 2024 NAR settlement change. The agreement spells out my fee and how it's paid. In most Dallas transactions, the seller still offers buyer-side compensation, but it's negotiated deal by deal. I'll walk you through it before you sign anything.
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04
Tour with a strategy
I'd rather tour 6 right houses than 30 wrong ones. We'll set a search around your non-negotiables, not your wishlist. Photos lie about light, ceiling height, and street noise — that's what showings are for. If you're relocating from out of state, we batch tours over a Friday-to-Sunday and I'll FaceTime you through anything mid-week.
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05
Write the offer
An offer in Texas is a TREC-promulgated contract with several addenda. The price is one variable. Earnest money, option fee and option period, financing contingency, closing date, leaseback, and what conveys with the house all matter. On a hot listing in Brentfield or Preston Hollow, the strongest offer isn't always the highest — it's the cleanest one with the most certainty.
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06
Option period — your right to walk
The option period (typically 5–10 days, paid for by a small option fee) is the buyer's unrestricted right to terminate for any reason. This is when you do your inspection, your sewer scope, your foundation evaluation, and any specialty inspections (pool, HVAC, chimney). If something material comes up, we negotiate repairs, a price reduction, or a credit at closing — or we walk and get the earnest money back.
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07
Appraisal and final loan approval
Your lender orders the appraisal. If it comes in at or above the contract price, you're moving. If it comes in low, we have three options: bring extra cash to cover the gap, renegotiate the price, or terminate (if you have an appraisal contingency). The lender then runs final underwriting — don't open new credit, change jobs, or make large deposits in this window. It will tank your loan.
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08
Final walkthrough
The day of or day before closing, we walk the house one last time. We confirm repairs were made, the seller actually moved out, all the appliances that were supposed to convey are still there, and nothing got broken on move-out. I bring a checklist. Stuff slips through more often than you'd think.
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09
Closing — you get the keys
In Texas, closing happens at a title company. You'll wire your remaining funds, sign a stack of documents (give yourself an hour), and once funding hits and the deed records, the house is yours. I'll be there. Bring a government ID and a pen that doesn't smudge.
02 · The Real Cash Number
What you actually need at the table.
Buyers walk in thinking down payment is the only number that matters. It isn't. Here's everything that hits your bank account between contract and keys.
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Down payment
3% (some loans) up to 20%+. Most of my move-up buyers put 10–20% down.
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Earnest money
~1% of purchase price, due 1–3 days after contract. Held by title company. Credited at closing.
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Option fee
Often $200–$1,000+. Paid directly to seller for the option period. Usually credited at closing.
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Inspection(s)
$500–$1,200+ depending on home size and added scopes (sewer, pool, foundation specialist).
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Appraisal
$550–$800. Paid to your lender, sometimes upfront, sometimes at closing.
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Closing costs
Roughly 2–4% of purchase price for buyers — title insurance, survey, lender fees, prepaid taxes and insurance.
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First-year escrow
Lenders collect 2–6 months of property tax and homeowner's insurance upfront. Texas property taxes are higher than most other states — plan for it.
Tip
Use the closing cost estimator and mortgage calculator to see your full PITI payment before you fall in love with a price tag.
03 · Affordability
"I can afford X" — what that actually means.
What the bank approves
Lenders look at debt-to-income (DTI). They'll often approve up to ~43–50% DTI on conventional loans. That number says nothing about whether the payment fits your life.
What you can actually live with
Most of my move-up buyers feel comfortable when total housing (PITI + HOA) is around 25–30% of gross income, with room left for childcare, savings, and the occasional vacation that doesn't make you panic.
Texas reality check
Texas property taxes run roughly 1.8–2.5% of assessed value annually, depending on city. On a $700,000 home that's $12,600–$17,500 a year — about $1,050–$1,460 a month, on top of principal, interest, and insurance. No state income tax helps. The property tax bill is real.
04 · Relocating to Dallas
If you're moving here from out of state.
About half my clients are landing from California, the Northeast, or Chicago. The Dallas market behaves differently than what you're used to. Here's what changes.
Trade visit, then offer
We plan a Friday-to-Sunday trip with a tight tour list. I send video walk-throughs mid-week so we use the in-person time on real contenders, not lookers.
Pick the lifestyle first
Suburban-and-spacious (Plano, Frisco) feels different than central-and-walkable (Lake Highlands, Preston Hollow, Midway Hollow). I'd rather you fall in love with a zip code than a square footage number.
Schools shape resale
Texas school zoning is tied directly to property address. A house zoned to a sought-after feeder pattern holds value differently than the house next door zoned elsewhere. Read the Dallas Schools Guide before you tour.
Insurance has changed
Texas homeowner's insurance has roughly doubled in many zip codes over the last three years thanks to hail. Get a real quote during option period — don't trust the estimate the lender gave you in pre-approval.
05 · Avoid These
The mistakes I see most often.
After enough transactions, the same five mistakes repeat. None of them are about taste or budget. They're about process.
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Touring before talking to a lender
Falling in love with a house you can't actually afford — or one you could afford if you'd talked to a different lender — is the most expensive mistake I see. Get pre-approved first. It costs nothing and takes a week.
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Maxing out your pre-approval
Just because you're approved for $850K doesn't mean you should spend $850K. Texas property taxes and insurance can add $1,500–$2,500/month on top of principal and interest. Run the full PITI before you fall in love.
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Skipping the foundation inspection
North Texas is built on expansive clay soil. Foundations move. A general inspection covers the basics, but on anything older than 20 years I want a structural engineer's eyes on it before option period ends. It's a few hundred dollars and it's saved my clients tens of thousands.
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Buying for the house, not the location
You can renovate a kitchen. You can't move the house off a busy road, away from a flight path, or into a different commute. The internet won't tell you this, but the lot and location are 80% of resale.
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Opening new credit before closing
Don't finance furniture for the new house before you close on the new house. Don't lease a car. Don't co-sign anything. Lenders re-pull credit days before closing and a new tradeline can blow up your loan.
06 · FAQ
What buyers ask me most.
How much do I need for a down payment in Dallas?
It depends on the loan. Conventional loans go as low as 3% down for qualified first-time buyers, FHA is 3.5%, VA and USDA can be 0% for those who qualify. Most of my move-up buyers in the $500K–$2M range put 10–20% down to avoid PMI and to keep monthly payments manageable given Texas property taxes.
How long does it take to buy a house in Dallas?
From the day we go under contract to closing, plan on 30–45 days for a financed purchase, or 14–21 days for cash. From the day you start touring to the day you close, most of my buyers land somewhere between 60 and 120 days, depending on how decisive they are and how the market is moving.
Do I pay my buyer's agent directly?
After the 2024 NAR settlement, buyer agent compensation is negotiated upfront and disclosed in a written buyer representation agreement before showings. In most Dallas transactions today, the seller still offers compensation to the buyer's agent — but it's deal-by-deal. I'll walk through the math with you before you sign anything.
What are closing costs for a buyer in Texas?
Roughly 2–4% of the purchase price for buyers. That includes title insurance, lender fees, the survey, the appraisal, prepaid property taxes, prepaid homeowner's insurance, and the first-year escrow setup. On a $600,000 home that's usually $12,000–$24,000, separate from your down payment.
Should I get a foundation inspection?
On any home older than 20 years in North Texas — yes. The clay soil here moves with drought and rain cycles, and a general home inspection only flags surface signs. A structural engineer will tell you whether what you're seeing is normal seasonal movement or a structural problem. It runs a few hundred dollars and I require it on the homes I'm worried about.
Is it better to buy in winter or spring in Dallas?
Winter has less inventory but less competition — sellers who list December through February are usually motivated. Spring has the most inventory but also the most buyers, which means multiple offers on anything good. I've closed great deals in both seasons. The right time to buy is when you're ready financially and emotionally, not what month the calendar says.
Ready When You Are
Let's start your Dallas home search.
Whether you're three months out from relocating or you've already toured ten houses without an agent — let's talk. I'll give you the honest read on the market, your budget, and your shortlist.