How a Texas Cash Home Sale Works, From Written Offer to Title Company Closing
Most people sell a house once or twice in their lives. A cash sale is often the first time they've done it without an agent, and the steps can feel like a black box. You fill out a form on Monday, and by the end of the month someone has handed you a check. What happened in between?
This walkthrough answers that. It follows a typical Texas cash home buyer offer process title company closing from the first phone call to the day the money lands. Each step notes what you should see, what you should ask, and where a good buyer and a careless one part ways.
Southern Hills Home Buyers, One Straightforward Option
Southern Hills Home Buyers is a family-owned investor home buyer in Plano that buys across Dallas-Fort Worth and other Texas markets. Founder Brandon Beatty started it in 2017, and the BBB gives it an A+ rating with accreditation since March 23, 2026. There are no fees or commissions, the house sells as is, and the company often pays the closing costs too. It's a useful reference point for several steps below, since it publishes parts of its own process.
Step One, the First Contact
You reach out by phone or through a web form. A buyer asks basic questions about the house, its condition, why you're selling and when you'd like to move. Southern Hills says it's usually able to make an all-cash offer within 24 hours, though a house with title questions or several owners can take a little longer to sort out.
Some buyers screen first. Several Dallas companies say that if the house "meets our buying criteria," they'll set up a visit. That's normal, and it simply tells you a real look at the property comes next.
Step Two, the Walkthrough
Someone visits the house, or asks for photos and a video tour. They're checking the roof, the foundation, the plumbing, the wiring and the general condition, so they can price the repairs they'll take on after closing. You don't need to clean. Southern Hills tells sellers not to worry about "repairing or cleaning up your property."
Use this visit to ask questions of your own. Who is the buyer of record, and will that buyer be the one at the closing table? What could change the price after today?
Step Three, the Written Offer
A serious buyer puts the number in writing. Southern Hills says its offer is based on location, needed repairs, condition and recent sales of similar homes nearby. It also says the offer will come in below retail, since it makes money by fixing and reselling. Its online calculator gives a rough comparison with a listing, though the company notes that the tool "runs on averages." For a real number, it looks at your actual house and sends a written cash offer.
Four 19 Properties, a cash buyer based in Fort Worth and Granbury, takes a similar approach. It says it gives "a fair, no-obligation offer over the phone," and that "Every offer includes a clear breakdown." It also says, "The price we offer is what you get at closing." Ask any buyer for that same breakdown in writing. Then read it slowly.
Step Four, the Contract and the Option Period
If you accept, you sign a sales contract. Many Texas sales use contract forms published by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). Some investors use their own forms instead, so read every page before you sign and ask about two items in particular.
The first is the option period. In many Texas contracts, this is a short window when the buyer can back out for any reason. A cash buyer may use it to inspect the house. Ask how many days it lasts and whether the price could change during it.
The second is assignment. Look for "and/or assigns" after the buyer's name, because that wording lets the buyer pass the contract, and your house, to an investor you've never met or vetted. A direct buyer should be able to explain plainly whether it plans to close in its own name.
Step Five, Earnest Money at the Title Company
The buyer deposits earnest money with a Texas title company, which holds it until closing. That deposit shows the buyer has something at stake. Call the title company yourself to confirm the money arrived and that it has opened a file in the buyer's name.
No law sets one amount for a cash sale, so ask what the buyer plans to deposit and when. A buyer who won't use a title company at all is a buyer to walk away from.
Step Six, the Title Work
The title company searches public records for liens, unpaid taxes, judgments and ownership questions. It also lines up payoffs for any mortgage. Myers Home Buyers, a Dallas brokerage of investor-agents, says title work usually takes 1 to 3 weeks at a Texas title company.
Some files take longer. Inherited homes often need probate papers before anyone can sign. Southern Hills says it handles the title work alongside the seller. With executors, its inherited homes page says, "I always ask for a copy upfront," meaning the letters testamentary. When several heirs share a house, the company says it can often make one offer to the whole group.
Step Seven, the Closing Day
You sign the deed and closing papers at the title company, or with a mobile notary if you live out of state. The buyer's funds go to the title company, which pays off any loans and liens. Then it sends the rest to you, usually by wire or check, once every signature is in place.
Southern Hills lists a typical close of 7 to 21 days, or it can follow your schedule. You don't need to empty the house first. Its advice is simple: "Take what you want and leave the rest."
The Steps at a Glance
- First contact by phone or form
- Walkthrough or photo review
- Written offer with a cost breakdown
- Signed contract, with the option period and assignment terms read closely
- Earnest money deposited at a Texas title company
- Title search, payoffs and any probate papers
- Closing and payment
What a Real Sale Looks Like
George C. sold his mother's house to Southern Hills. He wrote that he "didn't have the patience to list her home with an agent plus the work of repairs needed to sell it to the public." His summary: "They bought the house without any repairs and closed in 3 weeks."
That's the Texas cash home buyer offer process title company closing in one review. If you'd like to see the steps play out with your own house, Southern Hills Home Buyers is a good place to start. There's no obligation, and you can take as long as you need with the written offer.