Subject-To Mortgage in DFW: Records Sellers Should Watch

Short answer

Once you deed a DFW house subject to your loan, county records are how you keep an eye on it. Tarrant and Dallas counties offer free recording alerts, post foreclosure notices online and let you look up tax accounts, and local nonprofits offer counseling and legal aid.

If someone has offered to buy your Fort Worth, Dallas or suburban house "subject to" your mortgage, start with our Texas guide to subject-to sales. It covers the due-on-sale clause, insurance, wrap loans and the state disclosure rule. This page is the local layer: the county offices and nonprofits a DFW seller can use to keep watch on a house that still carries their loan. To weigh subject-to against other routes, see letting someone take over your DFW mortgage payments.

Why county records matter once the deed is signed

After a subject-to transfer, you no longer own the house, yet the debt on it is still yours. You will not be the one receiving every letter about it. Public records fill that gap. In DFW, three kinds of records tell you most of what you need: documents recorded with the county clerk, foreclosure sale notices the clerk posts, and the property tax account.

First, confirm which county the house is in. Several DFW cities spread across more than one county, so go by the tax statement or appraisal district record, not the city name.

DFW pages for this: Tarrant County Property Fraud Alert · Dallas County Clerk property fraud page · Tarrant County property tax · Dallas County Tax Office

Turn on your county's recording alert

The Tarrant County Clerk runs a free Property Fraud Alert. You register your name, and the service notifies you when that exact name is listed as grantor or grantee on any of more than 90 types of recorded documents. Alerts come by email or by a phone call from a service representative. The county is clear that the alert does not stop fraud. It gives you early warning so you can act.

Dallas County has partnered with Neumo Property Alerts for a similar service, which it offers free to the public. The same Dallas County page walks owners through an affidavit process for a recorded document that falsely claims to transfer their property, and it notes that no fee is charged to record those papers.

For a house in Collin or Denton County, ask the county clerk whether it offers a comparable alert. Register the name exactly as it appears on your deed of trust, since an alert looks for an exact match.

Watch the posted foreclosure notices

If payments on your loan stop, a foreclosure sale notice is one of the first public signs. Both of the largest DFW counties post these notices online:

Tarrant County: the clerk calls them notices of substitute trustee sale. Sales are held the first Tuesday of each month; under Property Code Sec. 51.002(a-1), when that Tuesday falls on January 1 or July 4, the sale is held on the first Wednesday instead. Notices must be posted 21 days before the sale. They can be viewed around the clock on the county's official record search site.
Dallas County: notices are posted on the clerk's website, also 21 days before the first-Tuesday sale. Each posted notice can be searched by name or physical address.

Neither clerk compiles a list of properties to be sold, so search for your own name and address each month. If you find a notice, call the servicer right away and talk to an attorney. Our DFW foreclosure guide covers what happens next.

Confirm the property taxes are being paid

Property taxes are a separate bill from the loan, and a seller in a subject-to deal often has no other way to see whether they are covered. The county tax office websites let anyone check:

The Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector lets you search for an account, estimate taxes, make a payment and print a statement or receipt.
The Dallas County Tax Office offers online bill payment, eStatement enrollment and a request form for written statements.

If your loan has an escrow account for taxes, the servicer pays the bill from it. If it does not, someone has to pay the tax office directly. Either way, the tax account is the place to confirm it happened.

Your homestead exemption after the transfer

You may have a residence homestead exemption on your appraisal district record. Texas Tax Code Sec. 11.43 says an exemption of this kind lasts until the property changes ownership or the owner's qualification changes. It also says a person whose entitlement to such an exemption ends must notify the appraisal office in writing before May 1 after it ends.

So a deed to a subject-to buyer is a reason to contact your appraisal district: TAD in Tarrant, DCAD in Dallas, Collin CAD or Denton CAD. Ask how they want the change reported, and keep a copy of what you send.

Free and low-cost help around DFW

A subject-to offer is a legal and financial decision with your name on the debt. Before signing, consider who can look at your actual documents:

HUD-approved housing counselors. The CFPB's counselor finder searches by ZIP code. It says counselors can help with defaults, forbearance and foreclosure, often at little or no cost. Not every agency offers every service, so check each one's list.
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. It provides free civil legal services to low-income people in the 114 counties it serves, with offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton and McKinney. Eligibility rules apply.
A private Texas real estate attorney if you do not qualify for legal aid or want someone to draft or review the documents.
Your loan servicer, for what the loan documents allow and what the lender will approve.

A monthly check for a house that carries your loan

Log in to the servicer's website and confirm the last payment posted.
Read any alert from the county clerk's recording service.
Search the county's posted foreclosure notices for your name and the address.
Check the tax account for the current year and any past-due years.
Keep copies of everything in one folder.

Selling your DFW house and paying off the loan

Some sellers would rather end the loan than monitor it. Cash Home Advisors is based in Fort Worth and buys houses across DFW. When we buy, we pay all closing costs and can close in 7–14 days. Your loan is paid off from the sale price at the title company, and you see the closing statement before you sign.

You can request a cash offer, see the cities on our areas we serve page, or go straight to Fort Worth or Dallas.

Want a cash offer instead?

We buy Texas houses as-is, pay all closing costs, and can close in 7–14 days.

Get my cash offer or call (817) 635-0743

Frequently asked questions

How do I get an alert when a document with my name is recorded in Tarrant County?

Sign up for the Tarrant County Clerk's free Property Fraud Alert. It notifies you when the exact name you register appears as grantor or grantee on any of more than 90 recorded document types, by email or by a phone call. It warns you; it does not block a filing.

Where are foreclosure sale notices posted in Dallas and Tarrant counties?

Both county clerks post notices of trustee sales on their websites, and both say notices must be posted 21 days before the sale, which is held on the first Tuesday of the month (the first Wednesday when that Tuesday is January 1 or July 4). Dallas County says each posted notice can be searched by name or physical address.

How can I see whether taxes are being paid on a house I no longer live in?

Look up the account on your county tax office's website. The Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector lets you search an account and print a statement or receipt, and the Dallas County Tax Office offers bill payment, eStatement enrollment and written statements.

Is there free legal help in DFW for reviewing a deal like this?

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas provides free civil legal services to eligible low-income residents and has offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton and McKinney. HUD-approved housing counselors, which you can find by ZIP code through the CFPB, often charge little or nothing.

Sources

General information, not legal or tax advice. Talk to a Texas attorney or CPA about your situation.