Who Pays Closing Costs in DFW? County Fees and Local Steps

Selling in Fort Worth, Dallas or the suburbs around them? The statewide answer is in our Texas guide to closing costs: the signed TREC contract decides who pays what. This page is the local layer. It covers the county offices, fees and lookups a DFW seller deals with between contract and closing.

The four county offices behind a DFW closing

A sale in Tarrant, Dallas, Collin or Denton County touches the same kinds of offices, each with its own website:

• The county clerk records the deed, the buyer's deed of trust and the release of your old loan in the county's official public records.
• The appraisal district sets the value of your house and tracks your exemptions, such as a homestead exemption.
• The tax collector bills and collects property taxes and issues tax certificates.
• The title company is private, not a county office, but it gathers all of the above, prepares the closing statement and sends the documents to be recorded.

Recording fees in Tarrant and Dallas counties

Recording is one of the few closing charges with a public price list. Here is what the two largest DFW counties post:

Tarrant County says its schedule took effect January 1, 2024. Collin and Denton post their own schedules on their county clerk sites. On the standard TREC form, you pay to record the release of your own loan, and the buyer pays to record the new deed and any new loan. A short deed costs little to record. A seller with an old second lien or a home equity loan pays for a release for each one, so list every loan you know about when the title company asks.

Checking your tax proration before closing day

Your closing statement will show a property tax proration: a credit from you to the buyer for the part of this year you owned the house. The title company estimates it from your current tax account, so check that account yourself first.

• Value and exemptions: search your address on TAD, DCAD, Collin CAD or Denton CAD. Make sure the exemptions listed are the ones you actually have.
• Billed amount and past-due years: look up the account on your tax office's site. If an older year is unpaid, it will appear on the tax certificate and come out of your proceeds.
• More than one collector: if more than one office bills taxes on your house, ask the title company which certificates it ordered. Each certificate lists every taxing unit that collector collects for.

The TREC contract lets the proration account for exemptions that change because of the sale. If the buyer will not qualify for the exemptions you have now, the estimate can shift. Ask how your title company handles that.

HOA certificates in DFW subdivisions

If your subdivision has a mandatory owners' association, the title company or your agent will request a resale certificate. Texas gives the association 10 business days after a proper request to deliver it. The fee is capped by state law, and the contract's HOA addendum says who pays it. Two local tips:

• Order the certificate as soon as you are under contract, since the 10 days are business days.
• Ask the management company for its transfer and other fees up front. The certificate must list every fee tied to the transfer, and those fees show up on the closing statement.

Choosing a title company in Fort Worth, Dallas or the suburbs

You are free to choose the title company. Because the Texas Department of Insurance sets title premiums, a Fort Worth office and a Plano office charge the same premium for the same policy. What differs is the escrow fee and the smaller service charges, so compare those if you are paying half the escrow fee. The company is written into paragraph 6A of the contract, so settle it before you sign rather than after.

Location matters less than responsiveness. A title company that orders your payoff statements, tax certificates and HOA certificate in the first few days keeps the closing on schedule.

A DFW seller's closing-cost checklist

1. Find your last survey and your owner's title policy from when you bought.
2. List every loan or lien on the house, including any home equity line.
3. Check your appraisal district account for value and exemptions.
4. Check your tax office account for past-due years.
5. If you have an HOA, get the management company's contact details and fee list.
6. Ask the title company for a seller's estimate as soon as the contract is signed.

When we buy your DFW house

Cash Home Advisors is based in Fort Worth and buys houses across the metro. When we buy, we pay all closing costs, including the escrow fee, recording and the owner's title policy, and we can close in 7–14 days. Your loan payoff and your share of this year's taxes still settle from the price at the title company, and you see the full closing statement before you sign.

Start with a free cash offer, or see the cities we cover on our areas we serve page, including Fort Worth and Dallas.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Tarrant County Clerk, Real estate records fee schedule
2. Dallas County Clerk, Recording fees and payment
3. Texas Department of Insurance, Title insurance FAQ
4. Tarrant Appraisal District
5. Dallas Central Appraisal District
6. Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector
7. Texas Property Code, Chapter 207 (Sec. 207.003 HOA resale certificates)
8. Texas Tax Code, Chapter 31 (Sec. 31.08 tax certificates)
9. Texas Real Estate Commission, Resale contract TREC No. 20-19 (paragraphs 6A, 12 and 13)

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

Related guides

• How Long Does It Take to Sell a House in DFW?
• How Many Showings to Sell a House in DFW? Reading the Metro Data
• How Soon Can You Sell After Buying in DFW? Dates and Records to Check