Sell your Duncanville house as-is

Unpermitted work and what Duncanville says about selling

A converted garage, an added patio cover or a water heater swapped on a weekend can all come up when you sell. The city's Permit and Inspection Services page speaks to sellers directly about that kind of work. It says listing associations require owners to disclose improvements and repairs and whether permits were pulled, and that many lenders will not finance a purchase without proof of a final inspection. If you sell a home with modifications made without a permit, the page warns, you may be required to tear the addition down, leave it unoccupied or make costly repairs.

What needs a permit in Duncanville, per the same page:

• Accessory buildings, including storage sheds, gazebos, carports and patio covers.
• Remodeling that adds or replaces walls or windows.
• Building or replacing a deck, driveway, patio, walkway or other flatwork.
• Electrical and plumbing work, replacing or adding a water heater, water softeners, and replacing water or sewer lines.

Painting, wallpaper, carpet, cabinets and trim work do not need one, and neither does swapping a light fixture on existing wiring or a faucet. A permit stays valid for six months from the date it is issued.

Rented houses: the RCO and eviction notice rules

Duncanville requires a Rental Certificate of Occupancy, or RCO, before tenants can live in a single-family house, duplex or townhouse, under its residential rental registration ordinance. The owner registers the property, it passes an interior and exterior inspection, and then the owner applies for the RCO. The city's fee list includes:

• $150.00 for registration, inspection and the RCO.
• $125.00 for a change-of-tenant registration.
• $100.00 for a second reinspection of the same failed items.

Registration renews every year by December 31. An inspection is due at first registration, every two years after that and whenever tenants change, and it should be scheduled within 30 days or a $50 late fee applies. A property that fails gets 30 days to fix the violations.

Two of the owner duties on that page matter if you are selling a rented house. The owner must notify the city at least 48 hours before an eviction, and must give the city a plan to clean up and remove belongings within 24 hours after it. The eviction suit itself goes to the justice court for the precinct where the house sits (Property Code sections 24.004 and 24.0041); Dallas County's justice of the peace page links a district map.

Your last Duncanville water bill

Duncanville buys its surface water from the City of Dallas, and the city's Utility Customer Service office bills water, sewer, garbage and drainage on one statement. Meters are read every 28 to 34 days. Bills go out on Wednesdays by cycle and are due 19 days later, so plan your last payment around your closing date.

The office is at City Hall, 203 East Wheatland Road, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and answers at (972) 780-5010. The city is also replacing older meters with automated ones and notes that some older meters may not have registered usage accurately, so a house that just got a new meter can show higher readings. Keep an eye on the final bill if that happened at your address.

Questions about a code complaint on the property go to Code Enforcement, also at 203 East Wheatland Road, (972) 780-5000. One of its Neighborhood Services Officers speaks Spanish.

Dallas County records, probate and foreclosure

Duncanville sits entirely in Dallas County, which keeps the paperwork in one place:

• Value: the Dallas Central Appraisal District appraises the property; protests are filed with its Appraisal Review Board, which also hears them.
• Taxes: the Dallas County Tax Office's jurisdictions page lists the City of Duncanville and the Duncanville school district among the units it collects for. Your statement shows the rest. Ask the office, at (214) 653-7811, for a payoff good through your closing date.
• Title records: deeds and lien releases are recorded by the County Clerk's Recording Division at 500 Elm Street, Suite 2100, in Dallas.

Inheriting the house. Probate is filed in the county where the person who died lived (Estates Code section 33.001). For a Duncanville resident, that means one of Dallas County's probate courts, The Probate Court, Probate Court No. 2 or Probate Court No. 3, at 600 Commerce Street. If the owner lived in another county, the case is filed there. A Texas probate attorney can explain the steps before a sale.

Facing foreclosure. Texas sales happen on the first Tuesday of the month after at least 21 days' notice (Property Code section 51.002). The Dallas County Clerk's foreclosure notices page posts files by city, Duncanville included.

Selling your Duncanville house to Cash Home Advisors

Cash Home Advisors buys Duncanville houses as-is, so you do not have to make repairs before you sell. We pay all closing costs, and we can close in 7–14 days. Se habla español.

Start with the short form or read how it works. See also selling a house that needs repairs and selling a house as-is in DFW.

Local offices for this area

• Dallas Central Appraisal District
• Dallas County Tax Office: Jurisdictions Collected
• Dallas County Clerk, Recording Division
• City of Duncanville Permit & Inspection Services
• City of Duncanville Residential Rental Registration
• City of Duncanville Utility Customer Service

ZIP codes we buy in: 75116, 75137