Sell your Farmers Branch house as-is

Rebuild or sell: the Demo/Rebuild Program

Some Farmers Branch owners with an older house weigh two paths: sell it, or knock it down and build new on the same lot. The city's Demo/Rebuild Program is aimed at the second path. It offers a four-year City property tax incentive to an owner who demolishes an existing single-family home and builds a new single-family home on the same lot. A builder can apply only if the builder also owns the property.

The timing rule is the part people miss. The application goes in online before demolition, and demolition cannot begin until the City approves it. The program page lists what to upload:

• A valid Texas driver's license or Texas ID.
• A completed W-9.
• Elevations and a floor plan of the new home.
• A photo of the current home.

After approval, the agreement is emailed for signature and returned to the City. The incentive is figured on the value of the structure only, not the land. Questions go to the Economic Development office at 972-919-2562.

If rebuilding is more than you want to take on, selling the house as it stands is the other route.

Who the Minor Home Repair Program is for

For owners who are staying, the city's Minor Home Repair Program can pay a City-selected contractor up to $5,000 for an urgent repair. The homeowner covers anything above $5,000, and program funds are limited. The eligibility list is specific:

• You own and live in the home now and for the next three years.
• The property value is below the average market value as verified by DCAD.
• The property is not in violation of adopted City codes, unless the project fixes the violation.
• The mortgage and utilities owed to the City are current, and there are no federal liens or delinquent taxes.
• The repair answers an urgent need that would otherwise lead to further deterioration or make the house unlivable.

That three-year occupancy rule means the program is built for owners planning to stay. An owner who expects to move, or who is behind on taxes or has a federal lien, falls outside it. The page is posted in English and Spanish, and Community Services answers at 972-247-3131.

Water shut-off, code complaints and rental licenses

The city's Customer Service office handles both ends of a move. To stop service, visit Customer Service at City Hall or email the Closure of Utility Account Form, which the city also posts in Spanish as the Cierre de cuenta de servicios públicos. Per the city's start and stop page, these forms are not accepted more than five days in advance, so send yours close to your closing date. Customer Service answers at 972-247-3131 during business hours, and the after-hours water emergency line is 972-919-2597.

The city's Code Enforcement division, in Community Services at 13000 William Dodson Parkway, does not take anonymous complaints. A complaint has to include the person's name and either an address or a phone number, and that information is kept confidential under state law. The division posts its tip sheet and sanitation schedule in English and Spanish.

The same page is where landlords get a rental license. Farmers Branch lists separate single-family, multi-family and short-term rental licenses, so an owner selling a leased house should have that paperwork handy. If a tenant has to be removed first, the eviction is filed in 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 tax bill and Dallas County offices

Farmers Branch is in Dallas County, and the city's Tax Information page breaks a property tax bill into five lines: Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Parkland Hospital, Dallas County, DCCC and the City of Farmers Branch. The same page links the DCAD tax rate calculator and property tax estimator, plus the city's yearly tax rate notices.

• 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 Farmers Branch among the cities it collects for. Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD is not among the school districts on that list, so check your statements to see who bills the school share before you ask for payoffs. The county office is at 500 Elm Street, Suite 3300, (214) 653-7811.
• Title records: deeds and lien releases are recorded by the County Clerk's Recording Division at 500 Elm Street, Suite 2100.

Inherited houses. Probate is filed in the county where the person who died lived (Estates Code section 33.001). For a Farmers Branch resident, that means Dallas County's probate courts at 600 Commerce Street. A Texas probate attorney can lay out the steps before a sale.

Foreclosure. Texas sales are held 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, Farmers Branch included.

Selling your Farmers Branch house to Cash Home Advisors

If you decide to sell instead of rebuild, Cash Home Advisors buys Farmers Branch houses as-is. You do not need to make repairs, 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 to pay off debt.

Local offices for this area

• Dallas Central Appraisal District
• Dallas County Tax Office: Jurisdictions Collected
• Dallas County Clerk, Recording Division
• City of Farmers Branch Tax Information
• City of Farmers Branch Establishing / Disconnecting a Service
• City of Farmers Branch Minor Home Repair Program

ZIP codes we buy in: 75234, 75244