Texas Land Closing Costs: Who Pays What When You Sell
Texas sellers skip the transfer tax other states charge, but the title policy, escrow fee and taxes still have to be settled. Here is the split on the Texas Real Estate Commission’s land contract, what title insurance costs at the state’s own rates, and what comes out of your proceeds.
Updated Nov 5, 2026 · By the Twin Sun Land Company team
Get a written cash offer in 24 hours
Never listed it, or listed it with no luck? Sell it the easy way, on your timeline.
- One call. We research the parcel, order the title work and do the paperwork
- We aim to close in about 30 days, never past 45 once the title is clear
- No appraisal, no bank, so there’s no loan to fall through
- We pay all closing costs (title, closing fee, notary and recording; Texas has no deed stamps). $0 commission
Free, and you can say no. Prefer to talk? (405) 766-8915
Sound familiar?
Tired of adding up closing costs? Here is what changes when you sell to us.
Never sold land before
“I inherited land I’ve never even seen. I just want it handled.”
One call, and we handle the rest. No need to visit, list it, clean it up or know anything about land sales. We research the parcel, order the title work and do the paperwork. Written offer in 24 hours, and you can sign from home, even from out of state.
Tired of waiting
“My land’s been listed for a year and nobody’s serious.”
We buy on your timeline. Land can sit for a year or two, and with higher interest rates fewer buyers can get a loan for it. We don’t need one. Written offer in 24 hours, and we aim to close in about 30 days, never past 45 once the title is clear.
Burned by the usual process
“The buyer backed out at the last minute, and my realtor stopped calling back.”
We’re not a traditional buyer. No appraisal, no loan officer. We pay cash from private investor capital, so there’s no loan to fall through. No back-and-forth either: one written offer with every cost listed.
Just want it easy
“I just want it done without paying fees or chasing paperwork.”
We pay all closing costs and do the paperwork. Title, closing fee, notary and recording are on us, and Texas has no deed stamps. Any mortgage, liens or back taxes are paid off by the title company from the sale at closing, so you don’t need cash up front.
Free, and you can say no.
Our founder’s career track record in land and real estate.
The short version
- Seller: lien releases, tax certificates, the deed, half the escrow fee (TREC 9-18, para. 12).
- Buyer: half the escrow fee, recording and loan costs.
- Owner’s title policy: a checkbox; the premium is set by the state ($780 on $100,000).
- No transfer tax or deed stamps (Tex. Const. art. VIII, § 29).
- Taxes prorated to closing; the rollback is the buyer’s if the sale or the buyer’s use triggers it (para. 13).
Who pays closing costs when you sell land in Texas?
On the Texas Real Estate Commission’s land contract, the seller pays to release liens, the tax certificates, the deed and half the escrow fee; the buyer pays the other half, recording and any loan costs (TREC No. 9-18, paragraph 12). Who pays the owner’s title policy is a checkbox, so read your contract.
| Cost | Who pays on the TREC land contract |
|---|---|
| Owner’s title policy | Seller or buyer: a checkbox the parties fill in (6A) |
| Releasing your mortgage or liens, with their recording fees | Seller (12A(1)) |
| Tax statements or certificates | Seller (12A(1)) |
| Preparing the deed | Seller (12A(1)) |
| Escrow (closing) fee | Split half and half (12A(1) and 12A(2)) |
| Recording fees for the buyer’s documents | Buyer (12A(2)) |
| Loan costs: appraisal, lender’s title policy, origination | Buyer (12A(2)) |
| New survey, if one is needed (when one is) | Seller or buyer: a checkbox (6C) |
| This year’s property taxes | Prorated to the closing date (13A) |
| Transfer tax or deed stamps | None: Texas has no such tax, and its constitution bars a new one (Const. art. VIII, § 29) |
The form is the TREC Unimproved Property Contract (TREC No. 9-18), which Texas real estate agents must use for land sales. A direct buyer may use its own contract, so ask for the cost list in writing before you sign. Any agent commission is separate from these costs.
How much is title insurance on Texas land?
The same at every title company: the Texas Commissioner of Insurance sets the basic premium for all of them. Under the rates in effect since March 1, 2026, the owner’s policy is $308 on a $25,000 sale, $780 on $100,000 and about $1,274 on $200,000 (TDI Order 2025-9697).
Shopping title companies changes the service and the escrow fee, not the base premium. Above $100,000, the premium is $780 plus $4.94 per $1,000 of price up to $1 million (TDI rate order). Whoever the contract names in paragraph 6A pays it. Run your own price, escrow quote and payoffs through the Texas land closing cost calculator.
Does Texas have a transfer tax or deed stamps?
No. Texas has no transfer tax, and the Texas Constitution bars any new law imposing one on a sale of fee simple title (art. VIII, § 29), so a Texas seller does not pay the deed stamps or transfer tax that sellers in many other states pay. The deed still gets recorded, and the county clerk charges a small recording fee.
See how other states compare: real estate transfer tax by state.
What happens to property taxes and the ag rollback at closing?
This year’s taxes are split by the closing date (TREC 9-18, para. 13A). The rollback, if a sale or the buyer’s new use triggers it, is the buyer’s on the TREC form; if your own change of use before closing triggered it, it’s yours (para. 13B). Back taxes you owe come out of your proceeds.
Texas taxes are billed in October and due by January 31, so a sale in the spring usually means a credit to the buyer for your share of the year. On ag-valued land, settle the rollback in writing: how the Texas rollback works. Behind on taxes? Selling Texas land with back taxes.
What will I actually take home?
The price, minus your share of the closing costs, minus anything owed on the land: a mortgage, liens or back taxes, which the title company pays off from the proceeds. On a $100,000 sale with the seller paying the title policy, that policy alone is $780.
If you sell to us: We pay all closing costs (title, closing fee, notary and recording), and there is no commission. Texas has no transfer tax or deed stamps. Only a mortgage, liens or back taxes owed on the land come out of the sale proceeds, paid off by the title company at closing. How selling land in Texas works · Texas land prices per acre.
Please note. General information, not legal advice. Laws change and every title is different, so confirm your situation with a Texas attorney or your county tax office before you act.
Who wrote this. Twin Sun Land Co. is a direct cash buyer of vacant and rural land in Oklahoma and Texas. We are one of the options on this page, so we have a stake in the answer. Our mission: Twin Sun Land Company exists to serve landowners: we make selling land simple, transparent, and fair, so every owner walks away with the most value their property can bring. The Texas rules here come from the Texas statutes linked in the sources.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays closing costs on a land sale in Texas?
On the TREC land contract (No. 9-18), the seller pays lien releases, tax certificates, the deed and half the escrow fee; the buyer pays the other half, recording and loan costs. The title policy payer is a checkbox.
Does the seller pay for title insurance in Texas?
Often, but not by law. The TREC contract has a checkbox for the seller or the buyer to pay the owner’s title policy (para. 6A).
How much is title insurance in Texas?
Set by the state for every company: $780 for a $100,000 policy and about $1,274 for $200,000, under rates effective March 1, 2026 (TDI Order 2025-9697).
Is there a transfer tax when selling land in Texas?
No. Texas has none, and the Texas Constitution bars any new law imposing one on a sale of fee simple title (art. VIII, sec. 29).
Who pays the rollback tax on the TREC land contract?
The buyer, if the sale or the buyer’s use triggers it; the seller, if the seller’s own change of use before closing did (para. 13B).
Are property taxes prorated when selling land in Texas?
Yes. Current-year taxes are prorated through the closing date (TREC 9-18, para. 13A).
Sources
Every cost on this page comes from the TREC Unimproved Property Contract (TREC No. 9-18) and TDI Order 2025-9697, read October 30, 2026, plus the Texas Constitution and Tax Code. How to cite: Twin Sun Land Company team, “Texas Land Closing Costs,” Twin Sun Land Co., October 2026.
- Who pays what at closing: Seller’s Expenses and Buyer’s Expenses (para. 12A); title policy payer is a checkbox (para. 6A); survey (6C); prorations and rollback taxes (13A-B): TREC Unimproved Property Contract, TREC No. 9-18 (PDF), TREC form page
- Title insurance basic premium rates, set by the Commissioner for every title company, effective March 1, 2026: TDI Order No. 2025-9697 (PDF)
- No new transfer tax on a sale of fee simple title since January 1, 2016: Tex. Const. art. VIII, § 29
- Open-space rollback: 3 years on a change of use: Tax Code § 23.55
More for Texas landowners
Last updated Nov 5, 2026. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice.
Get a written cash offer for your Texas land. We pay the closing costs.
Free written offer within 24 hours. $0 commission. We pay title, closing fee, notary and recording, and Texas has no deed stamps. You can say no.