The question sellers actually need answered isn’t “what will closing cost.” It’s “who’s on the hook for each of these, and what can I push back on.” I’m Robbie English, REALTOR and Broker at Uncommon Highland Lakes Realty, and here’s how the customary split actually works for Highland Haven sellers, and where you have real room to negotiate.
TLDR: Who Pays What at Closing in Highland Haven
- Texas custom has the seller pay for the buyer’s owner’s title policy, escrow fees, and prorated taxes, but “customary” isn’t the same as “required by law.”
- Buyers customarily cover their own lender’s title policy, loan-related fees, and their inspection costs.
- Almost every one of these line items is negotiable and often gets used as leverage in an offer.
- Market conditions shift what counts as “normal.” In a slower market, sellers get asked to cover more of the buyer’s side.
- For the actual dollar-and-cents breakdown of each cost, that’s a separate page.
The Customary Split
In a typical Texas transaction, sellers customarily pay for the owner’s title policy (protects the buyer’s ownership), their share of the escrow or closing fee, prorated property taxes up to closing, and any HOA resale certificate or transfer fee. Buyers customarily pay for their own lender’s title policy if they’re financing, their loan origination and appraisal costs, and their home inspection. That’s the default assumption most Texas contracts start from.
Customary Isn’t Mandatory
None of the above is fixed by law. It’s simply what most contracts default to because it’s what buyers and sellers in this market expect going in. Every one of these items can be reassigned in the contract. I’ve seen sellers agree to cover a buyer’s closing costs entirely as part of a competitive offer, and I’ve seen buyers offer to cover items that are technically “seller costs” to make their offer stand out. Knowing the default lets you recognize when someone’s asking for something outside the norm, in either direction.
How This Becomes a Negotiating Chip
Closing cost allocation is one of the quieter levers in an offer. A buyer who asks for a credit toward their closing costs is effectively asking for a lower net price without changing the headline number, which matters if you’re anchored to a specific list price. On the flip side, in a slower stretch of the market, offering to cover a portion of the buyer’s closing costs can make your listing more attractive without cutting the price itself. I walk through which direction makes sense based on where your specific listing stands.
Thinking About Selling?
Why Timing Your Awareness Matters
Most sellers don’t think hard about who’s paying for what until an offer is already on the table, which limits your ability to plan a response. I go through this with clients before we set a list price, so when a buyer’s offer comes in with a request attached to it, you already understand whether it’s standard or a genuine ask.
Where to See the Actual Numbers
This page is about who’s expected to pay for what. If you want the full line-by-line breakdown of every cost category, see my page on closing costs for Highland Haven sellers. And if you’re trying to understand the full cost of selling beyond just closing, including commission, prep, and staging, I cover that in Cost of Selling A Home in Highland Haven TX.
Want to talk through how this plays out for your specific offer? Reach out and I’ll walk through it with you.
