TX · #2 by population

Buying a home in Texas

In Texas, the median owner-occupied home is valued at $318,100 (Census ACS 2025); there is no state transfer tax, and owners pay a median $4,232 a year in property tax (1.49% effective rate).

In short

Texas has no real estate transfer tax, does not require an attorney at closing and requires a seller disclosure form. It allows both court and out-of-court foreclosure and is a community property state. Deadline to appeal a property tax assessment: by May 15 or 30 days after the notice of appraised value was delivered, whichever is later.

Key figures for Texas

  • Median home value: $318,100, owner-occupied homes, Census ACS 2025; $354,400 in the city of Dallas. Compare
  • Price trend: The FHFA House Price Index shows Texas prices up 0.5% and Dallas–Plano–Irving prices down 0.1% between the second quarters of 2025 and 2026.
  • State transfer tax: none. Compare
  • Median property tax paid: $4,232 a year, 1.49% of the median value (U.S.: 0.94%), Census ACS 2020-2024. By county
  • Cities covered by Payotte: 52 in Texas.

Calculate for Texas

If you buy

Texas state transfer tax

Texas has no real estate transfer tax. Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$318,100
State transfer tax$0
Share of the price—

Default price: the Texas median value of owner-occupied homes, $318,100 (Census ACS 2025). Rule: No transfer tax exists. Buyers pay county recording fees and a state-set title insurance premium. Who pays: No transfer tax to assign. Recording fees and the title insurance premium appear on the closing statement. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Texas transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: Texas state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Cities in Texas

  • Dallas main city of Texas on Payotte, 4th largest U.S. metro area
  • Houston 5th largest U.S. metro area
  • San Antonio 24th largest U.S. metro area
  • Austin 25th largest U.S. metro area
  • McAllen 64th largest U.S. metro area
  • El Paso 69th largest U.S. metro area
  • Fort Worth 1,008,106 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Arlington 403,672 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Corpus Christi 317,317 residents, Corpus Christi, TX metro area (121st largest)
  • Plano 293,286 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Lubbock 272,086 residents, Lubbock, TX metro area (154th largest)
  • Laredo 261,260 residents, Laredo, TX metro area (185th largest)
  • Irving 258,060 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Garland 250,431 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Frisco 235,208 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • McKinney 227,526 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Grand Prairie 207,331 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Amarillo 203,729 residents, Amarillo, TX metro area (184th largest)
  • Brownsville 191,967 residents, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area (126th largest)
  • Denton 165,998 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Killeen 160,616 residents, Killeen-Temple, TX metro area (110th largest)
  • Mesquite 150,140 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Pasadena 149,617 residents, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (5th largest)
  • Waco 146,608 residents, Waco, TX metro area (171st largest)
  • Midland 143,687 residents, Midland, TX metro area (239th largest)
  • Lewisville 135,983 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Carrollton 135,456 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Round Rock 135,359 residents, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area (25th largest)
  • Abilene 130,501 residents, Abilene, TX metro area (243rd largest)
  • Pearland 129,620 residents, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (5th largest)
  • College Station 128,023 residents, College Station-Bryan, TX metro area (176th largest)
  • The Woodlands 121,002 residents, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (5th largest)
  • Odessa 119,748 residents, Odessa, TX metro area (261st largest)
  • League City 118,456 residents, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (5th largest)
  • Richardson 118,221 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • New Braunfels 116,477 residents, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area (24th largest)
  • Conroe 114,581 residents, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (5th largest)
  • Allen 113,746 residents, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (4th largest)
  • Beaumont 112,893 residents, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX metro area (140th largest)
  • Tyler 112,219 residents, Tyler, TX metro area (196th largest)
  • Sugar Land 109,851 residents, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (5th largest)
  • Edinburg 108,733 residents, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX metro area (64th largest)
  • Wichita Falls 102,372 residents, Wichita Falls, TX metro area (290th largest)
  • Georgetown 101,344 residents, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area (25th largest)
  • San Angelo 100,159 residents, San Angelo, TX metro area (330th largest)
  • Atascocita 99,354 residents, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (5th largest)
  • Temple 96,267 residents, Killeen-Temple, TX metro area (110th largest)
  • Bryan 91,541 residents, College Station-Bryan, TX metro area (176th largest)
  • Mission 88,574 residents, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX metro area (64th largest)
  • Leander 87,511 residents, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area (25th largest)
  • Baytown 86,004 residents, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (5th largest)
  • Longview 83,668 residents, Longview, TX metro area (174th largest)

Sectors of Dallas

How Dallas is divided: 10 most populous ZIP codes (of 47 ZIP code areas mostly inside the city).

Buying in Texas: frequently asked questions

What is the median home value in Texas?

The median value of owner-occupied homes in Texas is $318,100 (Census ACS 2025), and $354,400 in the city of Dallas. These are owner estimates, not sale prices. The FHFA House Price Index shows Texas prices up 0.5% and Dallas–Plano–Irving prices down 0.1% between the second quarters of 2025 and 2026.

Median home value in all 50 states

Is there a real estate transfer tax in Texas?

Texas has no real estate transfer tax. Article VIII, Section 29 of the Texas Constitution, added November 3, 2015, says no law enacted after January 1, 2016 may impose a transfer tax on a transaction that conveys fee simple title to real property.

Full Texas guide · Compare all 50 states

What closing costs does Texas law set?

Texas has no official typical closing-cost total. It charges no transfer tax, the owner's title policy on a $400,000 home costs $2,262 at Texas Department of Insurance rates effective March 1, 2026, and a simultaneous loan policy costs $100.

Full Texas guide · Compare all 50 states

How is property tax calculated in Texas?

Texas has no state property tax. Local units apply their rates to appraised value minus exemptions, and since the 2025 tax year school districts must exempt $140,000 of a homestead's value.

Full Texas guide · Compare all 50 states

How much property tax do homeowners pay in Texas?

Owner-occupants in Texas pay a median $4,232 a year in property tax on a median home value of $283,800, an effective rate of 1.49% (U.S.: $3,119, 0.94%), per Census ACS 2020-2024 estimates.

Property tax by county in Texas

What is the deadline to appeal a property tax assessment in Texas?

In Texas, file a written notice of protest with your county Appraisal Review Board by May 15 or within 30 days after your notice of appraised value was delivered, whichever is later.

Full Texas guide · Compare all 50 states

Do you need a real estate attorney to close in Texas?

No. No Texas statute requires an attorney to close a home sale. A title insurance agent and its licensed escrow officer, regulated by the Texas Department of Insurance, can handle the closing, and TDI says you may also have an attorney attend.

Full Texas guide · Compare all 50 states

What must a home seller disclose in Texas?

A Texas seller of a home with no more than one dwelling unit must give the buyer a signed condition notice, including flood history and floodplain status, on or before the effective date of the contract (Tex. Prop. Code 5.008).

Full Texas guide · Compare all 50 states

How does foreclosure work in Texas?

Most Texas foreclosures happen out of court under the deed of trust's power of sale: the borrower gets at least 20 days to cure, then a notice of sale at least 21 days before an auction held on the first Tuesday of the month.

Full Texas guide · Compare all 50 states

What first-time home buyer programs does Texas offer?

In Texas, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) and the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC) both give 2% to 5% of the loan amount for the down payment, as a grant or a 0% loan often forgiven after 3 years.

Full Texas guide · Compare all 50 states

Is Texas a community property state?

Texas is a community property state: property either spouse has during marriage is presumed community property (Family Code 3.003), and neither spouse may sell, convey or encumber the homestead without the other's joinder (Family Code 5.001).

Full Texas guide · Compare all 50 states

How are title insurance rates set in Texas?

In Texas, the Commissioner of Insurance sets title insurance premiums and every title company must charge the same rate (Insurance Code 2703.151). Under TDI rates effective March 1, 2026, an owner's policy costs $1,768 at $300,000 and $2,262 at $400,000.

Full Texas guide

Which natural hazards affect home insurance in Texas?

Texas gets more tornadoes than any other state, according to the Texas Department of Insurance. On the coast, windstorm coverage comes from a separate policy, often from TWIA, in 14 coastal counties plus part of Harris County.

Full Texas guide

How much tax when you sell a home in Texas?

The federal rule is the same in Texas as in every state: if you owned and lived in the home as your main home for at least 2 of the last 5 years, the first $250,000 of gain is excluded, $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly (Section 121, IRS Publication 523). Bought $400,000, sold $750,000: a single owner has $100,000 of taxable gain, $15,000 of federal tax at the 15% long-term rate; a couple filing jointly owes nothing. Texas income tax on the gain is not computed here.

Capital gains on a home sale

Texas guides

Professionals in Texas

Sources

Data as of . Figures are computed from these sources.

All states · Federal guides