Buying a Home in Houston
Buying in Houston follows standard Texas practice -- a TREC contract, a negotiated option period, and title insurance paid by local custom rather than law -- layered on top of Houston-specific due diligence that matters more here than in most metros: deed restrictions instead of zoning, FEMA flood-zone status that can vary block by block, and, increasingly, the 2026 draft FEMA flood-map revisions reshaping what "flood zone" means for a given address.
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Learn moreThe Option Period: A Texas-Specific Buyer Protection
Texas contracts (the TREC form is standard statewide) commonly include an option period -- typically 5 to 10 days, secured by a small, non-refundable option fee (usually $100-$500) paid to the seller. During the option period, the buyer can back out of the deal for any reason and still recover their earnest money. Under TREC contract rules revised in 2021, the option fee must be delivered to the title company within three days of the contract's effective date, and it's credited toward the sales price at closing. This period is the practical window for inspections, including the flood- and deed-restriction-specific checks below.
Typical Closing Costs
Texas homebuyers typically spend $7,000-$17,500 on closing costs, per multiple 2026 Texas closing-cost guides reviewed -- lender fees, appraisal, title insurance, recording fees, and prepaid escrow items. By local custom (not law, and negotiable), the seller typically pays for the buyer's owner's title insurance policy in most Texas counties, including Harris County; the buyer separately pays for a lender's title policy if financing. Get a specific Loan Estimate from your lender rather than budgeting off a general range.
Check Deed Restrictions, Not a Zoning Map
Because Houston has no zoning, the equivalent due-diligence step is pulling the specific property's recorded deed restrictions (if the subdivision has any -- roughly 45% of the city does) before closing, not after. These govern things a zoned city would handle municipally: minimum lot use, prohibitions on commercial activity, sometimes even exterior-appearance rules. In neighborhoods without deed restrictions, land use is governed only by the city's Chapter 42 development code (setbacks, lot sizes, parking) and state/federal overlay rules -- meaning a commercial or higher-density use could legally locate next door with less predictability than a zoned city offers.
Flood Zone Due Diligence Matters More Here Than in Most Metros
Confirm the FEMA flood zone for the specific property, not the general area -- and be aware that FEMA released new draft flood maps for Harris County in early 2026, the first comprehensive revision in nearly 20 years, expanding the mapped 100-year floodplain by an estimated 130 square miles based on rainfall estimates more than 30% higher than the old maps assumed. These are draft, non-regulatory maps as of this writing (final, effective maps are not expected until roughly 2028-2029), but they signal that a property's current flood-zone status, and its future insurance requirement, may not hold. Some areas are also being removed from floodplain designation due to completed infrastructure improvements -- status varies block by block and is not something to infer from a neighbor's designation. See the flood-hurricane-risk topic page for the fuller picture.
MUD Taxes: A Real, Easy-to-Miss Cost
If buying in a suburban area served by a Municipal Utility District rather than City of Houston utilities, confirm the MUD tax rate for that specific district before closing -- it's a separate line item layered on top of standard county, city/none, and school-district property taxes, and rates vary meaningfully district to district. See the moving and property-taxes topic pages for more on how MUDs work and interact with the rest of a Houston-area tax bill.
Key takeaways
- Texas contracts include a negotiated option period (typically 5-10 days, $100-$500 fee) that lets a buyer walk away for any reason and keep earnest money -- use it for inspections.
- Budget $7,000-$17,500 for buyer closing costs; by local custom the seller typically pays for the buyer's owner's title policy in Harris County, though this is negotiable, not required by law.
- With no zoning, pull the specific property's deed restrictions (roughly 45% of the city has them) as the equivalent of a zoning check -- unrestricted subdivisions offer less predictability about future neighboring land use.
- Check FEMA flood-zone status for the specific address -- new 2026 draft maps expand Harris County's 100-year floodplain by an estimated 130 square miles, though final regulatory maps aren't expected until roughly 2028-2029.
- If buying in a MUD-served suburb, confirm that district's specific tax rate -- it's a real, separate cost on top of standard property taxes.
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