North Texas Residential Real Estate Attorney for Homebuyers & Sellers

Closing costs in Texas usually range between 2–5% of the home’s purchase price. Common items include lender fees, title insurance, appraisal, survey, and escrow charges. In Collin County, buyers often negotiate with sellers on who pays title insurance, but you should budget for both scenarios. An attorney can review your settlement statement to make sure no unnecessary charges slip through.

Texas is not an attorney state, which means closings are often handled by title companies instead of law firms. Still, many buyers and sellers in Allen and the surrounding suburbs prefer to have a real estate attorney involved. Having legal counsel ensures your contract, title commitments, and closing documents are reviewed with your interests in mind. Our firm partners with Alamo Title to provide a seamless process that covers both title and legal oversight.

Earnest money is a deposit that shows a buyer’s commitment to the transaction, typically 1–3% of the purchase price in Collin County. It’s held in escrow by the title company and later applied toward the buyer’s down payment or closing costs. If you cancel within your option period, you usually get it back; if not, you could risk losing it. We make sure your contract clearly spells out these deadlines so you don’t face surprises.

Title searches may uncover liens, unpaid taxes, easements, or other encumbrances. In Allen and nearby subdivisions, it’s not uncommon to see HOA-related liens or prior loan releases that need to be tracked down. Our role is to work with the title company to “cure” those issues before closing, so you take title free and clear. This prevents post-closing disputes that could affect your ability to sell or refinance later.

In most residential transactions, closing takes about 30–45 days from the date the contract is signed. Factors like loan approval, inspections, and appraisal timing can speed up or slow down the process. In Allen’s fast-moving market, it’s important to stay ahead of deadlines so you don’t lose leverage. We keep you informed and coordinate with all parties—lender, title, realtor—to keep the timeline on track.