Spring TX Real Estate: How much did that house SALE for?

In other states, how much a home sold for is considered public information and is available through tax records. This is not the case in Texas. Texas is a non-disclosure state which means the price the home sold for is not recorded. The Deed of Trust is the recorded document but it only contains the borrowed amount and not the sales amount.

Since Texas is a non-disclosure state, Zillow.com is NOT a reliable source for sold information. Zillow.com relies on public county records as their primary data source for their Zestimates which creates challenges when sales data is not in the public county records.

So how do home buyers know how much to offer for a home? The best way is to contact a Realtor. A Realtor can provide you with a home price evaluation. The home price evaluation will compare what similar homes sold for in the most recent past.

A Realtor will be able to pull SOLD data from the local MLS(multiple listing service). Any real estate property that was listed For Sale in the MLS will have the price that the home sold for. This information will help you to prepare a fair offer for the home.

Who benefits from a non-disclosure state? The Taxpayers. Since the county is not automatically given the home's sale price, they can not use that data / value to tax assess the property.  For instance, if you just purchased a home in Spring Texas for $200,000, the assessed value of the home could be much less. If the county assesses your property for higher than the $200,000, you can dispute the assessed value and provide them with a copy of your closing statement.

Read also:

 

Jill Wente - for all your Spring TX Real Estate needs
Realtor

(281) 804-8626

jwente@garygreene.com
Spring TX Real Estate Blog
 

4 Comments on Spring TX Real Estate: How much did that house SALE for?

Great point Jill on the privacy of sold values assisting the taxpayer. Doesn't help Zillow, but does with the taxes. I wonder how many other states are non-disclosure and which ones?

02/13/2008 01:04 PM by Gary Woltal - REALTORĀ® Dallas Ft. Worth (Keller Williams Realty)


In Illinois we disclose all.  I didn't realize that some states are non disclosure.  You learn something new everyday!

02/18/2008 08:24 AM by Judy Greenberg- Coldwell Banker Long Grove/ Buffalo Grove Real Estate (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)


Judy - Its amazing just how real estate is handled differently in one state versus the next. In Spring Texas all of our closings are held at title companies. In some other states they are held at the attorney's office.

02/18/2008 08:55 AM by Jill Wente - Spring TX Real Estate (Prudential Gary Greene)


VERY Interesting Jill.  I didn't realize some states were non-disclosure.  I think there would be more disadvanges then advantages there.  In Arkansas all is disclosed AND "on line" for China to check if they want.

04/07/2008 06:26 PM by David W. Bolick (Network Real Estate, Inc.)


Leave a response…

Name:
Notify me of new comments:
Comment:
What does the graphic say?
 
Real Estate Agent: Jill Wente - Spring TX Real Estate (Prudential Gary Greene)
Jill Wente - Spring TX Real Estate
Spring, TX
More about me…
Prudential Gary Greene

Office Phone: (832) 559-4065
Cell Phone: (281) 804-8626
Email Me

Spring Texas Blog - Your source for the latest news in the Spring TX and Northwest Houston area on real estate, homes, schools, property taxes, and things to do.


Links

Tags (Tag Cloud)

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog
ATOM 1.0 Feed for this blog

Find TX real estate agents and Spring real estate here on ActiveRain.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
© 2007 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved