Situation

The payment reset and the house no longer pencils: ARMs, high rates, escrow jumps

A lot of North Texas owners bought or refinanced when rates were low, or took an adjustable loan that has now reset. Add Texas property-tax and insurance increases hitting the escrow, and a payment can jump by hundreds a month. Selling while you're current is a stronger position than selling behind.

Updated October 2026

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What's happening

ARM reset. The fixed period ended and the rate adjusted to the index plus margin, often well above the original rate.
Escrow shortage. Your property taxes and homeowners insurance rose, the escrow account came up short, and the servicer raised the payment to catch up and cover the new amounts.
No refinance. Current rates make refinancing pointless or the house no longer qualifies.

Why selling current beats selling behind

While you're current you choose the timing, you can take a few weeks to compare a listing against a cash offer, and your credit is intact. Once you miss payments the foreclosure clock starts, options narrow, and buyers know it. If the math doesn't work, the time to act is before the first missed payment.

Check first

Call the servicer: is there a rate cap, a modification option, or an escrow spread over more months?
Protest the appraisal if the value jumped; it may lower next year's taxes.
Shop the insurance; Texas premiums vary widely by carrier for the same house.

If you decide to sell

Get both numbers: a listing agent's estimate and a written cash offer. If the house is in good shape and you can make the next few payments, listing likely nets more. If it needs work or you can't carry it, a direct sale closes in weeks and the payoff happens at the title company.

Questions people ask

Is it too late to sell if I've already missed a payment?

No, but the clock is running. See the behind-on-the-mortgage page and send the form with the date of the first missed payment.

Will the buyer care why I'm selling?

Only to understand timing. The offer is about the house.

Can I sell if I'm underwater?

A sale that doesn't cover the loan needs the lender's agreement (short sale). Call the servicer's loss-mitigation line now; that process takes time.

Land and lots: Vacant lots, acreage, inherited farmland and tear-down lots: how a direct land sale works, what buyers check (access, utilities, zoning, floodplain), and what to have ready.
Inherited a house: Selling an inherited house in Texas: what has to happen with the estate first, when a seller's disclosure applies, and how an as-is sale fits when the heirs are spread out.
Behind on the mortgage: How Texas non-judicial foreclosure timing works, the first-Tuesday sale, and when selling the house directly before the sale date is the better outcome. Also what equity-stripping scams look like.
Avoiding scams: How to tell a legitimate as-is buyer from an equity-stripping scheme or a wholesaler who won't say so. Built from Texas Department of Insurance fraud guidance and Texas's wholesaling disclosure law.
How cash offers work: The steps of an as-is sale in Texas: the walk-through, the written offer, the title company, the option period, and what closing day looks like. Also what Texas law requires a buyer to tell you if they're assigning the contract.

Sources

Texas Department of Insurance: Seller impersonation fraud

Get a written, no-obligation offer within days

You get a call within 24 hours, usually the same day. One local buyer looks at the property as it is and gives you a written offer with a closing date. No repairs, no showings, no commission, no fee to you, and no list of companies calling. Buyers in this network typically pay the closing costs; the written offer spells out exactly what they cover.

1. Tell us the address, the property type and the situation. Two minutes.
2. You get a call within 24 hours. Your request goes to one North Texas buyer, not to a list.
3. They walk the property once and put the offer in writing. Take it, or take it to an agent and compare.

Your name

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Property address ZIP What's the situation Property type When would you like to close? Anything else worth knowing

A cash as-is offer is below full retail value. We say that up front because the buyer will too.

DFW Direct Home OfferIndependent referral service

Plain answers about selling North Texas real estate as-is, in 13 counties, and one introduction to a local buyer when you want a written offer.

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DFW Direct Home Offer is an independent referral service, not a home buyer, broker, or agent. We don't make offers, hold funds, or handle closings; any offer, contract, and closing are between you and the independent buyer we connect you with, through a title company you choose. That buyer may buy the property or assign the contract, and Texas law requires them to tell you which. Nothing here is legal, tax, or financial advice.