Situation

A vacant house costs you every month it sits: taxes, insurance, and what happens to empty houses

A vacant house is a bill with a roof. Taxes keep running, standard insurance often won't cover a home empty for more than a month or two, and the city, the weather and the neighborhood all find it. Here's what to watch and how to get out from under it.

Updated October 2026

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What vacancy actually costs

Insurance. Many homeowners policies limit or exclude coverage once a house has been vacant beyond a stated period; vacant-property policies cost more. Ask your insurer where you stand; TDI's general guidance is to tell your insurer when a property's use changes.
Taxes and utilities continue; a homestead exemption may be lost if it's no longer your residence.
Code enforcement. Tall grass, open windows and junk draw citations and liens that sit on the title until paid.
Break-ins, squatters, copper theft, frozen pipes. Each one turns a sellable house into a repair project.

Owners of vacant houses are usually

Heirs who live elsewhere, landlords between tenants who don't want another turnover, owners who moved for work and couldn't sell, and people holding a relative's house with no plan. In every case the question is the same: what does another six months cost, and what is the house worth as it sits today?

Selling it

A direct buyer looks at a vacant house once, prices it as-is, and closes on your date. You don't need to turn utilities back on, stage it, or be in town; the closing can run through the title company remotely.

Questions people ask

Someone is living in my vacant house without permission. Can I still sell?

Yes, but tell the buyer. Removing an occupant in Texas has a legal process, and the buyer prices and handles it.

Should I winterise it while I decide?

Yes if it'll sit through a freeze: water off, lines drained, heat on low if the power is on. A burst pipe can cost more than the house is worth.

Is a vacant house harder to sell as-is?

No. Vacant is the easiest condition for an investor: one walk-through, no scheduling, no tenant.

Divorce: How a direct sale fits a Texas divorce: one closing date, no months of showings, proceeds split at the title company per the decree or agreement.
Out-of-state owner: How to sell a North Texas house remotely: title company, mobile or remote notary, one walk-through you don't attend, and who handles the contents and the keys.
Tired of the rental: How a tenant-occupied sale works in Texas: the lease transfers, the deposit transfers, and the buyer takes over as landlord. What to tell the tenant and when.
Cash offer vs. listing: When a direct as-is sale beats listing with an agent, when it doesn't, and the one calculation to do before you decide: net to you after repairs, time and risk.
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.

Sources

Texas Department of Insurance: Steps to getting your insurance claim paid (PDF)

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

Mobile number

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.