What Should I Do First if I Am Thinking About Selling My House?

The first thing to do when you are thinking about selling your house in San Antonio or the Hill Country is not what most owners expect. It is not painting, not decluttering, and not calling a buyer's agent. It is running the numbers: what your home is realistically worth today, what you owe on it, and what the seller side of a Texas closing costs. Every decision after that, the agent you hire, the repairs you make, the price you list, follows from those three numbers, so let the math set your order of operations. This is the seller's version of the process; the buyer's roadmap runs from the other side of the table in the sell-and-buy guide, and here the focus is on what you do first, in order.

Run the three numbers before you do anything else

Your mortgage statement balance is not the number that counts. The payoff is higher: interest accrues daily, and a second lien, a HELOC, or an escrow shortage can add thousands to what you actually owe. Call your lender or servicer and ask for a payoff quote dated near the week you expect to close.

Then get a realistic value. An online estimate is a starting point, not a number to plan a move around. The closest thing to truth is what comparable homes in your neighborhood actually closed for in the last few months, which is exactly what a good listing agent's comparative market analysis will show you.

Subtract the seller side and you have your net sheet. In Texas the two costs set by the state are the owner's title policy, whose premium is set by the Texas Department of Insurance with rates effective March 1, 2026, and property taxes, prorated to your closing date. On top of those sit the commission, which you negotiate in your listing agreement, plus any concessions or repair credits you agree to along the way. The cost to sell in Texas post lists every line, and the worked net sheet at the 78163 median shows the math on real numbers. If the answer is thin or negative, you have learned the price of the move before you spent a dollar on it.

Decide why you are selling and when you need to be out

Before you book a single showing, be honest about the trigger. A life reason, a growing family, a job or PCS move, a downsizing, a school move, gives you a date and a purpose. "The market might be peaking" is not a date. If the equity math is thin and you have no real reason to move, the most profitable first step may be to stay put and check again in a year. The timing question post walks through all three tests.

The same exercise answers the sell-first or buy-first question. If you need your equity cash to fund the next purchase, your sale effectively comes first, and you plan for the gap with a leaseback or a temporary rental. The sell-first decision post covers that order and the TREC addendum that handles it.

Interview two or three listing agents before you pick one

Your choice of listing agent decides more of your outcome than almost anything else you control, so interview a few, not one. Ask each to show you the pricing math: closed sales in your neighborhood with condition adjustments, not a flattering number. Ask what happens in the first 14 days of the listing, ask for their recent results in your subdivision, and ask how their average days on market compares with the local figure. A high price quote is not a plan, it is a losing negotiation in progress.

One structural advantage worth noting: because I hold both a Texas real estate license and a mortgage license, I can price the listing honestly and line up your next purchase financing from the same desk, which keeps your numbers consistent from listing to closing. The sell with Patrick page explains how the dual role works on the seller side.

Gather the paperwork a Texas sale will demand

Start a folder now. Into it go your deed and the title policy from your purchase, the mortgage payoff, your survey if you have one, and records of any major work, with foundation and roof repairs at the top of the list, because Texas makes you disclose them. The Seller's Disclosure Notice, TREC Form 55-1, is required by Section 5.008 of the Texas Property Code and must be delivered on or before the contract's effective date. The current version, effective May 28, 2026, includes a water-rights notice, which matters if your Hill Country home runs on a well. If your subdivision has an HOA or POA, expect a resale certificate from the association during the title period, so budget both the fee and the lead time.

Know the two clocks before you set a move date

Selling runs on two clocks. The first is market time: the San Antonio Board of REALTORS, in its September 2026 report, put the metro median about 2% below the $308,995 of September 2025, with homes averaging about 88 days on market and roughly six months of inventory. That is a balanced market: homes sell, but they take a while, and pricing and condition decide how long yours waits. The second clock is contract time: the TREC residential contract commonly runs 30 to 45 days from acceptance to closing. Add the two, work backward from your ideal move date, and you know when to list. The how long does it take post, and the week-by-week selling timeline guide, both go deeper.

The order of operations, start to finish

• Run the three numbers. Realistic value, payoff quote, net sheet. If they clear, move on. If they do not, you now know the price of the move.
• Decide the why and the when. A real trigger and a target move date, with the equity cash flow planned for sell-first or buy-first.
• Interview two or three listing agents. Pricing against closed comps, a first-14-days plan, and proof of recent results in your area.
• Gather the disclosure and title paperwork. Title policy, payoff, survey, repair records, HOA documents, and the TREC Seller's Disclosure Notice.
• Then, and only then, talk prep. What to fix, what to paint, what to leave alone are separate questions with separate answers, and this series will get to each one.

One more option to hold in your back pocket: a pre-listing inspection once you have an agent. Knowing your own repair list before the buyer's inspector writes theirs is usually cheaper than learning it after the option period starts. If you want the full walk from decision to closing, the complete home seller guide is the map.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sincerely, Patrick, The Mortgage Patriot

Sources: Texas Public Radio, October 16, 2026, covering the San Antonio Board of REALTORS (SABOR) September 2026 report (metro median about 2% below the $308,995 of September 2025, homes averaging about 88 days on market, roughly six months of inventory, up from the prior month); Texas Real Estate Commission, Seller's Disclosure Notice (TREC Form 55-1), required by Section 5.008 of the Texas Property Code and delivered on or before the contract effective date, current version effective May 28, 2026, including the water-rights notice; Texas Department of Insurance, Title Insurance Basic Premium Rates, effective March 1, 2026 (the owner's title policy premium is rate-set by the state); 210 Realty Group, August 2026 SABOR statistics (San Antonio median $299,275, homes closing at 92.8% of original list price, 5.87 months of supply). Figures verified October 21, 2026. Market statistics are a snapshot, not a forecast. This article is general education, not legal, financial, or tax advice; Texas contracts and disclosures require care, and a licensed Texas agent or attorney is the right source for your specific situation.