Texas Buyer Representation: A–Z Agent Workflow

Go to remax.workspace.lwolf.com and sign in with your RE/MAX Universal credentials. This is the platform where RE/MAX Universal agents submit documents and contracts for CDA (compliance/document review) and broker commission requests.

From the top navigation, click Transact. This is where every transaction file is created, tracked, and submitted — the transaction desk for the brokerage.

On the Transact screen, click the Action button (top right), then choose Add Transaction to start a new file.

Choose the category that matches the transaction. For a standard buyer rep, select Residential. You can change this later if needed.

Choose Sale (or Sale Listing) as the transaction type. This tells the system which checklist and document set applies.

Choose where you are in the deal: Start (early representation — recommended), Showing, Contract, Pre-Closing, or Post-Closing. For a brand-new buyer file, choose Start.

Indicate whether you represent the Buyer or the Seller. For this workflow, select Buyer. (The same screen is used for seller files — pick the side you represent.)

Under “Who is the [Buyer]?” click + Select Client. Re-use an existing contact if one exists — shared contacts save everyone time and avoid duplicates. If the client is new, click Add New Contact and enter First Name, Last Name, Company, Email, and Phone (check “No email address available” if there is none).

Review the summary (category, type, phase, side, client), then click Create New Transaction. The file is now open and assigned a reference number — record it in your CRM and transaction workspace.

On the new transaction dashboard, tabs with orange badges need attention first: upload the initial paperwork for your client, then move ahead to the Showing phase when ready. The timeline (Start → Showing → Contract → Pre-Closing → Post-Closing) tracks where the file sits.

Ask what prompted the move, whether there is a specific property, their desired timing, and the best contact method. Explain that you will use the same professional process you use for every buyer. Save a dated intake note.

Ask whether they signed anything with another brokerage, including a short showing agreement. Obtain the document with permission. Do not tell them to ignore it. Complete when your broker resolves overlapping obligations.

Verify active license sponsorship and your brokerage’s permission to handle this type of purchase. Identify the mentor and backup broker for urgent contract questions.

Provide it at the first substantive communication concerning specific real property, subject to applicable exceptions. It describes brokerage relationships; it is not the buyer representation contract. Save delivery evidence.

Explain whether you are discussing becoming the buyer’s agent and disclose any seller-side role. If the property is listed by your own brokerage, alert your broker immediately.

Record legal names, contact info, schedules, time zones, desired move date, and lease-end date. Ask who needs to participate in decisions. Avoid collecting SSNs or bank logins.

Ask whether this is a primary residence, second home, investment, relocation, new build, condo, acreage, manufactured home, or multiunit property, and about current-home sale dependence.

Ask for a comfortable monthly housing cost and estimated available cash. Distinguish a comfortable budget from a maximum approval. Never promise a rate, credit outcome, or approval.

Offer a specific appointment and agenda: representation, money, search needs, process, risks, next actions. Tell the buyer what to bring, then send a recap of the call.

Create a CRM record, secure document folder, task list, and communication log. Separate signed documents from drafts and record referral source.

Walk through preparation, search, offer, execution, deposits, inspections, financing, title, closing, funding, possession, and follow-up. Have the buyer summarize the stages back to you.

Texas requires a written agreement before showing residential property or, if none will be shown, before presenting a purchase offer. Review services, scope, dates, exclusivity, and compensation before personalized search/tour work.

Texas permits a restricted showing-only path: no advice or other brokerage services, nonexclusive, no more than 14 days. It is not a shortcut for a full consultation without representation.

Explain covered geography, term, duties, fees, payment triggers, termination, conflicts, and dispute terms. Never describe an exclusive agreement as merely a form required to unlock a door.

Compensation is negotiable and must be a definite, objectively ascertainable amount — never open-ended. Explain payment sources and any buyer shortfall under the signed agreement.

If the agreement calls for $9,000 and an approved seller/listing-broker arrangement supplies $7,000, illustrate the possible $2,000 buyer gap. Discuss cash impact before offers.

Texas intermediary status requires proper written consents; two agents at the same brokerage do not automatically eliminate the conflict. Save required disclosures before moving forward.

Agree on response times, preferred channels, weekly updates, and who may authorize instructions. An unanswered text does not extend a contract deadline.

Serve buyers consistently without discrimination based on protected characteristics. Provide reliable school/crime resources consistently; never use them as a pretext for steering.

Check IABS delivery, signed agreement, compensation understanding, existing-agent conflicts, and consultation notes. If a buyer refuses the necessary agreement, do not proceed with a prohibited showing.

Provide useful options suited to the buyer’s needs and respect their selection. Compare responsiveness, underwriting process, and costs — not just the advertised rate.

Encourage prompt submission of income, asset, debt, and identity information directly to the lender. Avoid retaining financial documents you do not need.

Ask what the lender actually verified, what remains conditional, and when the letter expires. A letter is not a guarantee of funding or property approval.

Discuss conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, and assistance programs without prescribing eligibility. Ask about occupancy, appraisal, mortgage insurance, and reserves.

Include principal, interest, taxes, insurance, mortgage insurance, HOA charges, flood/wind coverage, utilities, and maintenance reserves — not merely a maximum purchase price.

List down payment, closing costs, prepaids, buyer-broker shortfall, and reserves, plus earnest money, option fee, inspection, appraisal, and survey costs due before closing.

For covered loans the lender generally provides it within three business days after application. Help compare loan terms, cash to close, points, and lender credits.

Ask whether funds depend on a home sale, retirement withdrawal, gift, or overseas transfer. Never advise moving money to disguise its source.

Ask the buyer to consult the lender before changing jobs, opening credit, financing furniture, co-signing, or making unusual deposits — underwriting can recheck finances near closing.

Confirm loan type, realistic price/payment range, available cash, timeline, and rate-lock responsibilities. Cash buyers instead provide redacted proof of funds and a funds-availability plan.

Separate must-haves, preferences, and deal-breakers: price/payment, bedrooms, access needs, commute, lot size, and maintenance tolerance. Save a written search brief approved by the buyer.

Use the buyer’s selected locations and commute requirements — never decide where they should live based on protected characteristics. School assignment must be checked with the district for the exact address.

Use current filters, map boundaries, and alerts. Check that filters do not accidentally remove acceptable homes. Never share subscriber credentials.

Ask about new construction, FSBO, and coming-soon availability. Verify access permissions and agency/compensation arrangements separately for each.

Compare MLS details with appraisal district records and listing history. Public tax records and portal estimates are leads for verification, not conclusive proof.

Confirm active status, appointment requirements, occupancy, and offer situation without pressuring the listing agent for confidential information.

Identify all taxing units, MUD/PID obligations, and HOA dues. Request actual district notices — never estimate future taxes solely from the seller’s exemptions.

Review disclosures, FEMA mapping, and drainage observations. Ask an insurer about coverage and cost for the exact property; standard homeowners coverage generally excludes flood.

Check deed restrictions, HOA rules, and permit history for the buyer’s intended use. Houston-area absence of zoning does not mean no restrictions.

Give the buyer a manageable set of options and explain each property’s fit, estimated ownership costs, and unresolved risks — based on buyer needs, not your compensation.

Confirm the signed agreement covers the date, geography, property, and service. A friend or repeat client does not create a general exemption. Never backdate.

Follow brokerage identification and safety procedures consistently. Share itinerary through approved channels and verify how companions will attend.

Include addresses, route, appointment windows, MLS information, and a comparison sheet. Know the questions to investigate at each property.

You can help observe and compare; you are not performing a professional inspection. Keep price strategy away from the property.

Use only your authorized credentials and follow current HAR/Supra and listing instructions. Never give a buyer a lockbox code for unsupervised access.

Note drainage, roof condition, and foundation-movement clues using cautious descriptions. Never label an issue harmless or structural without qualified evaluation.

Check layout, stairs, moisture, storage, and HVAC comfort. Ask about additions and replaced systems; never conduct destructive testing.

Identify appliances, window treatments, solar panels, and propane tanks. A photo or verbal promise does not replace contract terms.

Outside the home, ask what worked, what did not, and which facts need verification. Avoid pressuring the buyer to buy because of time invested.

Before an offer, request outstanding disclosures, investigate material concerns, and refresh lender figures. Obtain buyer direction on acceptable risk.

Match address, legal description, and lot/block. Flag entity, trust, estate, divorce, or power-of-attorney situations for title/broker review.

Read answers, unknowns, and prior water intrusion or repairs. The notice is not a warranty. If the seller claims an exemption, ask the broker to verify it.

Check HOA/condo, water-rights, special taxing district, and lead issues as applicable. Some notices belong before execution, not at closing.

For covered pre-1978 housing, obtain required disclosures, records, the EPA pamphlet, and the contractual inspection opportunity — usually 10 days — before the buyer becomes obligated.

Use relevant closed sales, pending competition, and condition differences. Never equate price per square foot with a full valuation.

Ask the listing agent about preferred timing and documentation requirements. Giving up protections to accommodate a schedule requires an informed buyer decision.

List price, financing, earnest money, option fee/days, seller contributions, and possession. Compare the cash and risk implications of alternatives.

Send the property and proposed terms to the lender with authorization. Never offer cash terms when the buyer actually depends on undisclosed borrowing.

Discuss option rights, financing contingencies, and title/survey review individually. Never describe earnest money as always refundable.

Confirm the exact economic terms, deadline feasibility, and who must sign. Buyer instructions must be specific enough to draft accurately.

The resale one-to-four-family form is not the condo, farm/ranch, or builder-new-home form. Confirm the current form revision in the authorized platform.

Verify buyer names, seller identification, legal description, and the cash/financing/price arithmetic. Never improvise title vesting or ownership advice.

Identify the escrow agent, earnest money, option fee, and option days. A missing option-fee amount is not a harmless blank.

Address title-policy payer, survey route, and deadlines. Obtain the existing survey and affidavit/declaration early — “seller has a survey” is not sufficient.

“As Is” does not eliminate the inspection process or a valid negotiated option. Use the correct temporary lease for delayed or early possession.

Evaluate financing, appraisal, HOA/condo, sale-of-other-property, and non-realty items forms. A promised refrigerator should not remain only in an email.

Accurately state the program and financial limits, and set a realistic buyer-approval deadline. Review applicable FHA/VA provisions with the broker and lender.

Reconcile seller contributions and broker-payment arrangements with the representation agreement. Never hide custom legal drafting in Special Provisions.

For a new agent, have the broker/mentor review every offer. Read all filled blanks, deadlines, and financial totals with the buyer before signing.

Follow lawful listing instructions and include the approved lender letter or proof of funds. Confirm receipt and calendar any actual offer-expiration provision.

Compare versions rather than relying on a phone summary. Never initial, sign, or authorize acceptance for a buyer without valid reviewed authority.

Discuss competitiveness without fabricating other offers. Submitting multiple purchase offers can create multiple obligations if accepted.

Verify all required signatures and acceptance communication. Establish the correct effective date and never backdate to improve deadlines.

Send authorized copies to buyer, listing side, title/escrow, lender, and coordinator. Check that title and lender received the same final version.

Extract deadlines from the signed documents, not a usual template. Have a second qualified person check critical dates — see Appendix A.

State exact deposit amounts, approved payment route, and upcoming decision deadlines. Signing is the start of time-sensitive work.

Under unmodified 20-19, delivery is due within three days after the effective date. Pay the named escrow agent using verified instructions — a text is insufficient.

Have the buyer call title using a previously verified number, never one supplied in a last-minute email. If fraud is suspected, contact the sending bank immediately.

Schedule inspection and specialists immediately; confirm fees, access, and report turnaround before the option decision.

Track inspection, lending, insurance, title/survey, disclosures/HOA, and compensation separately, each with an owner and follow-up date.

Offer qualified choices and verify licensing, availability, and fees. The buyer chooses and engages the inspector; never promise an inspector will find everything.

Arrange access through the authorized process. The contract requires separate written seller authorization for hydrostatic testing.

Allow the inspector independent work. Record inaccessible areas — “not inspected” creates a follow-up task, not a passing result.

Separate safety concerns, active defects, and maintenance items. Avoid treating the summary as the entire report.

Use licensed professionals for foundation, roof, electrical, or septic issues. Reserve follow-up appointments early when a serious issue is suspected.

Compare reports with disclosures and MLS claims. Escalate possible nondisclosure without making accusations you cannot support.

Compare repairs, price change, lender-approved credit, or termination. The buyer decides; the agent does not trade away protections merely to reach agreement.

Use the approved form and identify the work precisely. An unsigned request changes nothing.

Set an internal decision time well before the contract’s 5 p.m. cutoff. Pending repairs or a verbal extension do not extend the option.

Document whether the buyer proceeds, terminates, or obtains an extension. If terminating, use the termination branch, not a cancelled inspection.

Record actual receipt dates for the commitment and referenced exception documents. Title’s opening email is not the commitment.

Check named parties, coverage, and exceptions affecting use. Title insurance does not erase every exception or guarantee all intended uses.

Confirm survey delivery and any required T-47 affidavit or T-47.1 declaration. Compare boundaries and encroachments with observed conditions.

Use the contract’s receipt rules and selected objection period. Sending questions to title does not by itself preserve rights.

Track the applicable HOA addendum or condo contract’s document duties and deadlines. A townhome’s appearance does not establish its legal ownership form.

Review dues, transfer fees, reserves, rental caps, and architectural approval. Have the lender assess condo-project eligibility when applicable.

Record receipt of the seller’s disclosure and water disclosure — each may create its own contract clock. The option period is not the only decision window.

Reconfirm taxing units, assessments, and service availability. Agents should never guarantee future tax rates or utility availability.

Review tenant leases, deposits, and solar obligations. A sale does not automatically erase a tenant’s rights or solar contract.

Confirm open title requirements, survey acceptance, and remaining objections. Nothing should be merely assumed resolved because closing is approaching.

Ask the lender whether the order is placed and access arranged. An inspection is not an appraisal — escalate delays while options still exist.

Supply factual comparable-sale information when requested. Never pressure an appraiser for a target value or conceal defects.

Confirm value and required repairs. Distinguish a lender appraisal waiver from a contractual waiver of buyer rights.

Review the financing and appraisal addenda and available cash. Concessions are not automatically a substitute for value.

Ask what is outstanding, who owns each item, and when it must be completed. “Looks good” is not an actionable approval status.

Track negotiated buyer-approval days under 40-11. If approval cannot be obtained, the form requires a termination notice plus a lender’s written statement.

In unmodified 40-11, property-approval termination must occur on or before the third day before closing. Borrower approval does not establish property approval.

Have the buyer’s insurance professional address bindability, exclusions, and roof terms. Never promise coverage because a preliminary quote exists.

Distinguish these from the buyer’s negotiated inspection requests. Seller invoices alone may not satisfy underwriting.

Reconfirm rate-lock expiration, cash availability, and title conditions. Escalate any mismatch now, before the current obligation expires.

Read the executed contract and every amendment in order. Never rely on an old CRM field after an amendment.

Obtain scope/payment documentation and transferable warranties. “Seller says done” is an update, not verification.

Confirm all signers, accepted ID, and any title/lender-approved power of attorney. Never wait until closing day to disclose an absent signer.

For covered mortgages, confirm the required receipt and three-business-day waiting period with the lender — this is a different clock than TREC calendar days.

Review loan amount, costs, credits, and cash to close. Check for both missing credits and duplicate charges.

Have title explain the proration method and the lender explain escrow estimates. Never guarantee the seller’s low tax bill will continue.

Confirm deposits already credited and the final cash to close. The buyer independently verifies title’s instructions before sending funds.

Align service transfers with actual ownership and possession. Avoid promising keys immediately after signing.

Ask the lender and title what the clearance covers. Do not equate clear-to-close with funded.

State appointment, ID requirements, verified funds process, walkthrough time, and key-release conditions.

Allow enough time to address problems while checking condition as near to closing as feasible. It is not a substitute for inspections.

Compare work with the signed amendment and reinspection findings. Never represent a cosmetic observation as technical certification.

Look for new leaks, storm damage, or missing fixtures. Photograph a concern with permission and report it factually, not diagnosing cause.

Confirm vacancy or the agreed temporary lease, keys, remotes, and smart-device transfer. Never assume a seller may leave property behind.

Use a brokerage-approved acknowledgment. Never turn a walkthrough form into an unintended waiver.

Discuss available contract rights with the broker and counsel. Never promise a unilateral right to withhold funds or terminate.

Submit signed amendments promptly. Never arrange undisclosed cash back or side repairs.

If fire, flood, or storm occurs, notify broker, buyer, lender, title, and insurers, and examine the contract’s casualty provisions.

A moving truck outside the house does not authorize early access, storage, or key release.

Identify any unresolved contract, condition, funding, or possession issue. The buyer should never be surprised at the signing table.

Attend or remain available. Never tell the buyer to sign an unexplained discrepancy because “everyone signs this.”

Recheck price, credits, deposits, and prorations. Identify whether any difference is an authorized adjustment or an error before completion.

Ask title what remains and when it expects funds. Signing alone does not entitle you to announce funds have been disbursed.

Use confirmation from title/escrow. Never rely on the buyer’s bank debit or a celebratory text.

Coordinate through the listing side after closing/funding conditions are met. With a seller leaseback, follow the lease instead.

Confirm account disengagement and encourage prompt rekeying. A physical key does not eliminate prior digital access to cameras or locks.

Track rent, deposit, and surrender duties under the signed lease. A new owner may now have landlord obligations.

At surrender, document condition, remaining property, and keys. Never assume the deposit can be kept automatically.

Provide signed documents, settlement statement, survey, and warranties securely. Explain which recorded documents may arrive later.

Confirm brokerage payment reconciliation and accurate MLS closing data. Never edit another broker’s listing without authority.

Ask about access, utilities, and urgent condition concerns. Route warranty and legal issues to appropriate professionals.

Help the buyer confirm receipt from title. Closing attendance does not mean the final policy has already been delivered.

Direct the buyer to the appraisal district for homestead eligibility. Never guarantee eligibility or savings without checking current district guidance.

Have them verify the first mortgage payment date and destination directly through lender documents.

Suggest a calendar for filters, HVAC service, and warranty deadlines. For new construction, include builder milestones.

Ask what worked and what could improve. Obtain permission before posting photos, names, or personal circumstances.

Obtain broker review before offering any referral incentive tied to business. “It is only a gift card” does not resolve legality.

Preserve required records for at least the applicable TREC minimum — generally four years from closing or contract termination.

Identify missed opportunities and near-deadline events. A successful closing can still reveal a process failure that should be fixed.

Schedule useful follow-up such as a 30-day check-in or anniversary review, respecting communication preferences and marketing restrictions.