Realtors in Laredo

Under Occupations Code §1101.563, a license holder working for a buyer of a house, a 2- to 4-unit building or a condo must sign a written agreement before showing a property or presenting an offer. It must list the services, the end date, whether it is exclusive, and the broker's pay and how it's calculated, and say in conspicuous language that compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable.

If you aren't ready to sign, a broker may show you a home without representing you, under a non-exclusive showing agreement of no more than 14 days, as long as they give no opinions or advice. TREC doesn't regulate commissions, and it can't force a broker to release you from a buyer representation agreement; that's a private contract matter, so negotiate the exit terms up front.

A sales agent needs a TREC license and must act for a licensed broker, who is responsible for the agent's brokerage work. Getting that license takes 180 classroom hours of real estate courses, a background check and the state exam; a broker license needs four years of active experience within the prior 60 months.

Look the agent up by name on TREC's License Holder Lookup: an active status, a clean discipline record and a named sponsoring broker are what you want to see. Every agent must hand you the Information About Brokerage Services notice (form IABS 1-2, effective January 1, 2026) at the first real conversation about a property, and the Consumer Protection Notice. If a deal goes wrong, written complaints go through TREC's REALM Portal within four years and can't be anonymous. The Real Estate Recovery Trust Account can pay unpaid judgments against license holders, up to $250,000 per license holder.

1. Offer. Most resales use TREC form 20-19, the One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale), effective July 1, 2026. Agents must use TREC's forms and may add only factual or business details.
2. Earnest money and option fee. Both go to the escrow agent within 3 days of the effective date; the option fee is credited to the price at closing.
3. Option period. You can terminate for any reason by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline. The earnest money comes back to you, and the option fee doesn't.
4. Disclosures and inspections. The seller of a single-family home must give a written Seller's Disclosure Notice by the effective date; if it arrives late, you can terminate within seven days of receiving it. Order the termite report through pest control in Laredo.

For moving day, see movers in Laredo.

Texas has no state property tax and no state income tax on individuals, and its constitution bars any new transfer tax on home sales enacted after January 1, 2016. Local governments set the rates, and the county appraisal district values property as of January 1. Appraisal districts don't receive sale prices, because Texas is a non-disclosure state.

• Homestead exemption: apply to the appraisal district, generally before May 1. School districts exempt $140,000 of a homestead's value (Tax Code §11.13 as amended effective November 4, 2025), plus $60,000 more for owners 65 or older or disabled (also effective November 4, 2025). Confirm the amounts that apply to your home with the Webb County appraisal district.
• Protest deadline: May 15 or 30 days after your notice, whichever is later.
• Tax bills: generally due by January 31 of the next year, with penalties on most unpaid bills from February 1.

If you own a house in Laredo that will sit empty, ask Building Development Services about its Vacant Property Registration program, and ask about the Neighborhood Empowerment Zone if you plan to rebuild. Statewide, the median sale price was $339,000 in July 2026, about 336,000 homes sold in 2025, and neither figure is Laredo-specific. Confirm tax and contract questions with a licensed Texas real estate broker or tax adviser.

Our Texas real estate guide goes deeper, the Laredo hub covers city services, and real estate agents in Corpus Christi add coastal windstorm rules to the same checklist.