When you sell a house in Texas, what are you required to leave behind?
Anything attached to the house, plus a list of accessories the contract names: curtains and rods, blinds, door and mailbox keys, pool equipment and the controls for garage doors and gates. Anything you want to keep must be excluded in writing.
This is one of the easiest places for a smooth sale to get tense. Buyers walk in on the final walkthrough expecting the TV mounts and the smart doorbell. Sellers thought those were theirs. The TREC contract answers most of these questions, if both sides read it before they sign.
What conveys: improvements (Paragraph 2B)
The house, the garage and everything attached to the property, including permanently installed and built-in items like:
- Equipment and built-in appliances
- Ceiling fans, light fixtures and chandeliers
- Mounts and brackets for TVs and speakers
- Heating and air-conditioning units
- Security and fire detection equipment
- Water softener system
- Garage door openers
- Mailboxes, shrubbery, landscaping and outdoor cooking equipment
- Generators (added in the 2026 forms)
What conveys: accessories (Paragraph 2C)
These aren't always attached, but the contract includes them anyway:
- Curtains, rods, blinds, window shades and draperies
- Stove and window air-conditioning units
- Fireplace screens and artificial fireplace logs
- Door keys and mailbox keys
- Above-ground pool and pool equipment and maintenance accessories
- Security systems that aren't fixtures
- Controls for garage doors, entry gates and other improvements, including the seller's transferable rights to the apps and software that run them
That last one matters more every year. Smart thermostats, smart locks, video doorbells and sprinkler controllers all have apps. The buyer is entitled to the controls, so sellers should plan to remove their accounts and hand them over.
What usually goes with the seller
- Freestanding furniture and rugs
- TVs (not the mounts)
- Freestanding refrigerators, washers and dryers, unless the contract says they stay. These are often negotiated through a non-realty items addendum.
- Potted plants
How to keep something you'd otherwise leave
List it in Paragraph 2D (Exclusions). Excluded items must be removed before possession without damaging the property. Better yet, remove or replace it before you list. If the chandelier in the photos is a family heirloom, swap it before the photographer comes.
The items people fight about most
Drapes. They've always been the biggest fight. If you're attached to your drapes, take them down before the house goes on the market. If buyers never see them, nobody argues about them.
Wall-mounted TVs. Exclude the TVs in the contract, but leave the mounts. That way there are no holes to patch and nothing to argue about at the walkthrough.
Plants from the yard. Landscaping conveys. If there's something you can't leave behind, like iris bulbs passed down from your mother, pot them up before the house goes on the market.
FAQ
Does the refrigerator convey in Texas? A freestanding refrigerator isn't on the standard list. If it's staying, put it in writing, usually with a non-realty items addendum.
Can I take my video doorbell? If it's attached to the house, it generally conveys. If you want it, exclude it in the contract and replace it with a basic doorbell before possession.
What about the TV mounts? Mounts and brackets for TVs and speakers are listed improvements. They stay unless excluded.
Final takeaway
If it's attached, assume it stays. If you want it, write it down. A five-minute conversation before you list saves a hard one at the final walkthrough.
Getting ready to list?
Jeanie will help you decide what to exclude, remove or replace before photos. Call (972) 414-0719 or visit the sellers guide.
This post is general information, not legal advice. Your signed contract controls.
Related posts
- Solar Panels and Texas Home Sales: What to Know
- What I Consistently Tell My Sellers to Do (and Not Do) Before Listing
Sources: TREC One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale), Independence Title: NEW TREC Form Updates
