Selling a Rental Property in Texas — Tenants Stay, You Walk Away
Tired of the late-night calls and the make-ready churn? We buy Texas rental properties with tenants in place — no eviction, no notice to vacate, no leasing-up between sales. Cash close in 7 to 14 days.
Owning rental property in Texas was supposed to be a path to passive income, and for some investors it has been. But the math has changed. Insurance premiums have doubled or tripled. Property taxes climb every year as the appraisal district raises values. Maintenance and repair costs have outpaced rent growth. Eviction timelines have lengthened. And tenants — even good tenants — bring real friction: late payments, repair calls, lease renewals, turnover, and the constant low-grade attention that drains time you'd rather spend elsewhere.
Selling a rental on the MLS is supposed to be the exit. In practice it's anything but clean. To get top-of-market retail pricing, the property has to be vacant for staging and showings — which means giving the tenant notice, losing the rent during the listing period (often 60–120 days), making the property show-ready, and absorbing the make-ready cost. If the tenant doesn't move voluntarily, you're navigating a Texas eviction even though they haven't done anything wrong. Many landlords end up trading $6,000–$15,000 of lost rent and prep costs for what they hope will be a $20,000–$40,000 higher sale price — and that's only if the retail buyer actually closes.
Selling with a tenant in place to a retail buyer is even harder. Texas residential leases survive a sale (the lease binds the new owner). Most retail buyers don't want an inherited tenant on an existing lease. The conventional lender often won't finance an investment property as a primary residence. The buyer pool collapses to investors anyway — but you're paying agent commissions and accepting a longer timeline to reach them.
South Texas Home Investors buys rental properties statewide with the tenant in place. We honor the existing lease, accept rent through closing, and seamlessly continue the tenancy after we own the property. There's no eviction, no notice, no rent loss, and no make-ready. We close in 7 to 14 days at a Texas title company. For owners ready to be done with landlording, this is the cleanest exit available.
Why This Situation Is Different
What Texas Homeowners In This Situation Are Up Against
Landlording Burnout Is Real
Late-night calls, eviction headaches, lease renewals, code compliance. Many landlords reach a point where the income isn't worth the cognitive load.
Insurance and Tax Increases Squeeze Margins
Texas property insurance has doubled in many markets since 2020. Appraisal district increases push tax bills higher every year. Cash flow has eroded.
Make-Ready Costs Are Brutal
Vacating for retail sale means 30–60 days of make-ready: paint, flooring, fixtures, landscaping. $5K–$20K of cost before the first showing.
Lost Rent During Listing
60–120 days vacant during a retail listing = $9K–$30K in lost rent in most Texas markets. That gap often eliminates the retail price premium.
Texas Eviction Takes Time
Even valid evictions take 30–60 days in most Texas counties. Forcing a turnover for a sale is risky and expensive.
Capital Gains Strategy Matters
Selling a long-held rental triggers capital gains and depreciation recapture. Many landlords use a 1031 exchange or installment sale — we can structure either.
By City
City-Specific Guides
Local laws, courts, and market conditions matter. Pick your city for the version of this guide tailored to your county.
San Antonio
Bexar County
Bexar County rentals — North, South, East, West side properties and small portfolios bought tenant-in-place.
Corpus Christi
Nueces County
Coastal Bend rentals — Calallen, Flour Bluff, Padre Island, and Portland properties with tenants.
McAllen
Hidalgo County
RGV rentals — McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr properties with leases and Section 8 tenancies.
Brownsville
Cameron County
Cameron County rentals — Brownsville and Harlingen properties bought tenant-in-place.
The Hard Parts
Common Obstacles We Solve
Existing Lease Survives
Texas residential leases bind the new owner. We honor them. The tenant continues without disruption — same lease, same rent, just a new owner.
Tenant Behind on Rent
Common situation. We buy with the delinquency in place. Whatever the tenant owes through closing is yours; what they owe after is our problem.
Section 8 / HCV Tenancy
We buy properties with Housing Choice Voucher tenants. The HAP contract follows the property; we coordinate with the local PHA.
Damage from Current or Prior Tenants
We buy as-is. No need to make-ready or repair tenant damage before selling.
Multiple Units
We buy duplexes, fourplexes, and small portfolios across Texas. One contract for the whole package is often easier than selling unit-by-unit.
Long-Term Tenant with Below-Market Rent
We factor below-market rent into the offer based on the actual lease terms. We don't expect you to raise rent or push them out first.
How We Help
What We Actually Do
We're investor-buyers, which means we underwrite rentals on actual cash flow, not retail comps. We look at the lease, the rent, the property condition, the local Texas market, and our hold strategy — then write a cash offer based on what the property is worth as a rental. No retail premium expected. No make-ready required. We continue the tenancy after closing on identical lease terms.
The transaction is clean: we sign a contract, the title company opens escrow, you provide the lease and security deposit accounting, we close in 7–14 days. The tenant gets a one-page letter on closing day with the new property manager's contact info. They keep paying rent. Nobody is displaced. If you also have a vacant unit or an inherited rental in probate, we coordinate the combined situation.
- Buy with tenant in place — no eviction or notice
- Existing lease honored on the same terms
- Section 8 / HCV tenancies welcome
- Security deposits transferred at closing
- Multi-unit and small-portfolio offers available
- Close in 7–14 days at a Texas title company
As-Is, Cash, Closed
Benefits of a Direct Cash Sale
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Guides
Keep Reading
Vacant Rental Property
If the rental is sitting empty between tenants, here's how we stop the carrying-cost bleed.
Inherited Rental Property
Inherited a rental from a parent? Here's the combined sale + tenant-in-place process.
Rental Property in Probate
Estate-owned rentals with tenants in place — court-conditioned contracts and continuity of tenancy.
Done Being a Texas Landlord? We've Got the Cleanest Exit.
Tenant stays. You walk away. Written cash offer in 24 hours, close in 7–14 days anywhere in Texas.
Get My Cash Offer