Relocation
Buying a Home Before Moving to Texas
Purchasing before the moving truck arrives is normal here — it just needs a tighter sequence, a lender who knows your situation and a plan for due diligence you can run from a distance.
Most relocation problems are timing problems, not house problems. A lease ends, a start date moves, a current home takes longer to sell, or a builder's completion date slides — and suddenly the calendar, not the search, is making the decisions.
So the first conversation is rarely about listings. It's about the fixed dates you're working around, what has to happen before you can close, and how much flexibility exists on each end. Once that's clear, the search gets much simpler and much faster.
The second half is due diligence you can run without living here. Texas gives buyers a negotiated option period for exactly this, and Lori's role is to make sure it's spent on the right inspections and questions rather than on scheduling.
Relocating to the Austin area?
Share your timeline and what's driving the move, and Lori will map out a realistic sequence for buying before you arrive.
Sequencing
Deciding whether to buy first or rent first
There's no universally correct answer, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. What matters is whether you can absorb the risk on either side: the cost and disruption of moving twice, or committing to a neighborhood you've only visited briefly.
A middle path many relocating buyers use is a short-term rental or corporate housing while touring in person over a few weekends. It costs more in the short run and removes a great deal of guessing.
Buy first
Rent first
Sell-then-buy
Buy-then-sell
New construction
Temporary housing
Preparation
What to have in place before you tour
- Full pre-approval from a lender you've actually spoken with, including a conversation about your relocation timing and any employer documentation.
- A written list of your fixed constraints: start date, lease end, school-year timing, the earliest and latest dates you could close and take possession.
- Clarity on your current home — listed, under contract, staying, or being sold later — because it changes what a lender and a seller will accept.
- Your relocation package details, including anything your employer requires you to use or document to be reimbursed.
- A short priorities list separated into non-negotiables and preferences. Two or three real non-negotiables move a search far faster than fifteen.
- Awareness that property taxes, insurance, HOA dues and any special district assessments are property-specific and must be verified for each address you consider.
- A plan for who can be physically present if needed — you, a trusted local contact, or your agent with written authorization.
Under contract
How the Texas transaction usually unfolds
- 1
Offer and negotiation
Terms include price, the option period and fee, earnest money, financing, closing date and possession. For a relocating buyer, closing and possession dates carry as much weight as price.
- 2
Earnest money and title
Funds go to the title company, which begins the title work. Verify wiring instructions by phone with a known number before sending anything — wire fraud is a real risk in every market.
- 3
Option period due diligence
General inspection first, then any specialists the property calls for: septic, well, structural, roof, HVAC, pool, pest. Schedule in the first days of the period.
- 4
Financing and appraisal
Your lender orders the appraisal and works through underwriting. Respond to document requests immediately; distance makes small delays expensive.
- 5
Insurance and utilities
Bind a policy and arrange transfer of utilities and services for your possession date, including internet if you'll be working from home on day one.
- 6
Final walkthrough and closing
Walk the home yourself if you can, or arrange for someone to. Then close at the title company in person, by mail-away, or however you and the title company have arranged in advance.
Due diligence
Inspections and questions worth insisting on
Buying at a distance is not a reason to inspect less. It's a reason to inspect more, because you can't casually drop by to check something that nagged at you.
Beyond a general inspection, ask what the specific property calls for. Acreage brings wells, septic systems and easements. Lake-area homes bring shoreline, docks and access questions. New construction still deserves independent eyes at pre-drywall and final. Anything with visible movement or moisture deserves a specialist rather than an opinion.
General inspection
Structural review
Septic and well
Roof and insurance
Survey and HOA documents
Neighborhood context
See what people say on Google
Reviews for Lori Cabello live on her Google Business Profile, unedited and in her clients' own words. Read them there, then call or text (512) 545-9568 if you'd like to talk through your own situation.
Good questions
Buying before you move: common questions
Keep exploring
Plan the rest of the move
Relocation
Remote home-buying guide for Central Texas
How to evaluate a home confidently without standing in the room.
Buying from afarRelocation
North Austin relocation timeline
A working sequence from first conversation to move-in day.
See the timelineRelocation
Moving from California to the Austin area
Practical differences California buyers encounter in Texas transactions and ownership.
Read the guideProcess
The Texas home buying process
Contracts, option periods, inspections and financing milestones, step by step.
Read the guideBuyers
How Lori works with buyers
Representation, search strategy and what happens once you're under contract.
Buying with LoriArea
Relocating to North Austin
Corridors, city comparisons and how to narrow the map before you tour.
Start with the areaThis page is general education about relocating and buying in Texas and is not legal, tax, lending, insurance, engineering or appraisal advice. Contract terms, option periods, closing procedures, loan programs, tax rates, exemptions, insurance availability and property-specific costs vary and change; verify them for your transaction with your lender, title company, insurance agent, tax professional and attorney as appropriate. Nothing here is a statement about school quality, safety, demographics, or future property values or appreciation.
Moving to Central Texas from out of state?
Call or text (512) 545-9568 with your dates and your must-haves. Lori will lay out a sequence that fits your move instead of fighting it.