A county with no zoning and a lot of deed restrictions

Houston is the largest U.S. city without conventional zoning, and that shows up in the housing stock. Commercial uses sit next to houses, lots get subdivided, and land use is controlled mainly by private deed restrictions and by minimum lot size rules rather than a zoning map. For a seller, the practical effect is that value can change block to block in ways an automated estimate handles badly.

Deed restrictions still bind, and Houston enforces some of them through the city. An unpermitted addition or a garage conversion can violate a restriction as well as the building code, which is one of the more common reasons a Harris County house cannot be financed.

Flooding is the defining issue

Harris County drains through a network of bayous — Buffalo, Brays, White Oak, Greens, Sims, Halls — and much of the development around them predates modern floodplain standards. Harvey flooded tens of thousands of homes in 2017, including neighborhoods upstream of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs that took on water when the pools rose, and Beryl added wind and power damage in 2024.

If a house in a mapped flood zone is repaired, the substantial improvement rule can apply: once repair or improvement costs reach a threshold share of the structure's value, local floodplain rules generally require the building to be brought up to current standards, which can mean elevating it. That is why so many flooded Harris County houses sit half repaired. We buy them at any stage, including ones where nothing was ever done.

MUD taxes and the suburban tax bill

Large parts of unincorporated Harris County sit inside Municipal Utility Districts that issued bonds to build water and sewer infrastructure and levy their own tax to repay them. A newer MUD in a fast-growing area can add materially to the total rate, and Texas requires a seller to give the buyer a statutory notice disclosing the district, its rate, and its debt before the contract becomes binding.

Combine a MUD with the school district and the county and the total tax rate on a suburban Harris County house can be well above what an out-of-state buyer expects. It is a routine reason financed contracts fall apart, and it is already in our number.

Harris County property we buy

  • 1950s and 1960s ranch houses in Sharpstown, Alief, Spring Branch, and Pleasantville
  • Pier-and-beam bungalows in the Heights, Northside, and the East End
  • Homes that flooded in Harvey, repaired, half repaired, or untouched
  • Houses inside the Addicks or Barker reservoir flood pools
  • Single-family rentals with tenants in place, paying or not
  • Houses with unpermitted additions, garage conversions, or carports
  • Properties with open City of Houston code cases or dangerous-building findings
  • Inherited houses where the owner died and nothing was ever filed

Courts, records, and closing in Harris County

Houston is the county seat. Real property records — deeds, liens, releases, and affidavits of heirship — are filed with the Harris County Clerk. Harris County has four statutory probate courts, and if an estate case is open, sending us the cause number saves a great deal of back and forth. Delinquent tax suits and foreclosure-related litigation run through the district courts.

Closings are handled by a title company, not an attorney. Texas has no transfer tax on the deed, so a Harris County seller's costs are mainly the owner's title policy, payoffs, prorated taxes, and any HOA or MUD transfer charges.

Frequently asked questions

Do you buy houses that flooded during Harvey?

Yes. Tell us what flooded, what was repaired, and whether a claim was paid. We buy at any stage of repair, including houses where the work never started.

Will you buy a house inside the Addicks or Barker flood pool?

Yes. Those properties are difficult to finance and insure, which is exactly the situation a cash purchase is for.

Do you buy in unincorporated Harris County?

Yes, including MUD neighborhoods outside any city limits. The MUD tax and the required notice are part of our review.

Can you buy a house with an open City of Houston code case?

Yes. Send the case number. Recorded municipal liens are paid from the closing proceeds.

Do you buy rentals in Harris County with tenants?

Yes. The lease and the security deposit transfer to us at closing, so no eviction is needed.

My parent's Houston house was never put through probate. Can you still buy it?

Often yes, but title has to be cleared first through probate, a muniment of title, or an affidavit of heirship the title company accepts. Start that early.

Harris County property and court resources