Buying a Home in KatyWithout a realtor.

Yes. You can contact listing agents directly to schedule showings, attend open houses, and make an offer. Texas does not require a buyer to use an agent, and the state uses TREC-promulgated contract forms that are publicly available, so a self-represented buyer can prepare a standard offer. Since the 2024 NAR settlement, a licensed broker must have a signed buyer-agency agreement before showing you homes, which keeps that choice in your hands.

Likely, and often upward. Texas has no state income tax but leans on property taxes. The seller's homestead exemption and the roughly 10 percent appraisal cap do not carry over, so the appraised value can reset toward full market value the year after you buy. File your own homestead exemption with Fort Bend Central Appraisal District after closing, budget for the MUD and Katy ISD levies common in newer subdivisions, and protest the appraised value each year if it looks too high.

Yes. Register yourself directly with the builder before a walk-in rep is assigned as your agent of record, and you can negotiate incentives, rate buydowns, and the buyer-side commission yourself. The builder's on-site salesperson represents the builder, not you.

The option period is a negotiated window, usually 3 to 10 days, in the TREC contract. For a small nonrefundable option fee paid to the seller you get the unrestricted right to terminate for any reason, which is when most buyers inspect. As a self-represented buyer you choose the length, so make it long enough to inspect and, for new construction, to review the builder documents.