Selling a House With Tenants in Austin: No Waiting for the Lease
Rental property is great right up until it isn't. The tenants stop paying, and the eviction docket moves at its own pace. The last turnover cost $14,000 and two months of vacancy. Property taxes climbed again, with no homestead cap to protect an investment property. Or you're simply done taking water heater calls at 2 a.m. for a house that barely cash-flows. We buy Austin rentals in whatever state they're in. Occupied or empty, current or behind on rent.
Get Your Fair Cash Offer
No fees. No obligation. We respond within 24 hours and never share your info.
How to Sell a House With Tenants in Place
The traditional path forces a bad choice. You can end a tenancy to sell an empty house. Or you can try to sell around renters who don't want strangers walking through their home every weekend. We remove that choice entirely. We're buying the investment, not the vacancy.
Under Texas law, a lease generally survives a change in ownership. The Texas State Law Library's landlord-tenant guide is a solid plain-language reference on tenant rights and lease obligations. So when we buy:
- The lease transfers to us on the existing terms. Your tenants keep their home. Their rent stays the same for the rest of the term.
- Security deposits transfer at closing per the lease, and the title company documents it. From that day, we take on the return obligations under Texas law.
- Rents prorate to the closing date, same as taxes.
- You stop being the landlord the moment we fund. No more turnover, no more make-ready, no more calls.
Selling a House With Non-Paying Tenants or an Eviction in Progress
These are the situations sellers apologize for. They're also some of our most common purchases. We buy properties with tenants who've stopped paying. We buy with an eviction already filed. We buy with the aftermath of a bad tenancy still on the walls.
Here's why it works: the problem transfers to us with the property. We're not a financed buyer whose lender demands a clean house with a paying tenant in place. We size up the situation, price it, and take it on. Texas eviction cases run through the justice courts, and the State Law Library's guide summarizes the process. The practical point for you is simpler. You can stop managing that process and hand it off at closing.
The same applies to damage. Holes in drywall, ruined flooring, pet damage, a kitchen that needs replacing. We bid it as renovation cost, subtract it openly, and buy. Landlords consistently overestimate how much this reduces an offer. They're comparing against a retail sale that was never available on a damaged, occupied property anyway.
Why the Austin Rental Math Changed
Two forces squeezed Austin-area landlords at once. Assessed values rose sharply through the 2020s. Investment property gets no homestead cap, so the full increase flows through to your tax bill. Values are set by the Travis Central Appraisal District in Austin proper, and by Williamson or Hays in the suburbs. The Texas Comptroller documents the assessment and protest process. Meanwhile, insurance premiums rose. In much of the metro, rents flattened as thousands of new apartment units opened. Texas A&M's Texas Real Estate Research Center is the best public source for tracking those market conditions.
The result is a lot of Austin rentals that penciled beautifully in 2019 and don't in 2026. That's not a failure of your judgment. The inputs changed. Selling is a fair response to changed math.
1031 Exchanges and Timing the Sale
Selling one rental to buy another? A like-kind exchange, often called a 1031 exchange, can defer capital gains. The IRS explains the rules in its like-kind exchange guidance. The deadlines are strict: 45 days to identify a replacement property and 180 days to close.
Those deadlines are exactly why a cash buyer helps. A financed buyer can blow your identification window with a lender delay. We close on a date we commit to in writing. Tell us your qualified intermediary and your dates, and we'll write the contract to serve them. We've closed specifically to protect an exchange more than once. Talk to your CPA first, then hand us the calendar.
Portfolios, Small Multifamily, and What We’ll Look At
We buy single-family rentals, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and small portfolios across the Austin metro. That includes student-heavy inventory around Texas State in San Marcos and workforce rentals along the SH-130 corridor through Pflugerville's Stone Hill area and Hutto's Star Ranch neighborhoods. If you own several and want out of all of them, ask about a package offer. A single closing on five properties is simpler for both of us than five separate deals. We price it accordingly.
Here's what we need to make an offer: the addresses, current rents and lease end dates, and a rough sense of condition. We don't need a rent roll audited by anyone. We don't need you to make the properties presentable first.
Tenant Rights That Survive Your Sale
Landlords worry about this, and tenants worry more. So here's the plain version. A sale doesn't erase a lease. When we buy, we step into your position as landlord. The tenant's existing terms continue: same rent, same end date, same obligations on both sides. The Texas State Law Library's landlord-tenant guide is a solid reference, and TexasLawHelp.org covers tenant rights in plain language.
Practical points that come up every time:
- Security deposits transfer at closing, documented by the title company, and we assume the return obligations. Don't refund deposits yourself at closing. It creates confusion and possible liability.
- Tenants should be notified of the new owner and where to send rent. We handle that communication and keep it calm and factual.
- Month-to-month tenancies continue under the same terms until either party gives proper notice.
- Existing violations or disputes transfer with the property. Tell us about them. They don't scare us, and hiding them helps nobody.
Your tenants generally end up fine, which matters if you've had good ones. We're not buying to empty the property on day one.
What We Need to Price a Rental Accurately
You don't need to prepare a package. But the more of this you can tell us on the first call, the tighter our number:
- Current rent and lease end date for each unit. Below-market rent on a long lease lowers value to an investor buyer. At-market rent on a lease running through next year raises it.
- Whether tenants are current. If not, how far behind, and whether anything has been filed.
- Recent capital work. Roof, HVAC, water heater, sewer line. Receipts and warranties are worth real money.
- Known deferred maintenance, including anything a tenant has been asking you to fix.
- Whether it's on the tax rolls as investment property. There's no homestead cap, and the assessed value affects a buyer's carrying math.
If you own several properties, send the list. We price portfolios as a package. One closing on multiple properties is simpler, and usually better priced, than selling them one at a time.
How Selling to Us Works
Tell us about the house
Fill out the short form. Address, phone, name — that's it. No documents, no photos required to start.
Get your cash offer
We research the property, ask a few questions, and make a fair, no-obligation cash offer, usually within 24 hours. One quick walkthrough. No open houses.
Close on your schedule
Pick your closing date — as fast as 7 days or months out if you need time. A local Austin title company handles the paperwork and you get your money at closing.
Tired Landlord: Questions Sellers Ask
Can I sell my house with tenants still living in it?
Yes. Texas law carries the lease over to the new owner, so a sale doesn't require the tenants to leave. The Texas State Law Library's landlord-tenant guide covers the mechanics. We buy occupied rentals as our normal business. The lease transfers to us at closing, and your tenants keep their home on the same terms. You stop being a landlord that day.
Do I have to give my tenants notice before selling?
Check your lease first. Some contain a notice-of-sale or lease-termination-on-sale clause, though most don't. Selling itself doesn't require notice in Texas unless the lease says so. Still, telling tenants what's happening, and that their lease survives, is both decent and practical. We handle the new-owner notification at closing: who we are, where rent goes, and that nothing else changes.
How do showings work with tenants in place?
With us, there's exactly one: our walkthrough. We schedule it at a time that works for your tenant, with proper notice per the lease. That's the whole imposition. Compare that to listing an occupied rental. That means repeated showings, a tenant with no reason to cooperate, and photos of someone else's belongings online. It's why occupied listings underperform.
What happens to the security deposit when I sell?
It transfers to us at closing, documented by the title company. From that point, we take on the return obligations under Texas law. Don't refund deposits directly to tenants at sale time. That creates confusion about who owes what later. The transfer paperwork handles it cleanly.
My tenants are month-to-month. Does that change anything?
Only slightly. Month-to-month tenancies continue with us under the same terms until either side gives proper notice. For pricing, month-to-month can actually help, since flexibility is worth something to a buyer. Either way, you don't need to end the tenancy to sell.
My tenants stopped paying rent. Can I still sell?
Yes, and this is one of our most common purchases. Delinquent tenants, an eviction already filed in the justice court, damage from a rough tenancy. The whole situation transfers with the property and becomes ours to resolve after closing. You stop funding a property that isn't paying you, without waiting out a court calendar.
My renter wants to buy the house. Should I sell to them instead?
If they can actually close, maybe. A tenant buyer skips the showing problem entirely. The risk is financing. Tenant purchases fall through at high rates, because wanting the house and qualifying for it are different things. A reasonable approach is to get their pre-approval letter and our written offer in the same week. Then you're comparing a real option against a real option, instead of a hope against a number.
Is it better to wait until the lease ends to sell?
Run the cost of that honestly. Months of waiting come first. Then a vacant month or three of taxes, insurance, and mortgage with no rent. Then a make-ready bill, then a listing. For a well-kept property in a strong rental area, it can still make sense. For a tired property or a tired landlord, the waiting usually costs more than it adds. We'll price it occupied today, and you can compare.
What about a 1031 exchange, can the timing work?
Yes, and a cash closing helps rather than hurts. A guaranteed date protects the 45-day identification and 180-day closing deadlines in the IRS like-kind exchange rules. Tell us your intermediary and your deadlines, and we'll write the contract around them. Confirm the structure with your CPA first.
Do you buy small multifamily and portfolios too?
Yes. We buy duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and multi-property portfolios across the metro. That includes student rentals in San Marcos and workforce rentals along I-35 and SH-130. Portfolios price as a package with one closing. That's simpler and usually better for both sides.
Will my tenants be treated fairly after the sale?
Yes, and it matters to us that this is true. Leases are honored as written. Deposits transfer properly, and communication stays factual and calm. If you've had good tenants, you're not selling them into a bad situation. You're handing the landlord duties to someone whose actual job is doing them.
The Same Help, All Over Central Texas
Wherever you are in the metro, the process is the same: Austin · Round Rock · Pflugerville · Cedar Park · Georgetown · Leander · Hutto · Kyle · Buda · San Marcos
Situations we help with: Selling Fast · Sell As-Is · Facing Foreclosure · Inherited a House · Divorce · Behind on Taxes
Get a Fair Cash Offer on Your Austin House
Tell us about the property and we'll call you back with a no-obligation cash offer, usually within 24 hours.
Three fields. No obligation, and we never share your info.
How we work
You Found Us. We Didn't Chase You.
Our whole sales process is no-pressure by design: you get a written offer with the math attached, it stays open while you think, and there's no obligation at any point. One follow-up call, then we leave you alone.
We also don't do outbound marketing — none of it. No bandit signs stapled to utility poles, no cold calls interrupting your dinner, no stream of letters filling your mailbox asking to buy your house. If you've been getting those, they aren't from us. We put our effort into being easy to find in search results, plus a few Google ads, so we're here at the moment you decide it's time — and invisible until then.