What buyers and sellers actually ask

Yes. Texas does not require sale prices to be recorded in public records, so what a home actually sold for is not something you can look up at the county. Verified sale prices exist in the MLS, which is why automated online estimates tend to be weaker here than in disclosure states, and why a tax-assessed value is a poor guide to what a home is worth. A comparative market analysis built from MLS-verified sales is the reliable version, and it is something your agent pulls for you.

Not in the conventional sense. Houston is the largest city in the United States without a traditional zoning ordinance, so land use is governed mostly by private deed restrictions recorded subdivision by subdivision, plus citywide development rules on things like lot size and setbacks. The practical effect is that protection varies block to block: one neighborhood's deed restrictions may bar commercial use and short-term rentals while the next street over has none, or has restrictions that lapsed. Always read the deed restrictions for the specific subdivision before you assume what can be built nearby.

A Municipal Utility District is a special taxing district that finances water, sewer, and drainage infrastructure for areas outside city utility service, which covers a great deal of suburban Greater Houston. It levies its own property tax on top of county, city, and school taxes, and shows up as a separate line on your tax bill. Rates vary considerably between districts and generally decline over time as the original bonds are paid down, so two similar homes a mile apart can carry meaningfully different monthly costs. Ask for the specific district and its current rate before you write an offer.

It is a negotiated window, paid for with a separate option fee, during which the buyer can terminate the contract for any reason at all and get the earnest money back. It is what gives you room to inspect the home and reconsider. Both the length of the period and the amount of the fee are negotiated between buyer and seller, not fixed by law, and they move with market conditions. Inspections are normally scheduled to finish inside it, so the window is short and the calendar matters.

For most residential resales, yes. Texas law requires the seller to give the buyer a written Seller's Disclosure Notice, and that notice asks directly whether the property has previously flooded, whether it sits in a floodplain or flood pool, and whether there have been prior flood insurance claims. Certain transfers are exempt, including some new construction, foreclosures, and sales from an estate. Answer it from what you actually know: the notice is a disclosure of the seller's knowledge, and knowingly leaving flooding off it is where sellers get into trouble.

Verify it with the school district directly for the exact address, every time. Attendance zones are redrawn periodically as districts open campuses and rebalance enrollment, and a boundary can move between when a listing is written and when you close. Third-party school lookups and listing sites are a reasonable starting point but are not authoritative, and a home a block from a campus is not necessarily zoned to it. If the school assignment is a deciding factor in your purchase, put the confirmation in writing before the option period ends.

Pearland is home base, and the brokerage works across Greater Houston, including the East End, the Galleria and Uptown area, Five Corners, the Hobby area, and Jersey Village. The standard of service does not change with the price point or the part of town. If you are not sure whether your area is covered, call and ask.

Yes, three things. Residential sales and leasing for buyers and sellers. Commercial real estate, from retail storefronts to investment property. And full-service property management for owners, covering tenant placement, screening, and day-to-day oversight of the property.

English, Spanish, and Italian. Alessandra Isola is originally from Tuscany and works in English and Italian, and several agents on the team work in English and Spanish.