Texas · New home · Before you get the keys
What to finish before you move into a Texas house
The insurance piece is not “we will call someone after the truck unloads.” Lenders fund the loan only when a homeowners policy is already in force on the closing date, with the lender named correctly. The rest of the list is the inspection, the utilities, and a clear look at flood and hail before you own the roof.
After you move in, use the after-move-in checklist. Coverage basics: Texas homeowners insurance.
The binder has to be effective at closing
A binder, or evidence of insurance, is a short document that proves a policy exists before the full packet arrives. The lender reads four things on it: the property address, the effective date and time, the dwelling limit, and the mortgagee clause. The mortgagee clause is the lender’s legal name and address as loss payee. If that line is wrong, or the effective date is the day after closing, funding stops. “Sometime after we unpack” is not a date the lender can use.
The dwelling limit should track what it costs to rebuild the house, not the price on the contract. The contract includes land. The policy does not buy the lot. A percentage wind or hail deductible is easy to skim on a quote. Two percent of a $400,000 dwelling is $8,000 of hail damage you pay before the carrier pays. That number is fixed at closing only if you asked for it. Example math, not a quote.
Vacancy is the other date people miss. Many forms limit or restrict coverage if the house is empty for a stated number of days, often tied to 30 or 60 days in the form, because an empty house is a theft and water risk nobody is there to catch. If closing and move-in are weeks apart, ask whether unoccupancy changes theft, vandalism, or water coverage. Do not assume the policy you bought for a lived-in house is unchanged while it sits dark.
Compare options on homeowners insurance in Texas and sizing at how much home insurance you need. First-time buyers: first-time buyer tips. If a policy lapses between binders, the lender can force a placement. How cancellations and lapses work: cancellations, non-renewals, and lapses.
Flood and hail are separate problems
Flood
A homeowners policy does not cover flood. Flood is water that comes from outside: rising creeks, storm surge, sheet flow across a yard. A burst washing-machine hose inside the house is a different peril. A lender requires flood insurance in a mapped special flood hazard area. The map is not the whole story. Plenty of flooded Texas homes sat outside the high-risk zone. Ask about NFIP or private flood even when the lender does not require it. Texas flood insurance.
Hail and wind
Roof age and prior hail claims decide whether a carrier will write the house and at what deductible. At the walk-through, photograph the roof, soft metals, and window screens so “it was already like that” is not an argument later. Glass and outdoor property have their own sublimits on many forms. Is Texas hail covered on home or auto?
If boxes arrive in stages, start a home inventory from the packing list and photos. Personal property is easier to settle when you can name what you owned.
Two to four weeks out
- Read the inspection for electrical, gas, active roof leaks, and foundation movement. Budget the repairs the seller will not do. A known leak you close on can be argued later as a maintenance problem, not a sudden loss.
- Order a specialist if the general inspection flagged foundation, sewer, pool, or an old roof in a hail ZIP.
- Read HOA or POA rules for insurance minimums, exterior changes, and the hours you are allowed to move in.
- Start the change of address so mail, and the policy documents, do not bounce.
The last week
| Task | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Utilities | In much of Texas you choose a retail electric provider. Water and gas need a start date. A house with no power is harder to inspect after a storm, and a frozen pipe in an unheated vacancy is a miserable first claim. |
| Final walk-through | Confirm the repairs you negotiated, and that nothing new broke after the inspection. Photograph it. |
| Movers | A homeowners or renters policy often covers belongings off the premises only up to a small share of the personal-property limit, and only for named perils, while they are in transit or storage. The mover’s valuation is a separate contract. “Full value” on a moving estimate is not your homeowners policy. Ask both, in writing. |
| Locks | Rekey on move-in day. Prior keys are a theft fact pattern you do not want. |
