You may be able to use an existing survey when selling a Texas house, but finding the paper is only the first step. Send the complete document to the closing professionals for review before assuming it is acceptable—or spending money on a replacement.
For a Houston, Harris County or Fort Bend County seller, the practical question is not simply how old the survey is. It is whether the document, your knowledge of later changes, and the actual transaction requirements fit together.
This is a preparation guide, not boundary advice or an interpretation of your signed contract. A surveyor, title professional or Texas real-estate attorney should resolve property-specific questions.
An existing survey is a starting point, not automatic approval
The Texas Department of Insurance’s title-insurance rule P-2 permits a title company to accept an existing survey for area-and-boundary coverage under specified conditions. Acceptance is not automatic just because the drawing was used at an earlier closing.
In the current TREC One to Four Family Residential Contract, Form 20-19, paragraph 6C provides different survey arrangements. One involves delivering an existing survey with a T-47 affidavit or T-47.1 declaration. Other choices involve obtaining a new survey. Who pays and what must be delivered depend on the selected provision and completed agreement.
Ask the person handling your sale to point to the relevant paragraph. A verbal statement that everything is covered is less useful than a clear explanation of the documents, responsible party and actual due date.
Gather a small survey-review packet
Before making calls, create one folder containing what you already have. Do not alter the drawing to make it look current.
| Gather | Question it helps you ask |
|---|---|
| Complete readable survey, including all pages | Is this enough for an initial review? |
| Date and surveyor information shown on it | Can the reviewer identify the actual document? |
| Notes about later additions or fence changes | What additional information is needed? |
| Previous closing or title paperwork | Can the prior file help locate missing documents? |
| The survey provision in the proposed contract | Who is arranging the next step, and by when? |
If the file is missing, start with your own purchase records or ask the previous closing office whether it retains a copy. Do not order a survey solely because you cannot find it during the first search. Equally, do not promise to provide a document you have not located.
What T-47 and T-47.1 actually add
TDI allows an unsworn T-47.1 declaration in place of a T-47 affidavit under its rule. The official T-47.1 form, effective November 1, 2024, concerns an existing survey and the declarant’s knowledge. It asks about matters such as construction, fence movement and changes affecting the land since the survey date.
The declaration is not a new measurement of the property. It also is not a guarantee of the location of improvements. Read the actual form with the closing professional rather than treating it as a routine signature page.
A changed fence deserves a question, not a guess
Suppose, hypothetically, you find a survey from your purchase and remember replacing a side fence afterward. Make a note of what happened and what records you have. Ask the reviewer how that affects acceptance. Do not decide for yourself that rebuilding in roughly the same place is irrelevant, and do not claim a boundary problem exists without evidence.
That small distinction—reporting what you know rather than diagnosing the legal effect—keeps the preparation useful and honest.
Compare the sale route without promising away the paperwork
A cash sale can remove a buyer’s mortgage-financing step, but it does not automatically remove title or survey questions. A listed sale may offer more market exposure; an as-is cash proposal may reduce renovation and showing demands. Neither route makes an uncertain document certain.
Compare written terms, likely seller costs and responsibilities using our cash-offer versus listing guide. If an issue extends beyond missing paperwork, see the broader Houston title-problem guide.
When requesting a Cash As-Is review, tell us whether you have a survey and whether you know of changes. You do not need to solve every document question before starting the conversation. The useful next step is a property-specific offer discussion with clear closing responsibilities—not a promise that every old survey will be accepted.