Texas contract forms behind a move on a set date
Timing a Sienna Purchase or Sale to a Fixed Move Date With TREC Contract Forms
Updated October 2026
Which Texas contract forms set the terms when a Sienna purchase or sale has to fit a fixed move date?
In October 2026, a Sienna resale timed to a move date runs on the Texas Real Estate Commission's resale contract, form 20-19, and its temporary residential leases.
Yolanda Ames, Houston Properties Team, Sienna
Source: Texas Real Estate Commission page for the One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale), form 20-19, October 2026.
Which TREC contract does a Sienna resale on a set move date use?
The Texas Real Estate Commission's page for form 20-19, the One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale), calls it the most frequently used contract form. That page says the form is used for resales of single family homes, duplexes, tri-plexes and four-plexes. HAR counts 3,628 single-family homes in the subdivision it lists as Sienna, and an owner reselling one of them fits that description.
The same page excludes condominium transactions, new homes being sold by a builder, and farm and ranch properties. A new home bought from a Sienna builder therefore goes on a different contract. TREC publishes a New Home Contract (Incomplete Construction) for a house the builder has not finished. A builder may also require its own form.
Whichever form applies, the closing date written into it anchors the calendar. Count back from your move date to that closing, then back through the title work, the appraisal and the option period.
It is not for use for condominium transactions, new homes being sold by a builder, or farm and ranch properties.
How can a Sienna seller stay after closing, or a buyer move in before it?
TREC's list of its contract forms says it does not promulgate residential leases, other than temporary residential leases used in connection with a sale. Those temporary leases are the TREC forms that cover possession on either side of a closing.
The Seller's Temporary Residential Lease is for a seller who stays no more than 90 days after closing. It begins when the sale closes and funds, and rent for the whole term is paid at funding. The new owner receives keys and access codes. An unused deposit comes back within 30 days after the tenant leaves and gives a forwarding address.
The Buyer's Temporary Residential Lease runs the other way, for a buyer who moves in no more than 90 days before closing. TREC's resale contract warns that possession by either party without a written lease creates a tenancy at sufferance. It also tells both parties to consult an insurance agent before possession changes hands.
In Sienna, a lease after closing gives a seller time to close on the next house, which may sit in a different utility district. For 2025 the district line ran from $0.3975 per $100 in MUD 3 to $1.05 in MUDs 6 and 7, so the next payment can differ at the same price.
Can a Sienna purchase wait on the sale of the home you own now?
Yes, if the seller accepts TREC's Addendum for Sale of Other Property by Buyer. It ties the purchase to the buyer receiving the proceeds of their own sale by a set date. The form says that date should fall no later than the closing date. If the date passes with the contingency neither met nor waived, the contract ends and the earnest money is refunded.
The seller may keep the house on the market. On accepting another written offer, the seller notifies the buyer and requires a waiver. The buyer then has until the day after that notice to waive, in writing and by depositing the additional earnest money the addendum states. After a waiver, failing to close because the buyer's own sale fell through is a default.
A Sienna seller asked to wait wants to know whether the buyer's home is listed or already under contract, and how its section has been selling. A lender following Fannie Mae's Selling Guide counts both housing payments until the old home's sale is under an executed contract with its financing contingencies cleared.
Which Sienna documents run on clocks of their own inside the contract?
The Sienna Residential Association and the Sienna Community Association have offices in the community, and a buyer reads the resale certificate before the option period ends. Under Texas Property Code Section 207.003, an association delivers it not later than the 10th business day after a written request is received and the requestor's authority is verified. Have the request go in the day the contract is signed.
The levee district urges every resident to look into flood insurance, and the Texas Department of Insurance notes that most flood policies take 30 days to start. Request the flood quote at the start of the option period, so a policy can be in force by move-in day.
Each Sienna utility district and the levee district publish a notice to purchasers. Texas Water Code Section 49.452 has it go to the buyer before a binding contract is executed. At closing, a separate copy with current information is signed by both parties, acknowledged and recorded in the Fort Bend County deed records.
Questions & answers
Sienna questions, answered
Do I have to order a new survey on a Sienna house when closing sits close to my move date?
TREC's news post on its contract changes effective January 3, 2025 says Paragraph 6C(2) now reads "Buyer may obtain a new survey" where it once read "Buyer shall obtain a new survey." The post adds a condition for a buyer who ultimately fails to obtain the survey. That buyer does not have the right to terminate under Paragraph 2B of the Third Party Financing Addendum because the survey was not obtained.
The same post says the change took the place of a "no survey required" option. On a fixed move date, a survey that arrives late gives a financed buyer no exit under that addendum paragraph. Ask the title company early how long a new survey is taking, and settle the choice before the contract is signed, so the closing date never waits on one.
Can a missing seller notice let a buyer back out of my Sienna sale before I move?
It can. TREC's post on its contract changes effective January 3, 2025 says Paragraph 6E(12) was modified to add specific examples of the types of notices that should be listed there. It also adds a caution that a seller's failure to provide required notices may give the buyer certain remedies, like the ability to terminate the contract.
For a seller working toward a set move-out date, a terminated contract means finding a buyer again. A Sienna lot inside the levee district carries that district's notice to purchasers, and most lots add a utility district's notice as well. Each utility district's notice lists the bonds its voters approved and how much it has sold. The seller's disclosure notice has a clock of its own. Under Texas Property Code Section 5.008(f), a buyer who signs before receiving it may terminate for any reason within seven days of receiving it. Gather every notice before the house is listed. Which notices a given contract lists in Paragraph 6E(12) is a question for the license holder writing it.
Does my agent have to use TREC forms for my Sienna sale or purchase?
Yes, for the forms TREC publishes. TREC's list of its forms says real estate license holders are required to use these forms. It warns that mistakes in the use of a form may result in financial loss or a contract which is unenforceable. The same list names what TREC does not promulgate: listing and buyer representation agreements, property management contracts, commercial forms, and residential leases except temporary ones tied to a sale.
So the listing agreement on a Sienna home, and a buyer's written agreement with an agent, are documents TREC does not write. Read each one's end date against your move date before you sign. The Houston MLS requires a listing agreement to carry a definite termination date. Texas requires a written buyer agreement before an agent shows you a house. Ask any agent you interview to name the forms your move plan relies on and why each one fits.
How long should I allow for my Sienna home to sell before a set move-out date?
As of October 2026, the median Sienna home took 42 days to sell and closed at 97.7 percent of asking. A signed contract then still runs through its option period, appraisal, title work and closing. Set the list date well ahead of the move, using how long homes in your own section have been taking to sell rather than the community midpoint.
That midpoint hides a wide spread. A well-priced home in a section with few listings can go under contract quickly, while one priced above its neighbors can sit for months. Redfin counted 185 Sienna closings in June through August 2026, against 207 in the same months of 2025. In those months 53.1% of Sienna listings had a price cut. A set move date leaves less room for a markdown, so the first price has to rest on closings a buyer can check.
Can the school assigned to a Sienna address change before my move-in date?
It can. Fort Bend ISD redraws attendance zones as it opens campuses, so the assigned school for a house can change after a contract is signed. Almeta Crawford High School and Alyssa Ferguson Elementary both opened in August 2023. Run the district's attendance lookup for the exact address before the offer, and again close to closing if a boundary vote is under way.
A listing or a map can fall out of date, while the lookup takes a street address and names the zoned campuses. Sienna is in Fort Bend ISD. The developer lists five elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools serving the community, among them Sienna Crossing Elementary, Baines Middle School and Ridge Point High School. Which of them serves one house depends on the address.
