01 · Buying in Brenham & Washington County
Buying a home in Brenham, step by step.
This guide walks through buying a home in Brenham and Washington County, Texas: choosing a REALTOR, getting pre-approved, touring, making an offer, inspecting, and closing. It is practical, plain-language help, not mortgage advice.
De Wayne Mortensen II, REALTOR with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Hometown, has helped buyers in Brenham and the six surrounding counties since moving his practice to Texas. Call 936-727-8820 or book a consultation to ask the questions that matter for your move.
- Service area
- Brenham + 6 counties
- Licensed
- TX & California
- Experience
- 20+ years
- With BHGRE Hometown
- Since 2025
02 · The process
Six steps, and none of them are mysterious.
Buying a home is a sequence of decisions. Here is the order most Washington County transactions follow, with the plain-language version of each step.
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Talk to an agent first
Interview buyer's agents before you tour. Ask how long they have worked Brenham and Washington County, how they are compensated, and how they will stress-test the price and condition of the homes you are drawn to.
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Get pre-approved before you look
A lender checks your credit, income and assets, then commits in writing to a loan amount. Pre-approval sets your real budget, and it lets you move quickly when a well-priced home like 303 W Alamo St hits the calendar.
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Tour with homework
Walk through with the disclosure package in hand. Ask about the water heater, HVAC, roof and appliances, and picture the house across all four seasons, not just the hour you visit.
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Make an offer
Your agent builds the offer from comparable sales, the home's condition and how long it has been listed. Earnest money, the financing and inspection contingencies, and the closing date all go into the contract.
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Inspect and negotiate
A licensed inspector goes through the structure, roof, foundation, mechanical systems and, in Texas, wood-destroying insects. Repairs or credits are then negotiated before you remove your inspection contingency.
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Close at the title table
The title company runs the search and survey, the lender funds, you do a final walkthrough, and you sign. In Texas the closing usually happens at a title company, and someone from your team walks you through every page.
A local filter on every decision
A Brenham agent knows which streets flood, which schools feed where, how the courthouse square affects weekend traffic, and what a realistic offer looks like in your price range. That local context turns every tour into information.
Experience on the negotiating side
De Wayne has spent more than 20 years helping people buy and sell property and once served as broker of record for a two-office Better Homes and Gardens franchise in Southern California. He has seen offers succeed and fall apart, and he knows which terms matter as much as price.
Before you sign anything, ask how your agent is compensated and what they will do for you at every step. In most Texas transactions the seller pays the cooperating agent commission, but your agent should explain your particular deal in writing.
04 · Pre-approval & financing
Know your number before you fall in love with a house.
- Pre-approval vs. pre-qualification
- A pre-qualification is a conversation. A pre-approval is a lender's written commitment after checking credit, income and assets. Sellers and their agents take pre-approval far more seriously when an offer arrives.
- Documents to gather
- Plan on W-2s, recent pay stubs, two years of tax returns, two months of bank statements, and details of any other debts. Having these ready shortens the whole timeline.
- Live with the full payment, not just the loan
- Property taxes, homeowners insurance, and sometimes HOA dues ride along with the mortgage. Your lender will give you exact numbers for the address you are considering.
- Lender choice is yours
- Local lenders, credit unions and national banks all operate in Brenham. Talk to more than one, compare the written estimates, and pick the fit you trust. De Wayne can refer you to lenders he works with regularly.
- Houston
- About 74-76 miles east
- Roughly 75-90 minutes via US-290
- Austin
- About 89 miles west
- Roughly 1.5 hours via US-290
- Airports
- Bush Intercontinental and Austin-Bergstrom
- Both within about 1.5-2 hours by car
Schools, Pre-K through 12
Elementary (K-4)
Alton, Brenham and Krause Elementary. Confirm the assigned campus for your address with the district.
Junior High
Brenham Junior High at 1200 Carlee Dr, grades 7-8.
High school
Brenham High at 525 A.H. Ehrig Dr, grades 9-12.
School boundaries and enrollment can change. Verify current assignments with Brenham ISD before making decisions.
06 · Home inspections
The inspection is where surprises get found on paper, not in year one.
What a licensed inspector covers
Structure, foundation, roof, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and visible water damage. Because this is Texas, the inspection typically also includes a check for termites and wood-destroying insects, which is usually written up as its own report.
Your inspection contingency
The contract gives you a window to inspect and to negotiate repairs or a credit. You can accept the home as-is, ask for fixes, or walk away inside the window without losing your earnest money. A newer build like 303 W Alamo St, from 2017, tends to produce a short report, but every house deserves the check.
07 · Making an offer
An offer is a package, not just a price.
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Comparable sales
Your agent pulls recent closed sales of similar homes and weighs condition, updates and location. That evidence, not emotion, sets the opening number.
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Earnest money
A good-faith deposit held in escrow, credited toward your down payment at closing. The amount is negotiable and is returned if the deal falls apart for a protected reason.
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Contingencies
Financing, inspection and appraisal contingencies protect you. A seller with competing offers may ask you to shorten them, so know your bank before you negotiate.
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The counteroffer
Expect back-and-forth on price, closing date or terms. Your agent relays each move in writing and explains the trade-offs as they come.
08 · Closing
The last mile, explained line by line.
- The title company runs the show
- The title company verifies the seller can transfer clear title, prepares the closing documents, and holds the funds. In Texas this is where the closing happens, often all parties around one table.
- Survey, insurance and costs
- A survey locates the property lines, and title insurance protects your ownership going forward. Closing costs, typically lender fees, title fees, taxes and insurance, are itemized on your closing disclosure several days before you sign.
- Final walkthrough
- In the days before closing you confirm the home is in the agreed condition, repairs are done, and nothing agreed to convey has gone missing.
- Keys
- Once the deed is recorded and funds are released, you are handed the keys. Everything before that moment is paperwork with a clear order, and your agent is with you for all of it.
09 · Questions to ask any buyer's agent
The four-minute interview that saves a year.
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How many homes have you helped buyers purchase in Washington County in the last two years?
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How are you compensated, and what would I pay out of pocket?
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Who do you recommend for lenders, inspectors and title, and why?
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What does your offer strategy look like in a competitive situation?
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Selling later? What do you do on the listing side too?
10 · Your contact on the process
De Wayne Mortensen II, REALTOR, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Hometown.
More than 20 years helping people buy and sell property, licensed in Texas and California, and based right here in Brenham at 1811 S. Market St Unit A. He works the City of Brenham in Washington County and the six surrounding adjacent counties.
Sales Agent & Broker · TX: 836279, CA: 01749107 · Texas & California. Equal Housing Opportunity. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Start your buyer's journey
Tell De Wayne where you are in the process, first-time buyer or relocating from Houston or Austin, and he will point you to the right next step.
Ready to see what $474,900 buys in the West Main neighborhood?
Tour 303 W Alamo St