On closing day in Texas, you sign the loan documents and the purchase paperwork at the title company, the lender reviews the signed package and wires the loan money, and the title company disburses funds and sends the deed and deed of trust to the county for recording. You become the owner when the transaction funds, and the keys change hands when your contract says they do, usually at closing and funding. The signing is one step, not the whole day.
Most of the work happens before you sit down. Under federal rules, you must receive the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before you sign the loan (12 CFR 1026.19(f)). Read it against your Loan Estimate. In the days before closing, you will usually:
The buyer signs the note, which is the promise to repay, and the deed of trust, which secures the loan against the house. There are also affidavits, the final Closing Disclosure, tax and insurance documents and lender forms. The seller signs the deed and the documents that transfer title. In Texas, the title company usually conducts the closing, holds the money in escrow, and handles disbursement.
Bring a current government photo ID. The name on the ID should match the name the title company prepared for the deed. A name change you never mentioned is a delay, not a detail.
After you sign, the lender reviews the signed package. When it is satisfied, it sends the loan money by wire. The title company disburses only after it has good funds in hand. That is how Texas title rules work in practice (TDI Basic Manual, Procedural Rule P-27). Disbursement pays off the seller's loan, pays commissions as the contract directs, settles prorated taxes, and sends the seller's proceeds.
A morning signing can fund the same day. A package that needs a second look can fund the next business day. Ask the closer when funding is expected.
Recording is done by the county clerk. In Fort Worth that is the Tarrant County Clerk, not the lender. Recording gives public notice of the deed and the lien. It can lag behind funding by a few days. It does not change the fact that you own the house once the transaction has funded.
The TREC resale contract sets possession in its possession paragraph, usually at closing and funding, unless the parties signed a temporary lease (TREC No. 20-19). A seller leaseback is a separate written agreement with its own terms. It is not implied.
A purchase loan on your home does not come with a three-day right to cancel after signing. Your easy exit was the option period. Many refinances of a primary residence do have a three-business-day rescission period before funding, and funding waits until it ends.
Fictional example: a buyer signs at 9 a.m. at a Fort Worth title office and asks for the keys at 9:30. The lender has not funded yet because it is still reviewing the signed package. The contract says possession at closing and funding. The keys move at 1:15 p.m., when the title company confirms the wire and disburses. Nothing went wrong. Signing and funding are two steps.
If someone cannot attend, read about closing with a power of attorney early, because approval of a power of attorney takes time.
If you are under contract and want a clear picture of the last two weeks before closing, I can walk you through it. Book a call, or start an application.
Links checked Oct 21, 2026.
About the author: McKade Lively, NMLS 2704474, American Pacific Mortgage Corporation dba True North Home Loans, NMLS 1850.
Equal Housing Opportunity.
Last reviewed: Oct 2026