- Counties
- Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, Liberty, Chambers
- Largest appraisal district
- Harris Central Appraisal District
- Metro population
- About 7.3 million
A large and varied seller-finance market
Greater Houston produces a lot of owner-financed paper, and it comes in every shape. Inside the Loop, individual owners sell older homes on terms. In Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, developers carry notes on lots and new houses in subdivisions around Katy, Richmond, Conroe and Magnolia. Out in Liberty, Chambers and rural Brazoria, the collateral is often acreage with a manufactured home.
Because Harris County has no zoning and so many separate taxing districts, two houses a mile apart can have very different tax bills. That is the first thing to understand about servicing a Houston note.
MUDs and the Houston tax stack
Much of suburban Houston was built with municipal utility district financing, and the debt is repaid through property taxes. A single parcel in northwest Harris or Fort Bend can be billed by the county, a school district such as Cy-Fair, Katy or Fort Bend ISD, a city, a MUD, an emergency services district and sometimes a separate improvement authority. Combined effective rates commonly run from about 2.0 to 2.5 percent of market value, and MUD-heavy neighborhoods land near the top.
Not every district bills through the county tax office. Our job is to find every bill for the parcel, budget for all of them, pay each district before the January 31 deadline, and reconcile the account in the annual Reg X §1024.17 analysis.
Flood risk after Harvey
Harvey flooded large parts of Harris County in 2017, including many homes outside the mapped flood zones. Since then, flood maps have been revised, premiums have climbed, and coastal Galveston and Brazoria parcels face both flood and windstorm requirements. On escrowed loans we track every required policy and its renewal date. If coverage lapses, the borrower gets the notices Reg X §1024.37 requires before anything is force-placed.
How Harris County sales work
Harris County holds its first-Tuesday trustee sales at the Bayou City Event Center on Knight Road, in the area the commissioners court has designated, rather than at the downtown courthouse. Notices of sale are filed with the county clerk. Each of the other six counties holds sales at its own county seat, such as the Fort Bend County Justice Center in Richmond. All of them follow the same statute, Tex. Property Code §51.002. The foreclosure calendar lists upcoming dates.
Default and foreclosure support is available as a separate service on request. Ask us for a quote.
Houston questions
The property is in Fort Bend County. Anything different?
The servicing itself is the same. The tax bills come from Fort Bend's appraisal district and taxing units, often including a MUD and a levee improvement district, and we escrow for each.
How do you find every taxing district on a Houston parcel?
We start from the appraisal district record, which lists the jurisdictions that tax the property, and then confirm each bill with the collector that issues it. Districts that use a private tax assessor are tracked separately so their bills are not missed.
What does it cost to service a Houston note?
$150 to set up, then $35 a month per note, or $40 a month with escrow. The price does not change by county. See pricing.
This page is general information about servicing notes in the Houston area and is not legal advice. Tax, insurance and foreclosure rules depend on the loan documents, the county and current law; consult a Texas real estate attorney about your specific loan. Riverstone Note Servicing, LLC is a Texas-licensed mortgage servicer located at 1602 N Interstate 35, San Antonio, TX 78208.
