Dallas buyer guide · October 19, 2026
Two payments. Two jobs. One clear handoff.
Earnest money and the option fee are not the same payment. Keep each one easy to trace from the signed contract to the closing file.
The quick answer
Earnest money is money a buyer gives under the purchase contract. It can show that the buyer is serious. An option fee is tied to the buyer's negotiated right to end the contract during the option period. The escrow agent is the party named to hold the money.
TREC's contract says the buyer must deliver the earnest money and option fee within three days after the effective date. Your signed contract and facts control. Ask your agent or lawyer to confirm the exact time and method.
Private checklist
Build a clean money handoff
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1. Find both blanks in the signed contract
Write the two amounts on separate lines. Add the escrow agent, effective date and delivery terms shown in your papers. Do not copy a number from another deal. These terms can be negotiated.
Use the current TREC resale contract only as a public reference. The signed form for your deal is the one that matters.
2. Keep the payments separate
One transfer may include both amounts, but your notes should still show two rows. TREC explains that the option fee may be delivered with the earnest money. A clear split helps the escrow agent, lender and buyer see what was paid.
3. Confirm the safe payment path
Get payment steps from a trusted phone number or known contact. Do not trust a last-minute email that changes wiring steps. Call the escrow or title office before sending money. Save the name of the person who confirmed the steps.
4. Save proof, but know its limit
A bank record can show that money left an account. A receipt can show that another party got it. Neither record, by itself, proves a legal right or result. TREC says a seller may have contract remedies when earnest money is not delivered on time. Ask a lawyer about missed timing or a dispute.
TREC offers more detail in its option-fee delivery guidance and contract FAQ.
5. Link the option fee to the option work
The fee and the work are connected, but they are not the same thing. Use the Dallas option-period guide to plan inspections, follow-up and open questions around the time written in your contract.
6. Match the closing file
Before closing, compare your receipt with the title and lender papers. Ask where each amount appears. Do not subtract a payment twice in your own math. The Dallas cash-to-close guide shows how to keep money already paid apart from money still due.
One clean file
Save the contract, safe payment steps and receipt together.
Then ask the title or lender team to show how the money appears in the final file.