TREC 20-19 checklist: what to check before you send the file to title

Title problems like these usually aren't legal puzzles. They're blanks and mismatches that were easy to fix before the file left your desk. Here's the order to check them in.

Need the blank form? Get the current TREC 20-19 from the Commission itself: official TREC 20-19 page → TxtAnOffer doesn't host or modify the form. Already filled one in? See a sample report first, or check your own file with the button at the end of this page.

1. Property and parties (Sections 1 and 2A)

• Property address, city and county (Section 2A). Don't skip County; title needs it to open the file.
• Buyer and seller legal names (Section 1). Match them to how the parties will sign at closing, not a nickname or a partial name.

2. Money and who holds it (Sections 5A and 6A)

• Escrow agent name (Section 5A). If it's blank, nobody knows where the earnest money goes.
• Earnest money and option fee amounts (Section 5A). Fill in both. A blank option fee means no termination option under 5D.
• Title company (Section 6A). If it isn't the escrow agent named in 5A, confirm that's intentional.

3. Financing: contract vs. 40-11 addendum

• Loan amount. The third-party financing amount in Section 3B must match the principal amount on the TREC 40-11 Third Party Financing Addendum.
• The financing checkboxes. If a 40-11 is attached, the Third Party Financing Addendum box should be checked in both Section 3B and the Section 22 addenda list. If it's an all-cash deal with no 40-11, neither box should be checked.

4. Initials on every page

The 20-19 has an "Initialed for identification by Buyer ___ and Seller ___" line at the bottom of every page from 1 to 9 of 12, and the 40-11 has one on its first page. Each party initials once per page: one buyer means one buyer slot filled, and the second buyer slot correctly stays blank. A single missing initial is easy to miss scrolling through.

5. The Effective Date (page 10 of 12)

The line reads "EXECUTED the ___ day of ___, 20__ (Effective Date)," with the instruction "BROKER: FILL IN THE DATE OF FINAL ACCEPTANCE." Deadlines in the contract count from it, so a blank here creates confusion about every date that follows. More on why the Effective Date matters →

6. Amendments (TREC 39-11)

If there's an amendment, confirm its sales price matches what the deal actually is now, and that its property address matches the contract. An amendment with the wrong address usually means the wrong file got attached.

Make sure you're on the current form

The current TREC 20-19 has been mandatory since July 1, 2026. An old template saved on someone's computer is a quiet source of problems. See what's on the current version →

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