Selling for what it's actually worth

Yes. Texas requires most residential sellers to provide a Seller's Disclosure Notice, and it asks directly about previous flooding, location in a floodplain, and prior flood insurance claims. Disclose known issues fully. Failing to disclose something you knew about is one of the more reliable ways to end up in litigation after closing.

The main line items are agent compensation as agreed in your listing agreement, title policy and closing costs, any survey, and any concessions or repairs negotiated with the buyer. One thing that's fixed: title insurance rates in Texas are set by the Texas Department of Insurance, so the premium is the same at every title company — shop on service, not price.

A newly listed home is seen by every buyer already watching that price band, which is the largest audience it will ever have at once. Price it correctly and that's when the strongest offers arrive. Price it high and you spend that window teaching the market to skip it, then carry days-on-market baggage into every later negotiation.

Some, not all. Not every improvement returns its cost, and the expensive ones often return the least. Deferred maintenance and anything that will show up on an inspection are usually worth addressing, because buyers price those risks higher than the repair costs. Discretionary updates should be decided against your specific price band before you spend anything.

Yes — that's the normal case. Your loan is paid off from the sale proceeds at closing, and what remains after the payoff and closing costs goes to you. Your lender provides a payoff statement, and the title company handles it. What matters is knowing in advance whether the expected sale price clears the payoff, which is part of any honest pricing conversation.