"Do I need to set up an LLC before I buy?" "Do I need a U.S. bank account first?" "What's this ITIN thing everyone mentions?" These three questions come up together so often that I usually answer them as a set, because the honest answer for each one is the same: helpful, sometimes, but rarely required before you can put in an offer.

I'm Bob McCranie, Broker Associate at Texas Pride Realty Group – HomeSmart Stars, and over twenty-four years of closing deals for international buyers, I've walked plenty of clients through exactly which of these pieces they actually need and in what order.

ITINs: Useful for Taxes, Not Required to Purchase

An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number isn't a prerequisite for buying property in Texas. You can close on a home without one. Where an ITIN becomes important is on the tax side — if you'll be earning rental income, you'll eventually need to file a U.S. tax return, and an ITIN is how the IRS tracks that filing for someone without a Social Security number. Some lenders will ask for one as part of a specific loan program, but plenty of foreign national purchases close with just a passport and the appropriate visa or entry documentation, so don't let ITIN paperwork become a bottleneck before you've even found a property.

U.S. Bank Accounts: Not Mandatory, But Genuinely Convenient

You can technically wire funds directly from an overseas account to a title company at closing without ever opening a U.S. bank account. That said, I strongly recommend opening one anyway, especially if you're planning to hold the property as a rental. A U.S. account makes it dramatically easier to receive rent deposits, pay property taxes and insurance, and reimburse a property manager for repairs without an international wire fee eating into your margin every single month.

"A client from Nigeria tried to run his rental income through his home bank for the first year and lost real money to conversion fees and delays every single month. Once we got him set up with a local account, the whole process became simple." — Bob McCranie

LLCs: A Personal Decision, Not a Legal Requirement

You do not need to form an LLC or any other U.S. entity to buy residential property in Texas as an individual. Plenty of my clients hold property in their own name with no issues at all. That said, many investors — particularly those buying higher-value property or multiple units — choose to purchase through an LLC for liability protection and, in some cases, tax planning purposes. This is really a conversation to have with an attorney and a CPA rather than something I'd ever advise on directly, since the right structure depends heavily on your home country's tax treaty situation and your broader estate planning goals.

How This Plays Out Across Different Purchases

The bigger and more complex the purchase, the more likely an entity structure or dedicated banking setup makes sense. A straightforward purchase in Carrollton homes under 400k often closes just fine in an individual's name with minimal setup, while a client eyeing Highland Park homes over 800k is far more likely to be working with an attorney on an entity structure from the start. Buyers looking at more modest, straightforward inventory like Addison homes between 400k and 600k tend to fall somewhere in the middle, where the decision often comes down to personal preference rather than necessity.

None of this needs to feel overwhelming, and none of it should hold up your search while you sort it out. With over 1,150 Dallas-Fort Worth closings and 45 five-star Google reviews, I've seen every combination of these pieces work, and I'll point you toward the right professionals for the parts that fall outside my lane as your real estate agent.

One Order of Operations That Saves Time

If I had to give one piece of practical advice, it's this: start your ITIN and bank account paperwork in parallel with your property search rather than waiting until after you've found a house. Both can take a few weeks to process, and there's no reason to let that timeline delay your closing if you start early. LLC formation, on the other hand, can typically happen quickly once you and your attorney land on a structure, so it rarely needs to hold up an offer if you decide to go that route later in the process.