Real Estate Deeds Made Easy Since 1997
Recent legislative changes in Texas, specifically Senate Bill 1612 and amendments to the Estates Code, have brought significant adjustments that impact real estate deeds and the probate process. These changes are essential for professionals in real estate, law, and estate planning to understand and incorporate into their practice.
Continue reading “Texas Real Estate Deed Recording Fees and Estates Code Updates”
More Houston-area deed fraud victims are speaking out. The alleged perpetrator has already been charged with a first-degree felony of forgery, fraudulent document execution, and theft greater than $300,000, in connection with warranty deeds worth some $15 million.
He would forge property owners’ signatures. Then he’d go buy their properties at a deep discount. Investigators say he tried to steal his own dad’s house. Yep.
He was arrested, let go on his personal recognizance, and told to reappear at his arraignment. He was a no-show. And that means Timothy W. is a wanted man again. What’s more, additional people have since stepped up, saying they believe the same person tried to take their homes away, too.
Continue reading “Texas Warranty Deed Forgery Plot Thickens”
They call it the dirty deeds law. Recorders of Texas deeds may, as of July 2023, card people who show up to file home deed transfers.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, a swindler sold an ill-gotten deed to the Zillow® real estate company.
Texas is lowering the boom. The state will now have its deed recorders verify the bona fides of strangers bearing documents.
Continue reading “Swindlers Beware: Texas Makes Its Move to Head Off “Dirty Deeds””
The latest cyberthreat is home equity theft, warns the Home Title Lock company. “Are you already a victim?”
The company warns potential customers to “lock” their deeds, or they could be left homeless and mired in credit problems.
Now, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into Home Title Lock’s advertising.
Continue reading “Texas AG Investigates Home Title Lock”
Some interesting real estate law news has come from Texas. In 2021 the Texas Supreme Court said Houston may regulate some development, without breaking the city’s unusual no-zoning rule.
Wait. Houston has a no-zoning rule? And the state’s high court is endorsing ways to regulate around it? Let’s see what’s going on here.
Continue reading “Houston: The Zoning-Free City. Right?”
Adverse Possession Also Clarified
Congrats to Texas, where the government just gave a boost to the quitclaim deed! People who receive their homes through recorded quitclaim deeds will now be on firmer ground in the Lone Star State. Here’s what you need to know.
Continue reading “Texans Welcome New Guidance for Quitclaim Deeds”
Stories abound about people in southern states facing denials of disaster assistance because they can’t prove clear title to their homes.
It’s hurricane season — and hurricanes are hard on Texas. When Texas residents lack the legal basis for insuring their homes, or to claim disaster assistance after storm damage, the harm is compounded. This season, through a pilot program started last year for Dallas residents, legal service providers are stepping in to help. They’ve started a new legal support system to clear titles: Title and Property Assistance, or TAPA.
Continue reading “News From Texas”
Paying off the decedent’s debts is one of the primary duties of an estate’s executor or administrator. Failing to do this can lead to personal liability on the executor or administrator’s part. The estate’s creditors have rights under Texas probate law, but all are time-sensitive. If estate assets are limited, whether the creditor receives reimbursement depends on the nature of the debt.
Continue reading “Probate Creditors’ Rights Under Texas Law”Questions and concerns frequently arise when owners of residential property in suburban and rural areas discover that oil and gas operations are being conducted in the vicinity. The information below is intended to provide general answers to some of the most common questions.
Continue reading “Mineral Rights, Oil & Gas Exploration, and Surface Ownership in Texas”The information presented in this article is not all-encompassing, nor is it meant to be construed as professional legal advice. Because homestead exemption laws are complicated, consult a qualified attorney with questions regarding homestead exemptions and living trusts in your state.
Via Black’s Law Dictionary, 8th ed., a homestead is “[t]he house, outbuildings, and adjoining land owned and occupied by a person or family as a residence. As long as the homestead does not exceed in area or value the limits fixed by law, in most states it is exempt from forced sale for collection of a debt.” A homestead can only be designated in one jurisdiction, generally where the owner maintains permanent residence.
Continue reading “Homestead Exemptions and Living Trusts: a Look at California, Florida, and Texas”