Articles – Real Estate Deeds Made Easy Since 1997
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.
In May, a bill was signed into law to amend Chapter 13 of the Texas Property Code, to take effect on Sep. 1, 2021. From now on, using a quitclaim deed to transfer title from one owner to the next will be easier. Title companies will be able to consider buyers who accepted and recorded quitclaims as bona fide purchasers after four years. Texas formally set a four-year statute of limitations for competing claims.
Once a quitclaim deed is recorded in the property’s county, a later purchaser or lender has good-faith protection, as long as the party has no knowledge of other unrecorded claims on the property. What does this mean for buyers of real estate with a quitclaim in the chain of title? The buyer can legally claim good faith purchaser status.
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”A mechanic’s lien is an encumbrance on a property owner’s real estate title, used to guarantee payment to builders, contractors, and construction businesses which build or repair structures, by using the property where the work was completed as a form of collateral. Eligible parties include the general contractor, subcontractors, laborers, and material or equipment suppliers, as well as by architects, engineers, and surveyors. Material or equipment suppliers must have the materials actually delivered to or used in the project to claim a lien, but if the materials were specially manufactured, the supplier can get a lien even if the materials are not ultimately delivered or incorporated into the project. The lien ensures that the workmen are paid before anyone else if the property subject to the lien is eventually foreclosed upon.
Continue reading “The Mechanic’s Lien Process in Texas”Non-judicial foreclosures in Texas are governed by Chapter 51 of the Texas Property Code, which outlines the foreclosure process for residential property, or the property used by borrowers as their principal residence [1]. Foreclosures of non-residential property follow different procedures.
Continue reading “The Guide to Texas Trustee’s Deed”As of September 1, 2015, owners of real property in Texas gained access to the statutory transfer on death deed (TODD). Modeled after the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act and located at Chapter 14 of the Texas Estates Code, the Texas Real Property Transfer on Death Act governs the use of transfer on death deeds in the State of Texas.
Continue reading “Texas Adds Statutory Transfer on Death Deeds to Estate Planning Arsenal”In Texas, a correction deed is the deed issued to make changes to an erroneous deed. These two instruments are closely linked, and all corrections are effective as of the date of the original recorded instrument (Property Code Sec. 5.030).
Continue reading “Filing a corrected deed in Texas (even if the title company has closed)”