Stolen Home Recorded as Sold for $10. How Will Texas Respond?

A family home was stolen in a fraudulent sale, for just $10, with a forged deed. Now, an heir is fighting in court to recover the property.

Shannon P., the heir who’s fighting, views her lawsuit as a public service announcement as well as a struggle to recover generational wealth.

“If you’re not checking on your property, it can be stolen from you,” Shannon told the audience of the Austin-based investigative newscast KVUE Defenders.

Tangled Web of Developers Passed Deed

Alfredia M. transferred the deed to her home on Kuhlman Avenue to her grandchild, Shannon P., several years before passing away in 2017. Shannon believed the East Austin home would belong to the family for generations.

Now, two new homes have sprung up on the property. Shannon’s inherited home was demolished in order to redevelop the land. And it began with a forgery.  

The family didn’t know what was coming. They, including Shannon, grew up in Austin but now live in Houston. They figured the deed would always be there. But some opportunists go sniffing around for unoccupied homes, knowing they’re worth something to developers. And that’s exactly what happened next.

According to government records:

• Someone named Taylor bought the property in March 2023 and resold it on the same day to Rexwell Development.

• In July 2023, someone forging Shannon Pleasant’s name transferred the home to Rexwell again.

• Rexwell sold the property to NuWave Solutions, which, on the same day, transferred it to 2 Grier Brothers LLC.

• After the Grier company took title, demolition and building permits were issued. And Shannon’s home was torn down.

Shannon’s uncle sent a text one day to ask why she’d sold the property. He’d seen the new construction. Only then did Shannon know trouble was afoot.

She pulled up the appraisal district website to find someone else’s name on the current title. A recorded deed shows a transfer of title in 2023 for just $10. Shannon then knew a fraudster had forged her name to sell her family’s real estate to a developer.

Shannon Goes to Court

Shannon lawyered up and sued the multiple parties who had taken control of her home’s title. The suit, filed in June 2024, claimed that the defendants took the title by unlawful means — including forgery. The defendants didn’t show up to the hearings. The court issued a default judgment against 2 Grier Brothers LLC, deciding the property belonged to Shannon.

In March 2025, Shannon asked the police to come with her when she went to change the locks at the property. Jeff Grier, a developer and founder of 2 Grier Brothers, was present on the property. A heated confrontation ensued.

Then Grier went to court, claiming 2 Grier Brothers never got proper notification about the case.

In April 2025, the judge agreed to allow a new trial. And so it happens that Shannon is still fighting this case.

Part of a Larger Problem—Now, Supercharged by AI

NuWave Solutions LLC was dropped as a defendant, but the company faces a similar suit involving a different East Austin home. In that case, the county records showed the deed was still in the name of a family when the developers had it demolished. The East Austin cases are examples of what the KVUE-TV reporters call “a much larger problem in Texas real estate.”

Indeed, the year Shannon’s home was stolen, a third of title insurance companies had reported attempted deed transfers by people pretending to be owners.

Brian Pitman heads the Independence Title company. Pitman told news reporters that artificial intelligence can create such convincing notarizations, that even a notary whose signature and credentials were forged often can’t tell the difference.

Can insurance cover deed fraud losses? The American Land Title Association policy protects buyers if their title was ever forged before their purchase. ALTA also sells a homeowner’s insurance policy that covers a deed holder against future fraudulent transfers.

What Is Texas Doing About Deed Fraud?

Recorders of Texas deeds were empowered, as of July 2023, to check the identification of people who show up to file title transfers. This new provision — nicknamed the “dirty deeds law” — was just taking effect around the time Shannon’s deed was forged and filed. It’s disappointing that the forgery of Shannon’s deed slipped through the cracks. She has spent tens of thousands of dollars on her case so far.

Another investigative TV series prompted that change. It was WFAA-TV of Dallas, which aired its report in December 2022. For several years, the WFAA “Dirty Deeds” investigation reported on the plights of innocent people who lost their titles to deed forgery.

In August of this year, Texas legislators passed Senate Bill 16. It strengthens the penalties for deed crimes, and shores up protection for deed holders. In September, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1734. This was after Senators heard from title insurers that cases of deed fraud have risen to “epidemic” levels in Texas. The new law provides deed holders a simpler, cheaper way to recover a wrongfully transferred deed. Victims can now go straight to a judge for relief rather than endure a full trial.

KVUE-TV reports that the Travis County Clerk’s Office is “in the process of developing a new streamlined system to assist homeowners in protecting themselves against fraud.” This new system will enable homeowners to opt into alerts when any documents are filed “for their address or under their name.” (Travis County is where Austin, the capital of Texas, is located.)

This progress is good, of course. But it comes too late for Shannon.

What Actions Can Deed Holders Take?

Please, dear deed holders, treat your deed with care. As Shannon says: Check in on your home if you’re absent. Open the mail and read the notices pertaining to your home. Never ignore tax statements, unusual utility bills, a deed you weren’t expecting, or a listing you didn’t authorize.

Many counties have already activated deed alert systems. Check your county clerk’s website and sign up today if it’s available.

And do report suspicious activity as quickly as you notice it. Speak with the county recorder of deeds or title company representative. If you find out there’s a real problem, inform local law enforcement about the matter. Prompt action leads to better success in deed recovery cases (because many fraudsters use time as an opportunity to transfer the deed to yet another party).

Your home is precious. Keep tabs on your deed.