Smith County Enhanced Life Estate Deed Form (Texas)

All Smith County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Enhanced Life Estate Form

Smith County Enhanced Life Estate Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Smith County compliant document last validated/updated 7/23/2025

Enhanced Life Estate Guide

Smith County Enhanced Life Estate Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Smith County compliant document last validated/updated 5/28/2025

Completed Example of the Enhanced Life Estate Document

Smith County Completed Example of the Enhanced Life Estate Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Smith County compliant document last validated/updated 6/3/2025

When using these Enhanced Life Estate Deed forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Smith County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Smith County Clerk

200 East Ferguson St, Suite 300, Tyler, Texas 75702

Hours: 8:00am - 4:45pm M-F

Phone: (903) 590-4670

Local jurisdictions located in Smith County include:

  • Arp
  • Bullard
  • Flint
  • Lindale
  • Troup
  • Tyler
  • Whitehouse
  • Winona

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Smith County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Smith County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Smith County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Smith County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Enhanced Life Estate Deed forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Smith County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Smith County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Texas or Smith County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Smith County Enhanced Life Estate Deed forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

A Lady Bird deed, also called an enhanced life estate deed or reservation of a life estate with a general power of appointment, is a useful estate planning tool. When executed, the grantor conveys a life estate in real property to himself, with the remainder conveyed to the beneficiary of his choice, thereby avoiding the probate process. This type of deed enables the grantor to preserve homestead status (if claimed) as well as any deductions, protections, and tax exemptions associated with the real estate during his lifetime. In addition, he retains absolute control over the property, allowing for the option to change the beneficiary or even sell, convey, or mortgage the property before the transfer of ownership goes into effect upon the grantor's death.

(Texas Enhanced Life Estate Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Smith County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Smith County Enhanced Life Estate Deed form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

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July 24th, 2025

Forms easy to download but experienced problems trying to type in my information into the forms. Then when I went to print a form, Adobe wanted to charge me for printing. I ended up printing the blank forms and then filling them out manually.

Reply from Staff

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July 22nd, 2025

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July 22nd, 2022

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March 4th, 2019

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