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 1/29/2025

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.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4557 Reviews )

Nigel S.

June 24th, 2025

Very simple to use. The 'completed examples' are very helpful.

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Robert H.

June 23rd, 2025

Great service, easy way to get accurate documents

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Andre H.

June 19th, 2025

World class forms, great for someone like me that has no clue what I'm doing! Always better to let the pros do it than think one knows it all and gets themselves in trouble!

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Donald C.

August 7th, 2020

As promised, my forms were immediately ready for download. The forms were exactly what i wanted. I couldnt be happier and i cant even guess how much money i saved. They were even formatted to the exact font, spacing and margin used by my county. It is obvious a lot of time and effort was put into the preparation of these documents. They are absolutely perfect. Check it out, you wont be disappointed and the price is much less than i expected.
Don caldwell

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Peter F.

February 25th, 2021

It was outstanding, seriously, I had 3 e mail correspondences asking for information and providing feedback within 2 hours and was ready for submission at that point.
I paid the invoice online and by the end of the day I had electronic verification that Registry of Deeds had processed my documents.

That work is good stuff !
Pete

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Janice S.

August 31st, 2022

All instructions and forms are very easy to read and fill-out. Thank you

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April 24th, 2022

The website was easy to use even for me with little computer knowledge.

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Rachel F.

April 14th, 2022

Wonderful forms as long as you know what you need. Do some research ahead of time so you can avoid looking like an idiot ordering the incorrect form for your situation.

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September 10th, 2021

This was my first time using this service and it worked smoothly and efficiently and I will definitely use them again.

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Joseph P.

April 28th, 2023

I purchased the Affidavit of Surviving Joint Tenant document and found the whole package of documents to be useful and practical. Successfully recorded!!! While the fillable PDF files are good enough, I personally prefer a Word document as it is easier to modify font or spacing.

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Brenda M.

December 26th, 2018

It was quick and easy to obtain the document I needed

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Kimberly S.

July 21st, 2022

Worked very well. Seamless process with helpful directions.

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James S.

September 21st, 2021

The affidavit guidance was a great help and helped reduce the stress that usually comes with dealing with legalese. The Preliminary Change of Ownership that CA requires is quite complex since it covers a hoard of situations. I was left with a bit of uncertainty, but I definitely wouldn't want to try it without guidance.

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MARK S.

March 17th, 2020

Forms seem direct, simple, not what a "big firm" might have, appear sufficient to do the job -- safety in following at least the basics

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WAYNE C.

July 11th, 2021

Wonderful forms, been coming here for years (since 2012) for my deed forms and they have never failed.

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