Fire or Storm Damage and Selling a House in Texas Hail, wind and fire claims are routine in Texas, and an open claim complicates a sale in ways that are manageable if you understand who is owed what. The central question is who receives the claim proceeds. If there is a mortgage, the lender is typically named on the policy and the check is usually issued jointly. Lenders commonly hold the funds and release them in stages as repairs are completed and inspected. This is wh
Can You Sell a Rental in Texas With a Tenant in Place
Selling a Texas House With a Tenant Still Living In It You can sell a house in Texas with a tenant living in it. What you cannot do is sell it as though the tenant is not there. The lease is an obligation that travels with the property, and understanding that early saves a great deal of friction. A lease survives the sale. When the property changes hands the new owner steps into the landlord's position and takes the lease as written, for whatever term remains. A buyer wh
Estate Cleanouts and Selling a House in Texas A house packed with a lifetime of belongings is a common situation and rarely the one people plan for. It usually arrives with a death in the family, a move to assisted living, or a long decline nobody wanted to confront. The first thing worth saying is that the contents do not have to be resolved before you decide what to do with the property. Sellers routinely delay for months, paying taxes, insurance and utilities on an em
Dividing a House in a Texas Divorce In a divorce the house is usually the largest asset and the one with the most strings attached. Texas is a community property state, which shapes the whole question in ways that surprise people who have moved here from elsewhere. The first distinction is between community property and separate property. Broadly, what either spouse acquired during the marriage is community property. What one spouse owned before the marriage, or received
What a Texas HOA Can Do About Unpaid Dues A homeowners association in Texas has more authority than most owners realize. Unpaid assessments are not merely a billing dispute, and in some circumstances an association can foreclose on the lien securing them. The authority comes from the recorded declaration, the document filed in the county property records that created the subdivision's covenants. When you bought, you took title subject to it. That declaration typically cr
Fire or Storm Damage and Selling a House in Texas Hail, wind and fire claims are routine in Texas, and an open claim complicates a sale in ways that are manageable if you understand who is owed what. The central question is who receives the claim proceeds. If there is a mortgage, the lender is typically named on the policy and the check is usually issued jointly. Lenders commonly hold the funds and release them in stages as repairs are completed and inspected. This is wh
Selling a Texas House With Delinquent Property Taxes Texas has no state income tax and funds local government substantially through property tax, which makes the property tax lien unusually powerful here. If you are behind, the position is serious, but it is also more workable than most people assume. The lien attaches automatically on January 1 each year for that year's taxes. It is not something the county has to file to create. Taxes are generally due by January 31, a
Selling a Tenant-Occupied House in Texas You can sell a house in Texas with a tenant living in it. What you cannot do is sell it as though the tenant is not there. The lease is an obligation that travels with the property, and understanding that early saves a great deal of friction. A lease survives the sale. When the property changes hands the new owner steps into the landlord's position and takes the lease as written, for whatever term remains. A buyer who wants t