What an Open Claim Does to a Texas Home Sale 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 an Inherited Texas House When There Is More Than One Heir
When You and Your Siblings Inherit a House in Texas Inheriting a house with brothers and sisters turns a property question into a family one. The legal side is usually more straightforward than people expect. The hard part is that every heir has to agree, and nothing moves until they do. Start by establishing who actually owns the property. If there was a will and it went through probate, the executor's authority is on record and the chain of title is clean. If there was
What Heirs Should Know About a Reverse Mortgage in Texas
When a Texas Reverse Mortgage Comes Due A reverse mortgage lets an older homeowner draw against equity without monthly payments. The loan is not forgiven; it becomes due when a maturity event occurs, and that is usually the point at which the family first has to understand it. Maturity events are defined in the loan documents and typically include the death of the last surviving borrower, the borrower permanently leaving the home, or a breach of the obligation to ke
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
When a Texas Reverse Mortgage Comes Due A reverse mortgage lets an older homeowner draw against equity without monthly payments. The loan is not forgiven; it becomes due when a maturity event occurs, and that is usually the point at which the family first has to understand it. Maturity events are defined in the loan documents and typically include the death of the last surviving borrower, the borrower permanently leaving the home, or a breach of the obligation to keep ta
What Happens to the 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
What an Open Claim Does to a Texas Home Sale 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 why own
Selling a Texas House With an Open Insurance Claim
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