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Mortgage Forbearance After a Job Loss: A Guide for Leander Homeowners

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Losing a job does not mean losing the house, at least not right away. For a Leander homeowner who suddenly cannot make the next payment, mortgage forbearance is usually the first tool worth asking about: an agreement with your loan servicer to pause or reduce payments for a set period while you get back on your feet. This guide explains what forbearance is, how to ask for it, what happens when it ends, and how to tell when selling is the cleaner way out. Disclosure: I work with House Buyers Texas, a company that buys houses in Texas. This post is general information, not legal or financial advice. For your own loan, talk to your servicer, a HUD-approved housing counselor or a Texas attorney. What is mortgage forbearance, and what does it not do? Mortgage forbearance is temporary relief: your servicer agrees that, for a defined stretch of months, you can pay less or nothing at all without the loan being treated as an ordinary default. The federal mortgage servicing rule, Regulat...
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What Is Pre-Foreclosure? A Texas Timeline for Cedar Hill Homeowners

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If you have missed mortgage payments on your Cedar Hill house, you may have heard the phrase and wondered what is pre foreclosure, exactly. In Texas it is the stretch between your first missed payment and the courthouse auction, and the law gives that stretch a fixed set of steps. Knowing those steps tells you how much time you really have and which doors are still open. I work with House Buyers Texas, a company that buys houses directly from owners, so keep that in mind as you read. This post explains the Texas statute and federal servicing rules in plain words. It is not legal advice; for your own loan, talk to a Texas real estate or bankruptcy attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor. What is pre-foreclosure in Texas? Pre-foreclosure is the period after you fall behind but before the house is sold at a foreclosure sale. Most Texas home loans are secured by a deed of trust with a "power of sale," which lets the lender foreclose without a lawsuit. Chapter 51 of th...
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PCS Orders at Fort Cavazos: Selling or Renting Your House and Your VA Loan

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PCS orders change everything at once: a report date, a moving window, and a house in Temple that does not pack into a truck. If you are stationed at Fort Cavazos and own a home in Bell County, the house decision usually has to be made before you have time to think it through. This post walks through the questions in the order they tend to land, with the federal and Texas law that actually governs each one. A quick disclosure: I work with House Buyers Texas, a Texas company that buys houses. Nothing below is a pitch, and it is not legal or tax advice. For your own numbers, talk to your installation legal assistance office, a tax professional and your loan servicer. What should you do first when PCS orders arrive? Write down the report-no-later-than date on your orders and work backward from it. Every other choice about the house hangs on that date, because a sale, a lease and a move each take time you no longer control. Then gather four things before you talk to anyone about se...
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Selling a Fire Damaged House in Hurst, TX: Insurance, Disclosure and Repair Math

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Selling a fire damaged house in Hurst usually starts while you are still on the phone with the insurance company. You have a claim to manage, a mortgage company that may want a say in where the insurance money goes, a disclosure form that asks about fire directly, and a choice between rebuilding and selling as-is. This post covers each of those in order, with the Texas law behind them. I work with House Buyers Texas, a company that buys houses in this condition, so read it knowing that, and check anything that matters against your own policy and your own lawyer. What should you do first after a house fire, before deciding anything? Protect the house from further damage and make a record before you throw anything away. Once the fire department releases the property, an open roof or broken windows let rain, animals and trespassers in, and new damage after the fire can become an argument over what the claim covers. Your policy has a section that lists your duties after a loss. Read i...
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Selling a House With Water Damage in Spring, TX: Disclosure, Claims and Mold

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Selling a house with water damage in Spring usually starts with a bad morning: a pipe that split during a hard freeze, a slab leak that showed up as a warm spot on the tile, or a roof leak that stained the ceiling after a storm. The damage is real, the house still has to be sold, and the questions pile up fast. What do you have to tell a buyer? Does the insurance claim need to be finished first? Is it worth fixing? This post walks through what Texas law actually says and how to think about the money, so you can decide with clear eyes. A quick note on who is writing: I work with House Buyers Texas, a company that buys houses in Texas, including houses with water damage. This is general information, not legal advice. For your own situation, talk to a Texas real estate attorney. What do you have to disclose when selling a house with water damage in Texas? You have to disclose the water damage you know about. Texas Property Code Section 5.008 requires the seller of a single-family h...
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What Is a Cash Buyer? How a Cash Sale Works in Richmond, TX

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What is a cash buyer? In a Texas home sale, a cash buyer is someone who pays for the house with money that is already available, instead of waiting on a mortgage lender to approve a loan. If you own a house in Richmond or elsewhere in Fort Bend County and you have been getting cash offers in the mail, this post walks through what that label really means and how a cash sale moves from offer to closing day, one step at a time. A short disclosure first: I work with House Buyers Texas, a company that buys Texas houses for cash. This is general information, not legal advice. If your situation involves an estate, a divorce or a lien, a Texas real estate attorney can review your actual papers. What is a cash buyer, exactly? A cash buyer is a purchaser whose offer does not depend on a bank loan being approved. That is the whole difference, and it matters because a loan brings its own steps: underwriting and an appraisal ordered by the lender. "Cash" does not always mean a pe...
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Tarrant County Foreclosure List: What It Means If Your House Is On It

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If you found your address, or heard that it showed up, on the Tarrant County foreclosure list, the first thing to know is that the list is a set of notices, not a record of sales. A notice means a lender has scheduled your house for a public auction on a specific first Tuesday. It does not mean the house is gone. Here is how to read it, and what Arlington homeowners can still do. A short disclosure first: I work with House Buyers Texas, which buys houses in Texas. This is general information about Texas law, not legal advice. If your home is posted for sale, a Texas real estate attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor can look at your actual papers. What is the Tarrant County foreclosure list? The Tarrant County foreclosure list is the collection of notices of sale that lenders have filed for properties in the county, Arlington included. Most Texas home loans use a deed of trust with a "power of sale," which lets the lender sell the house at auction without a lawsu...
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Contract for Deed in Texas: How to Get Your Deed or Sell the House

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If you live in a house you are buying on a contract for deed in Texas, you may not hold the deed yet, even after years of payments. That matters the day you want to sell, refinance, move or leave the house to your family. Texas regulates these deals closely in Subchapter D of Chapter 5 of the Texas Property Code , which calls them "executory contracts for conveyance." This post walks through what that law says about owning the house, falling behind and selling, with section numbers so you can read the statute yourself. I work with House Buyers Texas, a company that buys houses in Texas. This post is general information, not legal advice. A Texas real estate attorney can tell you how the law applies to your own contract. What counts as a contract for deed in Texas? A contract for deed in Texas is an agreement where you pay the seller over time and the seller hands over the deed later. Subchapter D covers these contracts when the property is used, or will be used, as the...
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Texas Eviction Process 2026: Steps, Timeline and New Rules

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Evicting a tenant in Texas is a court process, not something a landlord can do by changing the locks. The rules changed on January 1, 2026, when Senate Bill 38 and new Texas Rules of Civil Procedure took effect. Many cases now move faster, but the steps still have to be followed in order, and a mistake in the notice can send a landlord back to the beginning. This guide walks through the Texas eviction process as it works in 2026: the notice to vacate, filing in justice court, the hearing, appeals, and the writ of possession. It also covers what landlords cannot do along the way and what options exist for owners who are simply done being landlords. Step 1: The Notice to Vacate Before filing an eviction case, the landlord must give the tenant a written notice to vacate. Under Texas Property Code Section 24.005, the default is three days unless the lease sets a different period. Properties covered by the federal CARES Act, such as many homes with federally backed mortgages or in ...
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Small Estate Affidavit in Texas: Rules, Limits and Who Qualifies

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When someone dies in Texas without a will and leaves only a modest estate, the family may not need a full probate case to collect what they left behind. Texas offers a shortcut called a small estate affidavit. It can move bank accounts, vehicles and, in some cases, the family home to the heirs for a fraction of the cost and time of probate. It also has strict limits. This guide covers who can use a small estate affidavit in Texas, the $75,000 cap, what the court requires, how it applies to a house, and how it compares to an affidavit of heirship. What Is a Small Estate Affidavit in Texas? A small estate affidavit is a sworn statement, filed with the probate court, that lists what the person who died owned and owed and identifies who inherits it under Texas law. Once a judge approves it, the people holding the deceased person's property, such as a bank, can release it to the heirs named in the affidavit. It is governed by Chapter 205 of the Texas Estates Code. It is meant ...
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Transfer on Death Deed in Texas: How It Works and What to Know

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A transfer on death deed is one of the simplest ways to leave a house to someone in Texas without sending it through probate. It costs little to prepare, the owner keeps full control while alive, and the house passes to the person named in the deed when the owner dies. It also has limits that catch families off guard, especially around mortgages, creditors and what happens when the person named dies first. This guide explains how a transfer on death deed works under Texas law, what makes one valid, how to change or cancel it, and what the beneficiary has to do after the owner passes away. What Is a Transfer on Death Deed? A transfer on death deed (often shortened to TODD) is a deed that names one or more people who will receive real property when the owner dies. Texas adopted it in 2015 through the Real Property Transfer on Death Act, now Chapter 114 of the Texas Estates Code. It applies to deeds signed on or after September 1, 2015. Until the owner dies, nothing changes. The...
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