What the Texas Homestead Exemption Actually Protects
Texas Homestead Protection and Forced Sale Texas homestead protection is among the strongest in the country, and it is widely misunderstood by the people it protects. Homeowners assume it shields the house from everything. It does not, and knowing which debts pierce it tells you how much trouble you are actually in. The protection sits in the Texas Constitution, Article XVI, Section 50, and it shields the homestead from forced sale for most general debts. A credit c
When Unpaid Texas Property Taxes Take the House Texas has no state income tax, and property taxes carry a correspondingly heavy load. They are also secured by a lien on the property that attaches automatically each year. Fall far enough behind and the taxing units can foreclose, and that process runs separately from anything your mortgage lender is doing. A tax foreclosure in Texas is judicial. The taxing authority sues, and a court enters judgment for the taxes, pe
Stopping a Texas Foreclosure Before the Sale Date Texas moves faster than almost anywhere else, and that single fact shapes every option you have. Most Texas mortgages are foreclosed without a lawsuit, under the process in Texas Property Code Section 51.002. There is no judge to slow things down, so the calendar does the work instead. Two dates matter. The notice of default gives you a window to cure the arrears before the lender accelerates the loan and demands the
What a Texas Deed in Lieu Actually Costs You A deed in lieu of foreclosure is an agreement where you hand the title to the lender and the lender accepts it instead of foreclosing. It gets described as the dignified exit. Sometimes it is. Often it is the wrong choice, and the difference comes down to specifics most homeowners are never told. Start with the fact that it is negotiated, not a right. You cannot make a lender take a deed in lieu. They agree only when it is che