A Texas transfer-on-death deed lets you pass real estate to a named beneficiary at your death without the property going through probate. It's one of the simplest and cheapest probate-avoidance tools available — but it has to be done correctly to work.
Texas Estates Code Chapter 114 authorizes the TODD. The form must use specific statutory language, name the beneficiary clearly, and be signed and notarized like a regular deed.
The signed and notarized TODD has to be recorded with the county clerk where the property sits before the owner dies. Recording after death doesn't work.
You can revoke a TODD by recording a revocation, recording a new TODD that supersedes it, or selling/transferring the property out of your name during your lifetime. A revocation in your will is not sufficient.
The TODD doesn't shield the property from your creditors or from Medicaid estate recovery. Beneficiaries take title with all liens, mortgages, and (in some cases) unsatisfied judgments still attached.
If your will leaves the property to someone else, the TODD wins because it transfers automatically at death. Don't create conflicts — review your will, life insurance, and TODD as a single picture.
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NotALawyer.com provides general legal information, not legal advice.