Start with probate, because so many South Austin and lake calls are heirs. Travis County has two statutory probate courts, No. 1 on the second floor and No. 2 on the fourth floor of 200 W. 8th Street, in the old 1936 federal courthouse the county took over. Heirship cases there need citation served on every heir who isn't applying, or a signed waiver, before the court will set a hearing. That is the step that stalls deals. One brother in Oregon who won't answer email can add months.

If there is a will, a muniment of title can move the house without a full administration, but only when the estate owes nothing except debts secured by real estate and any Medicaid recovery claim has been handled. Texas also expects a will to be offered for probate within four years of death. We regularly talk to families who let a parent's house sit for six or seven years. Those can still close. Plan for an heirship and a title company that wants every signature.

Mortgage foreclosure here is non-judicial. The servicer has to give a homestead owner at least 20 days to cure, then post and file a notice of sale at least 21 days out. The County Clerk files those notices, and sales happen the first Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. on the west steps of the Travis County Courthouse at 1000 Guadalupe. There is no redemption after a mortgage sale. A seller who calls us three weeks before that Tuesday needs a date, not a negotiation.

Tax foreclosures run on a different track. The county moved its tax sales online through RealAuction, still on first Tuesdays, and posts the list about 15 days ahead. Winning bidders get a Constable's Deed, which is not a warranty deed. Then comes redemption: a homestead owner can buy it back for two years after the deed is filed, at a 25% premium in year one and 50% in year two. Other property gets 180 days. Buying from the owner before the sale is far cleaner.

Condition depends on which side of MoPac you are on. East of town and in the 1970s to 1990s subdivisions, expansive clay moves slabs, so expect diagonal cracks over door frames and doors that stick in August. Out toward Lakeway and Lago Vista the ground is limestone, and the issues are steep driveways, retaining walls, and septic. In Del Valle, ask about wells, septic, and whether the land was ever split between family members on paper.

A call we hear a version of constantly: a couple in Manor bought new in spring 2022, put a small down payment on it, and now have a job offer in Dallas. Their agent told them comparable resales are well under what they paid, and the builder down the street is throwing in closing costs. They don't want to bring a check to closing to pay a commission. They want a number, a date, and to stop paying two housing payments. Our note spells out what they owe and when they move.