<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Stephens Legacy Law, PLLC]]></title><description><![CDATA[Protecting Land, Assets, and Legacy Across Generations]]></description><link>https://www.legacyfirmtx.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:32:09 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.legacyfirmtx.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Before You Travel This Summer, Make Sure Your Family and Property Are Protected]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is something about summer that makes people want to get away for a while. Maybe it is a long-planned trip overseas, a week at the coast, or simply time spent away from home with family. But before you leave, it is worth pausing for a moment to consider how your family and property will be protected if something does not go according to plan. Despite most people knowing that they should have a written Will, estate planning is often put on the back burner and thought of as something you...]]></description><link>https://www.legacyfirmtx.com/post/before-you-travel-this-summer-make-sure-your-family-and-property-are-protected</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d51d3974eeae096e5130ec</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:56:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f4328_7e0738f7ee6e4e70af3ea370bb89ef7e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kalyn Stephens</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can You Leave Your Minerals to One Child and Your Land to Another?]]></title><description><![CDATA[For many families, land is more than just a piece of dirt, it’s history and heritage. You may have worked hard for years to acquire the land yourself, or maybe you inherited it from ancestors before you. Either way, you won't have it forever. So a common question arises: Can you leave the surface to one child and the minerals to another? The answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean there won't be conflict down the line. For example, maybe one child lives on the property and wants to continue...]]></description><link>https://www.legacyfirmtx.com/post/can-you-leave-your-minerals-to-one-child-and-your-land-to-another</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a73ce97c30ee379830a065</guid><pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:42:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f4328_450befd0102442768a2441c3baf28cb9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kalyn Stephens</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can One Co-Owner Force the Sale of Family Land?]]></title><description><![CDATA[It happens more often than people expect. A piece of family land passes down to multiple siblings or cousins. For years, everyone is content to “just leave it like it is.” Maybe someone lives there. Maybe someone grazes cattle. Maybe no one uses it at all. Then one co-owner decides they want out. They need the money. They live out of state. They don’t want the responsibility anymore. Or maybe they simply see it as an investment that should be liquidated. When multiple people inherit or...]]></description><link>https://www.legacyfirmtx.com/post/can-one-co-owner-force-the-sale-of-family-land</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a73431b220091e29d8879f</guid><pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:38:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f4328_1578222d3e53431ba09df057f4b0df99~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kalyn Stephens</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Avoiding Probate Can Protect Your Family’s Privacy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Most people don’t think about probate until someone close to them passes away. And even then, the focus is usually on cost or delay. But there’s another aspect of probate that surprises many families: probate is a very public process. When a will is filed for probate, it becomes part of the public record. That means anyone can access it. The inventory of assets filed with the court may also become public. In some cases, the details of debts, property, and beneficiaries can be found by anyone...]]></description><link>https://www.legacyfirmtx.com/post/how-avoiding-probate-can-protect-your-family-s-privacy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699f1945c315cca7cad0bc80</guid><pubDate>Sat, 28 Feb 2026 15:39:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f4328_3447588f5f744e43906066d27d6a8be2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kalyn Stephens</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Putting Your Child’s Name on Your Deed Could Create Bigger Problems Than It Solves]]></title><description><![CDATA[It usually starts with good intentions. A parent owns a home, some land, or family property. They want to make things easier one day. They’ve heard probate can be expensive and complicated. Someone suggests, “Why don’t you just put your child’s name on the deed?” However, that seemingly small decision can carry consequences that many families don’t see coming. When you add your adult child's name to your deed, you are often doing more than planning for the future, you may be making a present...]]></description><link>https://www.legacyfirmtx.com/post/putting-your-child-s-name-on-your-deed-could-create-bigger-problems-than-it-solves</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699f0a6af79dd8a5b007b1fe</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:20:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f4328_d4e573be95694cab8790787133b80d8a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kalyn Stephens</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[An Incorrect Property Description Can Make a Real Estate Contract Voidable]]></title><description><![CDATA[When buying or selling real estate, most people focus on the purchase price, closing date, and financing terms. But one of the most important, and often overlooked, parts of a real estate contract is the legal description of the property. In Texas, a real estate contract must contain a sufficient property description to satisfy the Statute of Frauds. If the description is inaccurate, incomplete, or too vague, the contract is considered to be voidable and, in some cases, unenforceable. The...]]></description><link>https://www.legacyfirmtx.com/post/an-incorrect-property-description-can-make-a-real-estate-contract-voidable</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6998e7f0fc53c40638627df6</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:07:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f4328_65f013e519454b75844a987ac642f792~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kalyn Stephens</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[If Someone Dies Without a Will in Texas, Who Inherits?]]></title><description><![CDATA[When someone dies without a will in Texas, many families assume the assets will simply “go to the spouse” or “be divided equally among the children.” Unfortunately, that’s not always how it works. If there is no valid will, Texas law determines who inherits the property, not the family. This is called dying intestate, and the rules are set out in the Texas Estates Code. The court does not ask what the family believes the person would have wanted. Instead, it follows a statutory formula. For...]]></description><link>https://www.legacyfirmtx.com/post/if-someone-dies-without-a-will-in-texas-who-inherits</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6998da696624c1d60f17265b</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:34:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f4328_4d3c2eb9e1af4a238eb78612d2d47b09~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kalyn Stephens</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mineral vs. Surface Ownership Explained]]></title><description><![CDATA[Many Texas landowners are surprised to learn they don’t actually own everything  beneath their feet. In Texas, you can own land and still not own what’s underneath it. That sentence surprises a lot of people, especially folks who grew up on family land, inherited property, or bought a house assuming ownership meant everything from the grass down to the center of the earth. But in Texas, surface ownership and mineral ownership are legally separate, and confusing the two can lead to costly...]]></description><link>https://www.legacyfirmtx.com/post/mineral-vs-surface-ownership-explained-and-why-it-matters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698a3bc9d471d728ee6985b2</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:57:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f4328_95a906ad0fc345b287caae5232190955~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kalyn Stephens</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do I Need Probate to Inherit Land in Texas?]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the most common questions families ask after a death is simple: “Do I really have to go through probate to inherit this land?” The short answer is: maybe, but not always. Texas law offers several ways to transfer inherited property, and probate is only one of them. Whether probate is required depends on how the property is titled, who the heirs are, and what records already exist. In Texas, when a property owner dies, their land does not automatically transfer to their heirs, even if...]]></description><link>https://www.legacyfirmtx.com/post/do-i-need-probate-to-inherit-land-in-texas</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698a39db3faa9e439bec2c38</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:48:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f4328_64f117030e07443cb36bcb8f51da80c8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_960,h_804,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kalyn Stephens</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>