Texas Special Topics (incl. Veterans Land Board) — Printable Practice Pack

Answer key & explanations

1. 1. B — The over-65 exemption is available to Texas homeowners who meet the age and income requirements.
2. 2. C — MUDs in Texas are responsible for providing essential utilities such as water, sewage, and sometimes electricity to residents.
3. 3. B — Property owners associations are usually responsible for enforcing deed restrictions in a subdivision.
4. 4. C — Without a survivorship agreement, community property does not automatically pass to the surviving spouse and instead goes through probate.
5. 5. A — Mineral rights can indeed be sold or transferred separately from the surface rights of a property.
6. 6. D — A homestead property in Texas can be forcibly sold to satisfy certain debts such as mortgage debts, property taxes, and other liens, under specific circumstances.
7. 7. B — The Texas Veterans Land Board's Home Improvement Loan program is designed to provide financing for home improvements, such as renovations or repairs, to eligible Texas veterans.
8. 8. B — While Texas law provides some protections for homesteads, such as a exemption from forced sale for certain debts, it does not exempt homesteads from forced sale for unpaid property taxes.
9. 9. C — In Texas, a deceased spouse's community property interest does not automatically pass to the surviving spouse unless there is a written community property survivorship agreement. Otherwise, it passes according to the deceased spouse's will or Texas intestacy laws.
10. 10. B — A Municipal Utility District (MUD) in Texas is a special district that provides utility services, such as water and sewer, to residents in a specific area.
11. 11. C — Deed restrictions are used to protect the property's value by limiting its use and ensuring that it is used in a way that is consistent with the surrounding area.
12. 12. B — When a landowner retains the mineral rights, it means that the buyer does not have the right to extract minerals from the property, and the seller retains this right.
13. 13. B — The homestead exemption in Texas prevents the forced sale of the homestead property to satisfy debts, except for certain exceptions such as unpaid property taxes, and provides protection for homeowners against foreclosure.
14. 14. B — A written community property survivorship agreement allows the community property to pass automatically to the surviving spouse, bypassing probate, upon the death of one spouse.
15. 15. C — As a homeowner in Texas who is over 65 and has lived in their home for a certain period, they are eligible for both the homestead exemption and the over-65 exemption, which can provide additional property tax relief.
16. 16. D — The homeowner can take various steps to enforce the deed restrictions, including filing a lawsuit against the neighbor, contacting the homeowner's association to enforce the restrictions, or reporting the violation to the local government.
17. 17. B — When a property owner in Texas sells their mineral rights to a third party, they retain all rights to the surface estate, but the buyer of the mineral rights has the right to extract the minerals, which may involve using the surface estate.
18. 18. C — The homestead exemption in Texas does not prevent a tax lien from being filed due to unpaid property taxes, but it may reduce the amount of property taxes owed, and the homeowner may be able to avoid foreclosure through other means.
19. 19. D — Texas offers various exemptions from property taxes, including the homestead exemption for over-65 homeowners, agricultural exemption, and exemption for historic landmarks.
20. 20. B — Under Texas law, a homestead is generally exempt from forced sale for debt collection, except in certain cases such as tax debts or purchase money liens.