Texas Curative Title Investing: The Complete Guide

What Is Curative Title?

Curative title work involves resolving ownership issues that prevent a property from being sold with clear title. These issues include missing heirs, undischarged liens, breaks in the chain of title, and unresolved probate matters.

Unlike wholesaling or fix-and-flip, curative title investing requires patience. Deals often take 6-18 months to close. But the margins can be substantial—40-60% of property value—because you're solving problems others can't or won't touch.

Types of Curative Title Deals

Tax Delinquent Properties

Properties with unpaid property taxes accumulate liens. After several years, counties can foreclose. Investors can acquire these properties before or after tax sale, often at significant discounts.

Heir Property

When property owners die without a will, ownership passes to heirs under Texas intestate succession laws. Multiple heirs, some unknown or unreachable, can make the property effectively unsellable without curative work.

Partition Sales

When co-owners disagree about a property, Texas law allows forced sale through partition. These court-ordered sales create acquisition opportunities for investors who understand the process.

Title Defects

Missing signatures, incorrect legal descriptions, unreleased liens, and other title defects can cloud ownership. Curative title work resolves these issues to create marketable title.

Texas-Specific Considerations

Texas property law differs significantly from other states. Key considerations include:

• Homestead protections — Texas has strong homestead exemptions that affect tax sales and liens
• Community property — Spouses have automatic interests in property acquired during marriage
• Tax sale redemption — Property owners can redeem tax sale properties for up to 2 years
• Affidavit of heirship — Texas allows informal proof of inheritance without full probate

Finding Curative Title Deals

Curative title investors source deals from:

• County tax delinquent property lists
• Probate court filings
• Tax sale auction results
• Title company rejects
• Attorney referrals
• Direct mail to long-term owners

The key is systematic tracking. A deal you find today might not close for a year. Without a system to manage next actions, follow-ups, and status changes, deals decay and die.

Texas Counties for Curative Title

Each Texas county has different tax sale procedures, data availability, and market dynamics. Liensuite currently supports: