The Law Office of Marsha L. Hunter is a Dallas civil litigation law office focusing on real estate law, estate planning, and probate matters. Contact us today for your free initial consultation, and let us put over 40 years of experience to work for you. 

Marsha L. Hunter

Attorney and Counselor at Law

8500 N. Stemmons, Suite 3020-G

Dallas, TX 75247-3933

(214) 559-2964

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The Law Office of Marsha L. Hunter is a low overhead law firm that shares the savings with our clients. We are proud to provide our clients with professional representation at an affordable price. We strive to keep our operating expenses as low as possible and share the savings with our clients in the form of significantly lower fees. We use electronic document storage and communication (email and the internet) as much as possible to reduce expenses and help protect the environment. This strategy is designed to achieve the same high caliber of service you deserve at a lower cost than you might expect. Marsha L. Hunter has been practicing law for over 40 years, successfully representing her clients with courage and compassion. 

A law providing a new Estate Planning tool, the Transfer on Death (“TOD”) Deed, has been enacted by the Texas Legislature, effective September 1, 2015. If a person dies having signed and recorded a TOD deed for real estate owned by the person, it may be possible to avoid the expense of a proceeding in Probate Court to ask for an Order admitting the Will to probate in order to transfer ownership of the property after the person dies. (A Will does not have any legal effect unless it is admitted to probate.) A TOD deed can be revoked, and the person to receive the property may be changed before the owner dies.

A TOD deed does not become effective until the owner dies, so the owner keeps the homestead and over-65 exemptions, if applicable. Because it is an incomplete transfer, the IRS should recognize the “stepped up” basis for the property after the original owner dies.

This is general information, and the TOD may or may not be appropriate, in the light of your circumstances. This law firm will be happy to confer with you to determine whether or not signing a TOD deed would a beneficial component of your estate plan.