{"id":10991,"date":"2025-09-15T14:19:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T18:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalland.com\/blog\/?p=10991"},"modified":"2025-09-16T14:19:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T18:19:44","slug":"probate-or-problems-avoid-family-feuds-with-estate-planning-for-your-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalland.com\/blog\/probate-or-problems-avoid-family-feuds-with-estate-planning-for-your-land\/","title":{"rendered":"Probate or Problems: Avoid Family Feuds With Estate Planning For Your Land"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/player-v2\/?share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Arial&amp;skin=1&amp;btn-skin=7&amp;multiple_size=600&amp;square_size=300&amp;order=episodic&amp;filter=all&amp;limit=600&amp;season=all&amp;tag=all&amp;i=45wxf-1946977-pb\" width=\"640\" height=\"150\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Are you a landowner who wants your ranch to pass cleanly to the next generation\u2014or a land agent tired of deals dying over cloudy title?<\/p>\n<p>In this episode of The National Land Podcast, host Mac Christian sits down with Tiffany Dowell Lashmet (Ag Law Professor &amp; Extension Specialist, Texas A&amp;M) and Wayne Dunson (Managing Broker, National Land Realty\u2014West Texas) to demystify probate\u2014the legal process that moves assets from the deceased to the living\u2014and the tools that keep it from blowing up your land plans.<\/p>\n<p>What You\u2019ll Learn:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What probate is and why you still need it even if there\u2019s a will<\/li>\n<li>Dying without a will (intestacy): how state statutes\u2014not your wishes\u2014divide assets and create messy joint ownership<\/li>\n<li>Why failing to probate strands title in the deceased\u2019s name, blocks sales, and costs heirs more later (e.g., Texas has a typical 4-year window)<\/li>\n<li>Wills vs. Trusts: trusts can bypass probate entirely; when each makes sense for landowners<\/li>\n<li>Texas will execution basics: handwritten (holographic) vs. typewritten wills, witness rules, and why beneficiaries shouldn\u2019t witness<\/li>\n<li>Probate-avoidance tools: LLCs and transfer-on-death deeds (in Texas, revocable) to move property with only a death certificate<\/li>\n<li>Real-world horror stories: unknown heirs, missing co-owners, partition suits, deep discounts to clear title<\/li>\n<li>Family dynamics you must address now: on-farm vs. off-farm heirs, unequal contributions, and setting expectations<\/li>\n<li>Why DIY online forms backfire on farms\/ranches\u2014hire an ag-savvy estate-planning attorney in your state<\/li>\n<li>Agent playbook: verify probate status early, flag title clouds, and get clients to counsel before listing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This episode is a must-listen for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Landowners and family decision-makers on farms and ranches<\/li>\n<li>Heirs, executors, and trustees facing title\/estate questions<\/li>\n<li>Land agents\/brokers who want to prevent deal-killing probate issues<\/li>\n<li>CPAs and attorneys serving rural clients<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Don\u2019t punt on probate. A valid, state-compliant plan now is cheaper than courtroom chaos later\u2014get the right documents in place, probate on time, and keep your land legacy intact.<\/p>\n<p>Read about Tiffany Lashmet<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/agecon.tamu.edu\/people\/dowell-lashmet-tiffany\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/agecon.tamu.edu\/people\/dowell-lashmet-tiffany\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Contact Wayne Dunson<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nationalland.com\/real-estate-agent\/wayne-dunson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/nationalland.com\/real-estate-agent\/wayne-dunson<\/a><\/p>\n<p>National Land Realty<\/p>\n<p>Buy, Sell, Lease, or Auction Land<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalland.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.nationalland.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you a landowner who wants your ranch to pass cleanly to the next generation\u2014or a land agent tired of deals dying over cloudy title? In this episode of The National Land Podcast, host Mac Christian sits down with Tiffany Dowell Lashmet (Ag Law Professor &amp; Extension Specialist, Texas A&amp;M) and Wayne Dunson (Managing Broker, &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nationalland.com\/blog\/probate-or-problems-avoid-family-feuds-with-estate-planning-for-your-land\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Probate or Problems: Avoid Family Feuds With Estate Planning For Your Land&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11003,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1217],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.7.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Probate or Problems: Avoid Family Feuds With Estate Planning For Your Land - 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