In Texas, a deed must be signed by:
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Both grantor and grantee
Requiring both grantor and grantee signatures is incorrect under Texas law; the grantee's acceptance is legally presumed upon delivery of the deed, and the Texas Property Code only mandates the grantor's signature for a valid conveyance.
The grantor only
The grantee only
The grantee's signature alone would be meaningless on a deed because the grantee has no ownership interest to convey at the time of execution; it is the grantor who holds title and must execute the transfer.
Two witnesses
Texas does not require two witnesses for a deed to be valid; while some states have witness requirements, Texas relies on notarization (acknowledgment) by the grantor rather than witness signatures as the authentication mechanism for deeds.
Why is this correct?
Under Texas Property Code § 5.021, a deed conveying real property must be in writing and signed by the grantor (or the grantor's authorized agent) but does not require the grantee's signature to be valid. The grantee's acceptance of the deed is legally presumed when delivery occurs, because receiving property is considered to be in the grantee's best interest. This one-signature rule streamlines real estate transactions and is consistent with the common law tradition that a conveyance is the grantor's act, not a bilateral contract requiring mutual signatures.
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