Shelly Fitzpatrick. Realtor in Canyon Lake,TX. See Shell Realty Group

09/19/2026

Ohhhh, ahhhh! New video intro, outro!

09/16/2026

Estate planning? Heavenly posted this today:
A Lady Bird deed is a life estate where you keep control.

You stay the owner for life. You can sell, refinance, or change the heir, and nobody needs to sign off. At death the home passes to the person named on the deed, outside probate.

Here is the part nobody talks about: a regular life estate hands the heir real rights the day it is signed. You cannot sell or refinance without their consent, and you cannot take it back. That makes it a completed gift, which is exactly what Medicaid's five year look-back is built to catch.

A Lady Bird deed is not a completed gift, because you can revoke it, so the look-back does not apply. It also skips probate, and in the five states that recognize it, that is what keeps the house out of reach of Medicaid estate recovery. The heir generally inherits at the home's value on the date of death rather than the original purchase price, so the capital gains reset survives too.

The honest other side: it only exists by statute in Florida, Michigan, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia, and only for a home located there. Elsewhere, a transfer-on-death deed, available in about 30 states and D.C., or a revocable trust does the same job. And it covers the house alone. Everything else still needs a will, beneficiary forms or a trust.

One deed, recorded with the county, that keeps the keys in your hand and the house out of court. The catch is which state the house sits in.

Educational information only, not financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. Rules vary by state, so confirm your own situation with a licensed estate attorney.

09/08/2026

In local news:

🚨 NEW TODAY | BIDDING UNDERWAY FOR WHITEWATER AMPHITHEATER

The future of one of the Canyon Lake/New Braunfels area’s most recognizable entertainment venues is moving into a major new phase.

Whitewater Amphitheater and three neighboring Guadalupe River properties are now part of an active Chapter 11 sale process.

The properties include:

• 🎵 Whitewater Amphitheater — 5,600-capacity concert venue
• 🏡 Hideout on the Horseshoe — 19 riverfront cabins
• 🌊 Whitewater Condos — three short-term rental units with river access
• 🚣 Commercial property containing Andy’s River Toobs and Jay & Diane’s Horseshoe Grill

📅 Bid deadline: Sept. 22
⚖️ Auction scheduled: Sept. 28
🏁 Target closing: Oct. 22

The properties can potentially be purchased separately or together.

No winning buyer has been selected, and any eventual sale remains subject to bankruptcy-court approval.

This is a development we’ll definitely be following because of Whitewater’s importance to tourism, concerts and businesses along the Guadalupe River corridor.

08/31/2026

Hear about Deed Fraud in the news? Comal County Clerk has an alert you must sign up for.

08/22/2026

Market Trends at a glance for Canyon Lake, TX-
Five Year trend for SFD.
If you are a numbers person like I am, this is fascinating!

08/21/2026

"Soblem prolver"

08/18/2026

Under a new bill gaining support in Congress, the tax-free profit limit on a home sale could double to $500K for single filers and $1 million for couples.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ETW53QH8B/

Under a new bill gaining support in Congress, the tax-free profit limit on a home sale could double to $500K for single filers and $1 million for couples.

08/17/2026

Who is appraising your property? What does it cost? How accurate is it? Are they licensed, insured appraisers or data collectors? Is it a traditional appraisal or automated valuation model or AVM?
Will these be easier to read? Faster turn around time?

There have been recent changes in appraisals.

Every Monday is marked on my calendar to ensure that I am up to date on real estate news and market trends.

Check out what Leigh Brown has to say this week about appraisal changes.

The end goal is a more thorough, standardized, easy to read and efficient turn around time for appraisals. Just standby for the learning curve.

The appraisal process is changing, and every REALTOR®, appraiser, l...

08/15/2026

RPR Market Stats for 78133. That is a lot of inventory, AKA competition. Note the correlation to median sales price. Sellers, bring the A game- ask me how.

08/15/2026