Haskell, TX Divorce Law Firms & Lawyers

Most agreed or default decrees are signed at the prove-up hearing when they are handed to the judge.  It usually only takes a few seconds.If the parties have a dispute about the contents of the Decree, either party can file a motion to enter and set it for hearing.  Any dispute will be resolved at that hearing.  That may require the Decree to be revised.  If not, the judge typically will sign it at the end of that hearing.

Sorry, but the State of Texas does not have any legal provision that allows legal separation.  However, you could always enter into a Partition and Exchange Agreement that would divide your current community property and then enter into a Post-Nuptial Agreement that would control any future division of income or property, and then you could separate and live without continuing to accumulate community property.  The problem with that would be the possibility, no matter how remote, that a Court would find the Post-Nuptial Agreement is invalid and anything you have accumulated since the "separation" suddenly falls back under the community property presumption.

You would have to review when the house was purchased and if she has made any payments toward the house. Since Texas is a community property state you would need to determine if she has any community property interest in the house and then decide from there on whether or not she can demand any part of the asset. Technically she can demand whatever she wants but ultimately it will be a decision for the courts.