(a) If after a trespass to try title action a plaintiff does not pay a judgment awarded to a defendant, plus accrued interest, before the first anniversary of the judgment and if the defendant, before the sixth month after the first anniversary of the judgment, pays the value of the property, less the value of the defendant’s improvements, to the clerk of the court for the benefit of the plaintiff, the plaintiff may not obtain a writ of possession or maintain any proceeding against the defendant or the defendant’s heirs or assigns for the property awarded to the plaintiff in the trespass to try title action.
(b) If an eligible defendant does not exercise the option under this section, a plaintiff may apply for a writ of possession as in other cases.