Real Estate Principals - Chapter 1 Flashcards
Land
surface, all natural things attached to it, subsurface, and air above the surface.
Real Estate
land + manmade permanent attachments
Real Property
real estate + bundle of rights
Physical characteristics of real estate
Immobility: Land cannot be moved from one site to another, it’s location is forever fixed.
Indestructibility: Land is permanent and cannot be destroyed because it extends below the ground and into the sky. It does not depreciate. Only improvements depreciate.
Non-homogeneity: No two pieces of real estate are the same
Land versus real estate
Land is only the surface and all natural elements above and below.
Real estate is land + and manmade attachments.
The Bundle of rights (PUTEE)
Possession Use Transfer Exclusion Encumberable
Legal Title vs Equitable title
Legal title - Full ownership of property and the bundle of rights as they apply to it.
Equitable title - An interest that gives a lien holder or buyer the right to acquire legal title to a property if certain conditions occur.
Property Characteristics
Can be real or personal
Tangible or intangible.
Real property rights (AWSS)
Airspace - Air rights
Surface (of the earth) - Surface rights
Subsurface = Subsurface or mineral rights
Water rights :
Doctrine or prior Appropriation : State controls water usage, state grants usage permits.
Riparian rights - Applies to rivers and streams. If Waterway is navigable, owners own land to waters edge. If it is not navigable, owners own land to midpoint of waterway.
Littoral rights - Lakes and seas. Abutting property owners own to high water mark. State owns underlying land.
Real property includes (LAF)
Land
Attachements
Fixtures
Personal property includes (CTE)
Chattel
Trade fixtures
emblements.
Real vs personal property defined by..
Owners intention, adaptation, functionality, relationship of the parties, or contract provisions.
Trade fixtures
Personal property items temporarily attached to real estate in order to conduct business.
Emblements
Plants or crops that are considered personal property despite being attached to land.
Severance
Real property is converted to personal property
Affixing
Personal property is converted to real property
Are Factory built housing - mobile homes & manufactured homes - real or personal property?
Real if permanently affixed to ground, otherwise personal
Federal regulation of real property interests
Grants rights of ownership : ex. land grants
controls broad land usage standards: ex federal flood zones
Regulate anti discrimination : ex fair housing laws, FHA, EPA
State regulation of real property interest
Governs real estate business : License laws
Sets regional usage standards : ex water rights, development regulation
Local regulation on real property
Levies real estate taxes : property assessing
Controls specific usage : Zoning, building permit tax levies.
Judicial regulations of real property
Applies to case law and common law to disputes
Contrasts to statutory law.
Another word for possession and rights of possession
Estate in land - Right of possessions
Freehold estate.
Examples of non possessions
Private : Encumbrance
Public : Public interest
Leasehold : Limited duration
Freehold estate
A right of title to land
Fee simple Estate
Absolute ownership of real property; a person has this type of estate where the person is entitled to the entire property with unconditional power of disposition during the person’s life and descending to the person’s heirs or distributees.
Fee simple absolute
An inheritable estate in land providing the greatest interest of any form of title.
Fee Simple determinable
An estate that will end automatically when the stated event or condition occurs. The interest will revert to the grantor or the heirs of the grantor.
Fee simple on condition
A defeasible fee (title), recognizable by words ‘but if’. Reverts to previous owner per conditions.
Three type of conventional life estates
Limited - to lifetime of tenant/named party
Ordinary - Estate passes to remainderman or previous owner when life tenant dies
Pur Aute Vie: Limited to lifetime of another Passes to remainerman or previous owner.
Legal life estate
Created by operation of state law as opposed to a property owners agreement. Designed to protect family survivors
Homestead: Rights to ones principal residence.
A freehold estate created for the duration of the life or lives of certain named persons; a non-inheritable estate.
Homestead: Rights to ones principal residnece
- Laws protect homestead from creditors
- Family must occpy the homestead
- cannot be conveyed by one spouse
- Endures over life of head of household
- Interests extinguished of property destroyed.
Leaseholds: Estate for years
Specific; stated duration, per lease; expires at end of term
Leaseholds : Periodic
Lease term renews automatically upon acceptance of rent
Leaseholds : Estate at will
For indefinite period subject to pay rent payment; cancelable with notice.
Leasehold: Estate at sufferance
Tenancy against landlords will and without agreement
Forms of ownership: Tenancy in Severalty
Sole ownership of a freehold estate: passes to heirs
Forms of ownership: Tenancy in common
- Co-tenants own individually own undivided interests
- Any ownership share possible
- No survivorship of ownership after death
- Can convey title to outside parties
Forms of ownership: Joint tenancy
- Equal undivided interest jointly owned
- Survivorship
- requires four unities to create: time, title, interest, possession
Forms of ownership : Tenancy in entireties
- Husband and wife on equal, undivided interest
- Now applies to same sex couples in some states.
Types of ownership: Community property
Joint property ownership by spouses as opposed to separate party
Joint tenancy Four unities: Unity of Ownership
Owners hold single title jointly
Joint tenancy four unities: Equal ownership
Owners always hold equal shares
joint tenancy four unities: transfer
May transfer interest to new owner as a tenancy in common interest with remaining joint tenants
Joint tenancy four unities : Survivorship
On death, interests and rights pass to other joint tenants
Required for four unities to be valid (PITT)
Possessions : Acquire same possessory rights
Interest: Acquired equal, undivided interests
Time: acquire interests at same time
Title: acquire interests with same deed
Community property: Separate
- Acquired before marriage
- Acquired by gift or inheritance
- Acquired with separate property funds
- Income derived from separate property
Community Property: Community
All other property acquired during marriage.
Estates in trust : Trustor
Gives title, deed, trust agreement to trustee
Estates in trust: Trustee
Trustee renders fiduciary duties to trustor and beneficiary
Estates in trust: Beneficiary
Receives ownership benefits
Estates in trust : Living / testamentary trust
Conveyance of real, personal property during ones lifetime
Estates in trust : Land trust
Grantor and beneficiary are same party; beneficiary uses, controls property but does not appear on public record.
Condominiums
- Ownership of a unit of airspace plus an undivided interest in the common elements as tenant in common with other owners
- May be sold, encumbered or foreclosed WITHOUT affecting other unit holders.
- Creation : By developers declaration
- Individually taxed
- Managed by condo association
- Owners share common area expenses.
Cooperatives
- Ownership of shares in owning corporation and proprietary lease in a unit
- Corporation has sole, undivided ownership
- Owners potentially liable for expenses of entire co-op; creditors may foreclose on entire property
Time Shares
- Lease or ownership interest in property for periodic use on a scheduled basis
- Lease: tenant leases property per the leases schedule
- Freehold: tenant in common own undivided interests, pay expenses per separate agreement
Encumbrances
- Non-possessory interests limiting legal owners rights
- Do no include possession
Encumbrances affecting use
Easements, encroachments, licenses, deed restrictions
Easements affecting ownership, value, transfer
Liens
deed conditions.
Easements : Charachteristics
- Rights to use portions of another’s property
- Affirmative easement : allows a use
- Negative easement : Prohibits use
Easements: Appurtenant
- Attaches to the estate
- Dominant tenenments right to use or restrict adjacent servient tenement
- By necessity to landlocked owners
- Party wall easement in a shared structure: To not damage or destroy
Easements : In Gross
- Does not attach to the estate
- Personal - nontransferable, end upon death of easement holder
- Commercial - transferrable, granted to business
Easement : by prescription
- Property used without permission; can come to exist regardless of owners consent
- obtainable through continuous, open, adverse use over a period of time which varies by state
Easement : by license
- Personal right to use a property
- Does not attach
- Non-transferrable
- revocable
- Ceases upon death of owner
Encroachment
- Unauthorized intrusions of one owner’s real property onto another’s
- May require survey to detect
- May become prescriptive easements if not remedied over prescriptions period.
Deed restrictions
- Conditions, covenants imposed on property by deed or subdivision plat
- Goes with the property upon transfer
- Established to control quality, standards of a subdivision
- Apply to land use, type of structure, setback, minimum house size etc.
Deed conditions
- Created upon property transfer
- If violated, ownership may revert to previous owner.
Deed covenants
- Created by mutual agreement
- Enforceable by injunction
Liens
_ claims attaching to real and personal property as security for debt
- Recorded on title effectively reducing equity in the amount of the lien
- Does not convey ownership unless a mortgage in a title theory state
- Lien attaches to the property
- property can be encumbered by multiple liens.
- Lien terminates upon payment, recording satisfaction
Lien : Voluntary
Mortgage lien
Lien : Involuntary
Taxes
Lien : General / Specific
- Against any and all assets / against car or house
Lien : Superior / Junior
Paid before juniors / paid after superiors by date of recording
Lien Priority
- Order in which liens against a property are satisfied
- Determined by superior vs. junior class and by date of recordation
- The highest priority lien is paid by foreclosure proceeds before any other lien.
Foreclosure
- Liquidation or transfer of collateral property by judicial, non-judicial or strict foreclosure.
Foreclosure : Mortgage lien foreclosure
Liquidation of collateral property by judicial, non- judicial or strict foreclosure
Foreclosure : Judicial foreclosure
Lawsuit by creditor followed by court ordered public sale to enforce lien; May entail deficiency judgements, redemptions rights.
Deficiency judgement - Judgement by court on borrow to forfeit other property to pay off shortfalls from foreclosure
Redemption right - Borrower’s right to reclaim property before or after foreclosure sale.
Non-judicial foreclosure
“Power of sale” granted to lender to avoid a suit and deficiency
Strict foreclosure
- Court orders legal transfer of title directly to lender without public sale
Deed in lieu of foreclosure
“Power of sale granted to lender; no suit; no deficiency judgement; no redemption period after sale.
Lien vs title theory state
- Lien theory state : lender of mortgaged property holds equitable title rather than legal title; borrower holds legal title
- Lien Title theory state - lender holds legal title to the mortgaged property until the mortgagor satisfies the terms and obligation of the loans
Notice
How ownership is evidenced to the public
Actual notice
Knowledge acquired directly through demonstrable evidence eg presenting or inspecting a deed visiting a party in possession
Constructive Notice
Knowledge one could have obtained as presumed by law imparted by recording in public records “for all o see”
Types of voluntary transfer
Deed
Will
public grant
types of involuntary transfer
Descent (Without will, with heirs) Escheat (Without will or heirs) Foreclosure eminent domain Adverse possession
Deeds of conveyance
- Grantor grants deed to grantee
- Legal title transfers upon intentional delivery and grantee’s experience
Requirements for deed validity
- grantor
- grantee
- in writing
- legal description
- granting clause
- consideration
- grantor’s signature
- acknowledgement
- Delivery and acceptance
Deed types
Quitclaim deed - “I may or may not own and might defend
Special purpose deed - used for different purposes, interests, conveyed, or by different parties
Will : Key characteristics
- Will transfers estate to heirs upon death
- Maker = owner; devisor or tetstor
- Heir = beneficiary or devisee
Types of wills
Witnessed : in writing and two witnesses
Holographic: will in testor’s handwriting
Nuncupative: Oral will written by witnesses; generally nott valid for property transfer
Things that make a valid will
Legal age mentally competent entitled "last will and testament" signed witnessed voluntary
Dies testate w/ heirs : Order of title transfer
- First to creditors
- Then to homestead
- then to heirs by will
Order of title transfer : Dies intestate w/ heirs
First to creditors
then to homestead
then to heirs by law of descent
Order of title transfer : Dies intestate, no heirs
First to creditors
then to state by escheat
Adverse possession
- Unwanted owner may claim ownership to a property
- Must show “claim of right” as reason
- Must be notorious possession (unconcealed)
- Must be hostile (possessor claims ownership)
- Must be continuous for a statutory period
Features of title records
- Instruments affecting title must be recorded
- Gives public notice of ownership, condition of title
- Determines property marketability
- Protects lien holders; establishes chronology for lien
Chain of title
Successive property owners from original grant to present
Cloud on title
Unrecorded claims
Suit tot quit title
Lawsuit to settle claims
Abstract of title
Written chronology of recorded owners, transfers, encumbrances
Forms of title evidence
- Title insurance
- Attorney’s opinion of abstract
- title certificates
- Torens registration
Lease : tenant rights
Use
possession
Quiet enjoyment
Profits
tenant obligations
Pay rentt
mainttain premises
follow rules
Landlord rights
Receive rent
Repossess upon expiration
Monitor tenant compliance
Landlord obligations
Property condition
Habitability
Support services
Lease Estate types : Gross Lease
Landlord pays expenses; tenant pays higher rent than net
Lease state types : Nett lease
Tenantt pays some or all expenses; rent is less than gross
Percentage Lease
Landlord receives rent minimum plus percentage of retailer’s sales
Groud lease
Landlord owns and leases ground but does not own improvements
Proprietary Lease
For Cooperative unit owners; Indefinite term; assigned to new unit owner on sale
Leasing of rights
Leasehold transfer of rights for limited use; ex air, mineral, water rights
Uniform Residential and tenant rights : Purposes
Balance landlord and tenant rights standardize leases have uniform eviction procedures protect tenants Serve as model for state legislation
Concurrency
A planning policy that requires developers to correct foreseen negative impacts of a development during the construction period of the project itself rather than afterwards
Deed restriction
A provision in a deed that limits or places rules on how the deeded property may be used or improved
Land use conrtol
regulation of how individual owners use property in a municipality or planning district. control patterns are in accordance with a master plan
Land use planning : Goals of land use control
Preserve property values, promote highest and best use; safeguard public health, safety and welfare; control growth; incorporate community consensus
Process: Develop plan; create administration; authorize controls
Types of zones
Residenttial commercial iondustrtial agriculttiral public PUD and - Planned unit development
Non conforming use
Legal if existted prior to zoning creation, illegal otherwise
Variance
Use exception granted based on hardship
Special exemption amendementt
Based on public interest change of zones
Contract
An agreement between two or more parties who have a meeting of the mind and have pledged to perform (or refrain from performing) some act.
A valid contract is legally enforceable by meeting certain requirements of contract law.
If a contract does not meet requirements, it is not valid and the parties to it cannot resort to a court of law to enforce its provisions
Contract validity
- Competent parties - Legal age, mental competency, legitimate authority
- mutual consent - Clear and unequivocal offer and acceptance with an underlying meeting of the minds
- Valuable Consideration - Exchange of valuable consideration for performance by the other party; not “love and affection”
- Legal purpose : Promise, intent and content must be lawful; if illegal, contract is void
- Voluntary act of good faith - No duress, coercion, fraud or misrepresentation
Conveyance contract requirements
- Must be in writing
- Must contain legal description
- Must be signed by one or more parties
- Exception: per statue of frauds, leases for one year or less.
Requirements of an Offer
- Intention to enter into contrtact
- Must contain all intended terms
- Must be in writing
- Expires in “reasonable time” or date and time specified
Requirements of acceptance
- Unequivocal and manifest agreement to offer
- no changes to offer whattso ever
- Signed, preferrably dated,
Completed contrtact
- Communication of acceptance to offeror
- If by mail, offer is communicated upon mailing
Counteroffer
- New or amended terms of a received offer
- Origin offer is void
Revoking an offer
- May be done at any point prior to offeree’s communication of acceptance
Causes of a termination of offer
Acceptance
- rejection
- revocation
- expiration
- counteroffer
- death or insanity of either party
Contract preperation
- Restricted unless licesnsed as attorney or a party to the contract
Bilateral vs unilateral
Bilateral : Both parties have duty to perform
Unilateral : One party performs only if other party performs.
Executed vs excuatory
Executed : Fully performed
Executory : Performance yet to be completed
Causes of termination of contract
- Performance
- infeasibility
- Mutual agreement
- Cooling-period rescission
- Revocation
- Abandonment
- Lapse of time
- Invalidity of contract
- Breach of contract
Rescission
- Cancel contract; return deposits
Forfeiture
- Defaulting party gives up something according to contract terms
Liquidated damages
Damages due to a damaged party as stated in contract
Suit for damages
Civil suit for money damages not covered by contract
Specific performance
Suit to force party to fulfill contract promises
Agency in Real estate
Principal (Client) hires agent (broker) to find ready, willing, and able customer (buyer, seller, tenant, landlord)
- Client - Agent relationship governed by fiduciary duties of trust, confidence & good faith
Universal Agency
- Represent in all matters
- Can contract for principal
General agency
- Represent in business matters
- Agent can contract for principal
Special
- Represent in single business transaction
- Normally agent cannot contract for principal
- Characterizes the brokerage relationship
Agency creation : Express
Express written OR oral agreement (listing)
- Established for special transaction
- Contains an express expiration
Agency creation : Implied
- Can be intentional or unintentional
- Can obligate the agent to fiduciary duties and professional standards of care
- not allowed to exist in some states.
Voluntary termination
- Fulfillment
- Expiration
- Mutual agreement
Involuntary termination
- incapacity
- Abandonment or destruction of property
- Renunciation
- Breach
- Bankruptcy
- Revocation of license
Agent’s fiduciary duties to client
- Skill care and diligence : proactive; competent, act within bounds of expertise
- Loyalty : place client interest above customer and self
- Obedience : provided actions, instructions are legal
- Confidentiality: Extends beyond listing term indefinitely
- Full Disclosure: Property condition; customers; material facts
- Accounting: Proper handling of monies and documents
Obligations owed to customers
- Honesty and fair dealing
- Reasonable care & skill
- Proper diclosure
Puffing
Licensee boasting about property’s benefits (legal)
Fraud
- Misstatement of failure to disclose material fact
- Knowledge that statement was false or fact should have been disclosed
- Party relied on misstatement
- Party was damaged by misstatement
Misrepresentation
Misstatement or concealment of fact Intentional misrepresentation Intentional omission Negligent misrepresentation Negligent omission
Single agency
Seller or buyer agency
Tenant or landlord representation
Subagency
- Outside brokers and agents who help listing agent
- Listing brokers own agents
- Disallowed in some state
Dual agency
- Representing both sides
- Potentially illegal or conflict of interest
- Must disclose & obtain written consent
Objectives of disclosure
- Declare
- Explain
- Offer choice
- Obtain documented consent
Seller agent disclosures to client
- In writing
- On or before is executed
Seller agent disclosures to client
- In writing
- On or before listing is executed
Seller agent disclosures to customer
- In writing
- Upon first face-to-face contact or upon substantive communication, depending on state law
- Oral disclosure permitted but must have written follow-up
Buyer agent disclosures to seller
- in writing
- Upon first contact with listing agent or seller
- Substantive contact is assumed
Dual agent disclosures
- “Informed, written consent”
- May not disclose price or financing positions or motivations unless authorized
Listing Agreement : Key characteristics
- Broker’s enforceable contract of employment
- Establishes special agency relationship
- Defines roles of parties
- Creates fiduciary duties for the agent
- Describes agent’s scope of authority
Parties to a listing agreement
- Listing broker - Fiduciary of buyer client or seller client
- Sub agent - Fiduciary of listing broker’s client
- Customer - non-fiduciary principal in transaction
Authority in a listing agreement
- Limited agency agreement
- Broker may not contract for client unless specifically authorized
- Clients liable only for brokers acts within scope of authority
Contract law of a listing agreement
- Unilateral contract
- Oral listing is valid and enforceable
- Exclusive listing in some states must be written to be enforceable
- Personal service contract - not assignable
Exclusive right to sell
Given to one broker
usually must be written
- Must expire
- Broker get commission if property transfers during period
Exclusive Agency
- Exclusive excepting owner
- Oral or written
- Must expire
- Broker get commission unless owner sells
Open listing
- Non-exclusive
- Oral or written
- No stated expiration
- Procuring cause gets commission
Net listing
- All sale proceeds above a sellers minimum price go to the broker
- Discouraged if not illegal
Multiple listing
Listing placed in MLS
Buyer agency agreements
- Create a fiduciary relationship w/ buyer
- If exclusive, buyer agrees to only work with the buyer representative in procuring a property
- Must have an expiration date along with other requirements of a valid listing
Compensation
- Negotiated between agent and principal
- Where disputed among agents, agent with procuring cause is owed commission
- Based on results: find ready willing and able customer
Causes for termination of listing agreement
- Performance
- Infeasibility
- Mutual agreement
- Revocation
- Abandonment
- Breach
- Expiration
- Invalidity
- Incapacitation or death
- involuntary transfer
- Destruction of property
Agents performance
- May perform only authorized tasks
- Must verify owner and property data
- May delegate duties to salespeople and other brokers.
Revoking a listing
- Clients always have power to revoke during period
- May incur liability for commission or damages.
Why can broker?
- Sole proprietorship
- For-profit corporation
- General or limited partnership
- Joint venture
Who cannot broker?
- Non-profit
- Business trust
- Cooperative association