Unit 1: Nature, Description, and Use of Real Estate Flashcards
Improvements
Attached to the land with the intent of being permanent
Appurtenances
Attached to and run with the land
Real estate rights
1) rights in land -air, water, and mineral rights
2) rights of ownership- right to process, transfer, and control property
3) governmental rights- give gov right to determine land use, set taxes, and take back property thru eminent domain or escheat
Rights in land : Air Rights
- extend as high as can be reasonably reached
- government controls air space
Water rights
- government controls and grants permits
- right of access not included. Can not cross another owner’s property and would need to obtain an easement
- attached to the land and can not be retained when property is sold
Boundary shifts
Accretion: additions of land, gradual accumulation thru natural causes
Reliction: land acquired from receding water
Erosion: gradual wearing away of land, may cause owner loss of land
Avulsion
Sudden loss of land through being washed away or other violent acts. (Flooding)
*Property line is maintained even if land is no longer there
Rights to support
Right to have property supported.
Owners of adjacent property can not excavate in a manner that will cause loss of support of owner’s property
Lateral Support
Support to the property sides by neighboring property. (Rock wall or sea wall)
Subjacent support
Support of surface from below
Riparian
Flowing Water: river,streams, tides
Property line is edge of water if navigable. Property line is center of river or stream if non-navigable
Littoral
Standing Water: Lakes
Property line is average high water mark
Mineral rights
Natural gas, oil, coal, gold, water
May be transferred or reserved by original owner when property is sold
Often held by a 3rd party
Chattel
Personal property Movable Not permanently attached to the land Typically does not transfer with real estate Transferred with a bill of sale
Fixture
An object that was once personal property which has been attached to an improvement so as to become real estate.
Once attached it becomes an appurtenance and transfers in the deed.
IRMA (total circumstance test)
Intent: installed with intent of improving the land?
Relationship: owner=fixture , tenant=personal property
Method of attachment: built in (nailed,screwed or glued)=fixture
Free standing=personal property
Adaptation: specific to individual property. (AC unit in window is personal, AC Unit in wall is real property)
Fixture Exceptions (transferred with a bill of sale)
Trade fixtures- May be removed before lease termination
Emblements (fructus industrials)- annually cultivated crops. Previous owner can come back to harvest.
Manufactured Housing
To be converted to real property:
1) must be on land owned by person placing home
2) must be attached to a permanent foundation
3) must have the hitch and axels removed
4) must have a cancelled DMV title
5) must meet the HUD building requirements
Modular homes
Real property once assembled and attached to foundation
Physical characteristics of land
1) immobile
2) indestructible
3) unique -all parcels differ geographically
Economic characteristics of land
Scarcity- supply in a given location can be limited
Improvements- placement on land affects value and use of neighboring parcels
Permanence of investment- sale may take considerable time. Land is not liquid
Area preference- people’s choices and desires
Legal/formal methods of land description
1) Metes and bounds
2) Rectangular government survey
3) Recorded plat
- legal descriptions do not describe improvements, only land
- improvements and appurtenances are automatically included
- street addresses not adequate legal description but can be used in a lease
- real estate is bought/sold on basis of legal description
Metes and Bounds
- Most accurate method of land description in NC
- Monuments serve as reference points for surveyor
- Must begin and end at point of beginning. If not it is ‘incomplete’ or ‘imperfect’
Metes= measures in feet, commas degrees
Bounds= shape or boundaries or directions