Real Estate Law

Patent land is land originally owned by the federal government and granted to private parties. Most land was given or sold to private individuals by the federal government in order to populate the...

Land property descriptions can seem as if they are written in a foreign language. Understanding how parcels are identified helps in reading specific land definitions. Most land in the United...

A common problem between neighbors involves land line disputes. If you are facing a boundary issue with a neighbor, you need to have a basic understanding of how to resolve land line disputes. The...

A Land Patent is also called the First Title Deed or Certificate because it was originally a formal certificate granting land to a person or a company. When the original owner of the land patent...

In a typical real estate sale, a bank finances the transaction between buyer and seller and takes a mortgage on the property until the loan is paid off. In a land contract, the seller finances the...

An excellent way to offset costs of land ownership or to make the land more profitable is to lease it for hunting. It is not necessary to involve real estate lawyers to write the lease. Clearly...

Water rights are highly desired in real estate transactions. Whether for agricultural use, recreational use or other purposes, water rights can significantly increase the appeal of a real estate...

A land contract is a written, signed and decisional agreement between a seller and buyer for a piece of property or land. Both the seller and buyer have rights within the agreement that are to be...

One of the best investments a person can make is to own real property. While your property may still fluctuate in value, it is a hard asset that you own, can insure and live in or on. A land lease...

The law provides many different types of deeds for the conveyance of land. One of these deeds is called the quitclaim deed. The law also has historically provided for a widower's certain rights...

A person obtains real estate in many ways. He may inherit it, obtain it by will, or have it conveyed to him. If a person obtains land through a conveyance he will usually be given a document...

Due to the uncertainty of the location of mineral deposits such as oil, natural gas and coal, it is usually necessary to conduct mineral exploration activities to estimate the ultimate value of...

Adverse possession allows a person to get ownership of property without paying a dime of compensation. If you own land, you will need to take steps to protect it from adverse possession. Here...

Adverse possession allows a person to take land from another without compensating them for it. On its face, adverse possession sounds a bit unjust. However, the goal of allowing adverse...

Enacted on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act was an effort by the 37th U.S. Congress to address political and practical issues with the allocation of land to settlers of the western American...

Owning and selling land is not as simple a transaction as it might seem. The full transaction in a large city might include sale or retention of air-rights above a building, either allowing or...

Easements are useful tools for using real property without having to buy it. They permit a person to use land for a variety of purposes and have the potential of being more cost efficient than...

The Restitution of Land Rights Act, promulgated on December 2, 1994 by the South African government, served to restore land confiscated from communities and people who previously owned it. Past...

A quitclaim (not "quick" claim), or quit deed, is a deed of conveyance. It is used to transfer real property or an interest in that property to someone else. The deed is filed in the county or...

Until relatively recently the idea of separating mineral rights from surface property rights was not commonplace except in certain areas of the country, especially in coal-producing areas. Today...

Ownership of land conveys a variety of rights. If land is owned in what is called "fee simple," the owner controls not just the surface, with all its buildings and natural features, but also the...

Land, or real property, is a unique commodity. It is generally in high demand and can yield large profits. The law requires certain steps be taken before one can transfer title to real property...

A land survey plat is a map depicting characteristics of the land and their relative positions. A surveyor uses measurement techniques and tools to translate legal technical documents describing...

Once you learn how to develop a subdivision, you will want to get in touch with the engineers that can help you make the blueprints that you need to set everything in motion. Developing a...

Probably you've driven past an empty lot covered in weeds and beer cans and thought to yourself, I could buy this vacant lot and put the land to better use! Whether you want to build a park,...

A land contract, like any contract, is an agreement between two parties. A land contract is an agreement between a buyer or vendor, and seller or vendee for a deed to property. Laws governing land...

If you are a landowner you may be approached by an oil and gas seismic surveying company who wants to do a survey of your land. Here are some options that you have.

Due to the high price of oil and natural gas oil companies are desperately seeking new areas to drill wildcat wells in. Here are some tips on leasing your land for oil and gas exploration.

Adverse possession enables a person to gain ownership of land, without buying it. It often happens when someone begins using the neighbor's property, without permission. One example would be the...

Donating land for the purpose of conservation can be the most important thing you do in your lifetime. This not only preserves the property, but it ensures that it will continue to enrich the...

Land trusts are useful entities for people wishing to hide their ownership of land, for those who wish for a parcel of land to be used only for a certain purpose or for large companies wishing to...

An easement is the right that a property owner has to utilize part of another person's property. These agreements usually carry over along with a transfer of ownership. Several reasons exist for...