Legal Description Of Property
The legal description of property is a legal instrument to determine as best as one can, the physical boundaries and characteristics of a plot of land and the housing built on top of it. Its goal is for someone to completely identify a property just by reading the description provided, and it generally comes attached to lease agreements to guide possible disputes in the future. A legal description of property is mostly found in sales contracts, deeds, and mortgages.
Real estate lawyers are usually the ones responsible for the legal description of property, and – when doing one – they typically focus on aspects that don’t change much over the course of time. So, for instance, a street address is not the most common identifier in a legal description of property because street names do change a lot. So, no “the property is in the intersection of Old Guy Street with Brand New Name Street”, as time changes, and even the most popular name can be traded for any number of reasons - not to mention the street can cease to exist due to urban development or even natural disasters.
Some legal descriptions of property cover the quantity of land in acres, but the most common way of going about this document is making a description of the land itself through fractional designations that divide (and describe) the land in sections. This concept of locating or describing land is actually very old and has been around since 1785 when it was established by law under the Articles of Confederation as a way to divide the land in relation to the public land survey system. Its initial purpose was to determine farms and big real estate into “townships”, but as time went on and our society developed and started fragmentizing space within space, it grew more specialized and complex.
It is very important to have a professional do your legal description of property when doing the title transfer of your house because if it’s improperly done, the sale of the home can be marked as invalid due to improper land description.
Real Estate Tip:
You know who can connect you with a trustworthy lawyer to help out not only on the legal description of property but several other documents? A real estate agent! And we have the best ones! Contact a local one now!
Popular Real Estate Terms
You’ll find the most common definition and use of the term ‘perimeter’ in mathematics, more precisely geometry, to determine an item’s or land’s surface area. ...
People say, in real estate, there's a lot more than meets the eye. If you're connected to the housing market in any way, you've probably heard the term "implicit cost." It sounds fancy, but ...
If you came here looking for the Sublease definition, chances are that you know what it means, but you need more information about it, with scenarios and facts to better grasp it. ...
The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) is not only a commonly used term in the real estate industry, but it is also the largest trade association in the US. With over 1.4 million ...
Approval given by a local municipality to construct a particular structure at a specific location. The permit may contain certain provisions that require builder compliance. ...
Unanticipated damages incurred as the result of the sub effects of a parties breach of responsibility or contract. Consequential damages often result in financial compensation. ...
The definition of a service fee or brokers fee in real estate is a flat fee paid to a real estate agent or broker in addition to the commission for the sale or purchase. This is to cover ...
Past action of a property owner or tenant. ...
Mortar or concrete which is pumped or 'shot' through a hose at high velocity onto a surface. ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.