Legal Description Of Property
Definition of "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
" A metal plate attached to the lower end of a door to prevent marring from people "kicking" the door in order to open it. A metal plate mounted on the open edge of a stairs platform." ...
When we talk about agency as a real estate concept, we understand the relationship between the real estate agent and the client. However, the term dual agency defines a type of agency that ...
A decrease in spending dollars because of a decrease in the money supply. Less funds available to prospective home buyers by lenders. Attractive mortgages are difficult to get. ...
The company is not responsible to a third party if an account or financial instrument is dishonored by the debtor. The creditor's recourse is solely to the debtor's property. An example is ...
Impeding and restricting people in various activities based on their race, ethnic reasons, or religion now goes against US laws in effect. In the past, especially in the 1960s, ...
Local governmental ordinance breaking down the country into districts that are restricted on how private property is to be constructed and used. It applies to the land and buildings. The ...
If you are a real estate investor and you come across this term, you might wind up wondering … What is the operating expense ratio? The operating expense ratio (OER) is a way for ...
Substance or material used at the top of a chimney at the roof to inhibit the development of moisture and to protect the metal. ...
Situation where a neighbor hood is gradually occupied by progressively lower income people. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.