Legal Issues

When you buy a home or piece of land you are buying not only a physical entity but a legal entity. Almost universally, you buy into a set of restrictions on the use of the property that emanate from both governmental and nongovernmental sources. You also buy into a set of obligations to other parties such as the obligation to pay taxes, road maintenance fees, or home owner association fees.   One of the empowering aspects of owning your own home is that you no longer have to ask the landlord whether you can paint the interior, use a barbecue grill on the back porch or put a hammock on the balcony. For many first time buyers, the concept that you can do what you want with property that you own is deeply ingrained. However, while you generally do have much more control as an owner, there may be many restrictions on your use of the property, depending both on the property and on legal jurisdiction. Most such restrictions stem from subdivision covenants, local ordinances and zoning regulations, and state statutes and regulatory practices.   Even more problematic for many home owners than these limitations on your rights to use your property is the fact that other people often have limited rights to use the property that you are buying.