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Lis Pendens

Emile and Ericka found their dream house. In examining the title to the property, the title company indicated that it found a "Notice of Lis Pendens." The notice indicated that a bank, the mortgage holder on the property, had initiated foreclosure proceedings.

Life Estates

Generally, when a grantor transfers land to a grantee, the grantee receives the entire right and title to the property, without limitations. Sometimes, however, the grantor chooses to limit the grantee's right to the use and enjoyment of the land by creating a life estate. A life estate is an estate in land that ends when a named person dies. It is used primarily for estate planning as a device to allow successive ownership of the land.

Timeshares

A timeshare is an interest in real property. The nature of the interest varies somewhat, depending on the nature of the timeshare itself, but usually the buyer acquires the right to use a specified property during a certain period of time each year.

Title Insurance

By the terms of a real estate contract, a seller agrees to convey clear title to a buyer. As a condition of being approved for a mortgage to buy the property, the buyer's lender usually requires the buyer to purchase a lender's insurance policy, which is paid for when the real estate transaction closes. Every closing is conditioned on proof of the seller's ability to convey clear title, the release of prior encumbrances, and the ability of the buyer's lender to have a superior interest in the property to be conveyed.

Zoning Laws

Zoning law is a mechanism by which government controls the use of land.