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Legal Descriptions

National · Property Ownership & Land Use — free study notes for the real estate licensing exam.

🏘️ Property Ownership & Land Use

📖 What you need to know

Three accepted ways to legally describe land: METES & BOUNDS (a point of beginning, then directions/distances back to it); RECTANGULAR (government) SURVEY (townships, ranges, sections — a section = 640 acres); and LOT & BLOCK (recorded subdivision plat — common for residential). A street address is NOT a legal description.

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Related in Property Ownership & Land Use

Encumbrances — The Family TreeNational Easements — Who Can Cross Your LandNational Co-Ownership — JT vs TIC vs TBENational Water Rights at a GlanceNational Fixture or Not? — MARIANational Condos, Co-ops, PUDs & TimesharesNational Estates & Ways to Hold TitleNational Government Powers Over Property — "PETE"National

Questions students ask

Is Legal Descriptions on the real estate exam?

Yes. Property Ownership & Land Use is a scored domain on the real estate licensing exam, and this topic appears in the national portion.

Is this cheat sheet free?

Yes — every page on CinnaPrep's resource library is free to read, print and share. The app adds practice questions, mock exams and a readiness score.

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