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Before you buy real estate, check for easements

On Behalf of | Aug 5, 2019 | Uncategorized |

If you have recently discovered that the Georgia real estate you plan to purchase has an easement on the property, you may be wondering what this means, and how it may affect your ownership after you buy. Our legal team at John Edwards Law Group, LLC often provide assistance and advice to individuals and businesses when there are questions about easements.

The good news about easements, if there is one on the land you plan to buy, is that they are specific to the purpose. So, as Trulia.com explains, maybe an easement gives the people next door the right to use your property, but only to get to their garage, which is only accessible by crossing a small portion of your backyard. Likewise, perhaps you will have to rely on an easement in order to access your own property via a driveway that crosses the neighboring property.

An easement may be affirmative, such as the one mentioned above that allows something to happen, i.e., someone else crossing the property. They can also be negative, preventing something from happening, such as building an addition that blocks a view. An easement may be public, allowing anyone to cross your property, or it may be private, such as an easement that allows the utility to dig up your yard to maintain or repair pipes or electrical lines.

Before you buy the property, and especially if you plan to make major changes to the house or yard, it is important to read through all of the paperwork and make sure there are no easements that will make this purchase less than ideal. For more information about real estate issues, please visit our webpage.