What is Adverse Possession?
In brief, adverse possession allows someone to acquire your property out from under you. Before we get into all that, I am still enjoying learning about real estate principles and working on home improvement projects. At this point, I am wrapping up my second week of pre-license courses. In addition, I decided to tackle updating the look of our front door before we head up north for the weekend. Are you ready to learn?
Don’t loose your property!
For starters, most of us will never have to worry about adverse possession but if you own multiple properties and don’t have tenants or visit them regularly, than pay attention. The process of adverse possession allows a person to occupy your land (without your knowledge) and actually acquire the title to your property. Keep in mind, this is different than having a squatter in a rental. In that case, you give the tenant permission and can therefore evict them. With adverse possession, the person is there without your knowledge and after 10 years can file a prescriptive suit against the property. Assuming they meet the criteria, this can result in the transfer of ownership to this unwanted guest. Surprisingly, the remedy would be to grant permission also known as giving a license. Once permission has been granted, you can then start the legal eviction process.
Updating Your Front Door
With adverse possession in mind, I decided it was time to update the look and hardware of our front door. The former owner had replaced the door and installed a digital lock. However, the door was never painted and the knob was falling apart. I opted for a handle this time to make it easier to open. Furthermore, we kept the color white to meet our HOA guidelines and I was able to used the leftover paint from my patio eaves project. As can be seen, after a fresh coat of paint and hardware the door looks brand new. Hopefully this will inspire you to update something around your home. If you don’t have a home of your own or are looking to sell, don’t hesitate to contact me, subscribe, and follow my social media links below.
