American Property: Freedom, Liberty & Ownership

Module 1: Course Overview
Introduction to American Property: Freedom of the Founding Fathers
We’ll also go over course procedures and expectations for the course and final exam. We’ll then dive right into the principles of the Constitution and Founding Fathers that create the basis for the American Property system.

Acquiring Property

Module 2: Overview
Something from Nothing: Acquisition by Capture, Discovery & Creation
We’ll discuss acquiring property through capture, discovery or creation. We’ll focus on how these basic principles behind these theories set American’s apart from their tea-drinking English counterparts and DIRECTLY lead to the dominance of D.C. over London.

Module 3: That Darn Fence: Adverse Possession
We’ll discuss how other individual property owners can legally take YOUR property without sale or consent. We’ll also discuss practical steps to AVOID losing property through adverse possession.

Module 4: Uncle Sam’s Cut: Eminent Domain & Takings
We’ll discuss how the government takes YOUR private property, both in terms of the underlying political and economic theory as well as the practical reality of “just compensation” for these lands. We’ll also discuss huge windfalls that are made by parties milking the eminent domain system.

What is Property?

Module 5: What do you ACTUALLY Own? (Estate & Future Interests)
We’ll discuss the basic differences between property interests, from common fee simple to the more rare life estate. We’ll also cover future interests such as trusts and the much feared (but mostly irrelevant) rule against perpetuities.

Module 6: Sharing Your Property: Types of Joint Ownership
We’ll discuss various methods by which property is shared between different people, such as joint tenancy, tenancy in common and tenancy by the entirety. We’ll also dive into new concepts such as timeshares and why you should be particularly wary of these type of arrangements.

Module 7: Martial Property: What's Yours is Hers
We’ll discuss the insane complications of martial property and the reason why marriage ISN’T just about love. This will include concepts such as common law marriage, community property, domestic partners and the trending insanity of “palimony”.

Transferring Property

Module 8: From Me To You: Transferring Property, Contracts & Deeds
We’ll discuss both the concepts and actual logistics of actually buying and selling property. This will include a review of the contracts basics, title and the different types of deeds you may see as part of a real estate or personal property transaction.

Module 9: Paying & Closing the Deal: Finances & Closing
We’ll discuss financing property transactions and all that’s necessary to close the deal, including mortgages, notice and recording. This will include practical tips on reducing potential issues when either buying or selling your property – including who you CAN and CANNOT trust when closing a real estate deal.

Land Use

Module 10: Paths to Property: Easements
We’ll discuss what an easement actually represents and the various ways they are created. We’ll go through both how you can exercise your right to access an easement on someone else's property as well as defending against the abuse of easements by the government or other bad actors.

Module 11: Rise of the HOA: Restrictive Covenants & Common Interest Communities
We’ll discuss the creation of restrictive covenants which lead to “common interest communities” such as homeowners associations (HOA’s). We’ll discuss the methods by which homeowner’s associations exert control and the extent to which MODERN homeowner’s associations infringe on personal liberty. We’ll also discuss newer concepts such as special districts, which function in a similar but different way to homeowners associations.

Landlords & Tenants

Module 12: The Landlord’s Perspective: Leaseholds and Property Rental
We’ll introduce the basic tenants of a leasehold and the landlord – tenant relationship and examine things first from the eyes of a property owner, I.e. landlord. We’ll discuss what powers and responsibilities landlords ACTUALLY have and how they can remove deadbeat tenants.

Module 13: The Tenant’s Perspective: Leaseholds and Property Rental
We’ll flip to the tenant’s side of the story and review duties, rights and remedies for tenants, including the ability to sublease or assign a leasehold interest. We’ll talk about what is expected of tenants and disclose the sneaky ways landlords try to shift additional responsibility to tenants.

Module 14: The Quagmire of Affordable Housing: Equity or Insanity?
The term “affordable housing” is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented concepts – often touted by politicians as a remedy to poverty in theory, in practice it can also lead to corruption, mismanagement and government quotas completely divorced from economic demand or reality.

Final Exam

A multiple choice final examination reviewing both the theory, law and application of American property law over all fourteen modules.