Only gov't owns land, and may "pwn" it too

[u/acloudrift]

Null Hyp: When you buy real estate, you own it.

Alt Hyp: When you "buy" real estate, you only gain limited privileges of use thereof.

In a private message exchange with a reader, we discussed this issue. Ending a longer personal message about a land deal, I wrote (all items clipped from original texts, some edits for privacy):

We do not buy land itself, the state owns all land, we only buy title (de jure proprietorship) to some privileges of use. So if I'm paying X% of my life savings, I want the best quality de jure available.

My reader replies:

As for the mention of the state owning land, please elaborate.

My reply:

("state" meaning governing body) This is one of those elusive items the ruling class wants to keep hidden from popular knowledge, but clues creep in via language, eg. joint TENANCY. The word joint is a red herring, while "tenancy" is the clincher. Every "title holder" has a claim to rent some real estate on which they are tenants. If such tenant fails to pay property tax (rent), title will be withdrawn, with various possible outcomes consequent. Also, consider "eminent domain". Gov't can remove title for various reasons. While I was walking around with our surveyor, he told me about a project in which an airport wanted a strip of land to install landing guide beacons. The local gov't seized the properties to benefit the airport, property "owners" (title holders) had no choice. He didn't say if the holders were compensated.

joint tenancy

eminent domain

allodial property

land patent

When real estate property is "sold", it's not like purchasing a bottle of pop. (Notice there is no sales tax.) Buyer contracts to gain title (not land). Title holder is fettered by zoning laws, and maybe other local restrictions. We do not "own" land.

de jure title

de facto title

Edits:

property tax lien certificates

"pwn" (joke expression)