Private & Public Restrictions on Real Estate

Private restrictions on real estate include covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs); liens; easements; profit a prendre; adverse possession; and encroachments. CC&Rs are restrictions on how property owners can use their land. For instance a homeowners association in a neighborhood may have a no cars left out on the street overnight policy. Or homes built may have to meet certain criteria, for instance the color may have to be approved, or the garage may have to be in the back yard/ further back from the face of the house. A lien is a claim on a piece of property used to fulfill an obligation or to serve as collateral on debt. An easement is a right given to access the property by the landowner. For instance utility companies may need to access a power line in your back yard so you allow them to walk through. A profit a prendre is an interest in real property that allows one to remove things from the land, like cattle, soil, or produce. Adverse Possession is when an individual who has openly possessed the land for a long amount of time without actually owning the land aquires the title to the land. An encroachment is typically the result of carelessness when a fence line is built over your property line, etc.
An example of an easement would be the Corpus Christi Seawall.  The state of Texas has a public easement of 200 feet along all Texas Beaches.  The depleting beach front over the years has left the private seawall within that boundary.  It was brought to the state and any further plans to expand the seawall were put to rest, but the existing seawall remains private.  This Caller Times article explains further, as well as some alternative land restrictions faced on the beaches of Corpus Christi. http://www.caller.com/news/2008/apr/20/seawall-divides-city/?print=1

Public restrictions on real estate are when the government creates limitations on real estate like taxation, eminent domain, police power and escheat. 
An example of when eminent domain was used was for the expansion of the 610 Loop in Houston. The Texas Department of Transportation bought some 73.4 acres along the West Loop for expansion.  The article explains further. http://realtynewsreport.com/2012/05/14/deal-sikes-unprecedented-eminent-domain-play-in-nw-houston/

 

Most Fascinating Piece of Real Estate

The Most Fascinating Piece of Real Estate:

In my opinion, the most fascinating piece of real estate is the land owned by the Four Seasons in Punta de Mita.  In 1999 the Four Seasons Resort was opened but they first had to completely relocate the tiny Mexican village that used to sit at the end of the peninsula with the Bay of Banderas on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.  The village was picked up and moved to the northern end of the Bay of Banderas which is where my family owns a condominium.  And though I love being in the small village bordering the Four Seasons the real estate at the peak of the peninsula is timeless. 

The resort is surrounded by countless surf breaks, amazing fishing, snorkelling, whale watching, and
if you can tear your eyes away from the water you will see the Nayarit Jungle and mountainous terrain which makes for fun zip lining!  During the winter Hump Back whales migrate to the Bay to have their babies which can be an amazing spectacle from the shore or by boat.  The Four Seasons has developed the land into Golf Courses, Luxury Hotels, and Villas which are world class.  However, it is the land itself that is so fascinating to me. 

There are records of 6 different cultures living along the peninsula dating all the way back to 300 BC, so it has obviously been a prime piece of Real Estate for quite some time.  LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.  There is just something special about having a calm, nurturing bay on one side and the untamed Pacific on the other that makes this peninsula prime real estate.
This picture is from the La Punta Realty Blog Boats Picture Golf Course Picture Whale Picture

About Me

About me:

My name is Michelle Michael and I am a senior Finance major graduating in May of 2013 from the best University in the world, Texas A&M University.  I was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas which probably explains my love of the beach. 

I come from a family of surfers and I would like to think I can keep up with them on the water.  However, I have grown spoiled over the years and only surf in Corpus when conditions are pristine.  My family does a great deal of traveling and my obsessed dad makes sure we go where the waves are.  We have traveled to Hawaii, Costa Rica, the British Virgin Islands, but our most frequent destination, my home away from home, is a small surf town outside of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico called Punta de Mita. We have a condo there, and consider the locals our friends.  I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel all over the world growing up and it is something that I hope that I am able to do my whole life.  I participated in a study abroad the summer of 2010. I had the opportunity to travel all over Spain when living in Barcelona and also traveled to Paris and Rome!  Paris was by far my favorite but the food in Rome rivaled anything I have ever eaten.  (However my starvation from 4 weeks of unbearable food in Spain may have influenced my fond memories of the true Italian cuisine)!  Art (mostly painting) is one of my favorite past times, as well as having fun with the girls in my sorority Alpha Chi Omega. Oh and did I mention that I LOVE ALL THINGS A&M (and HARRY POTTER)! TexAgs knows how it is!

I am currently enrolled in FINC 371: Real Estate Investment Making and I am really excited to learn the ins and outs of real estate, because I would like to own some pretty impressive real estate someday.  I have recently accepted a job offer from Ryan LLC in Houston where I will be a tax consultant and I could not be more excited and nervous at the same time! I am hoping that I love taxes (which I currently know very little about considering I am a Finance major) and I already know that I will love the company where I would like to become a partner someday!

A few unique facts about myself: I have the guiltiest conscious of anyone I have ever met.  I can't tell a lie without confessing within 3 minutes and if I feel like I did anything remotely wrong I have to tell on myself immediately.  This probably explains why I am so close to my mom. She knows everything!  I have never broken a bone, yet I can't jump without spraining an ankle.  And I firmly believe in taking vitamins.  A weak immune system plagued me until Centrum came into my life!

My bucket list includes salmon fishing in the Yemen, an African safari, a hike through India, to drink legitimate Fiji water, and to go to a Matchbox Twenty concert.  But most importantly I want to start a family to add on to the amazing family I already have!