Land and all permanent improvements or structures affixed to the land, including buildings, fences, and fixtures. Real property is immovable and transfers through deeds with specific legal formalities, distinct from personal property which is movable.
Real property is land and anything permanently attached to it—your house, your garage, a fence, landscaping. Basically, if you can't pick it up and move it, it's real property. Everything else (furniture, cars, jewelry) is personal property.
⏱ When you'll encounter this term
- Buying or selling property and signing deeds
- Making a will and listing your assets
- Property tax assessments and valuations
- Estate administration and probate inventories
"Dad's estate included real property (his house and the vacant land he owned) and personal property (his car, furniture, and bank accounts). The real property had to be transferred by deed, while the personal property could be distributed more simply."
⚖️ Compare: Real Property vs Personal Property
Land and permanent structures. Transfers by deed. Subject to special recording and tax requirements.
Everything else—movable items. Transfers by delivery or simple documentation. Easier to transfer and divide.
💡 Did you know?
The term "real" in real property comes from Latin "res" meaning "thing," not from "real" meaning "genuine." It's also why real property transfers are called "real estate" transactions and appear in "real property records."