Real estate encompasses the land, plus any permanent man-made additions, such as houses and other buildings. Any additions or changes to the land that affects the property’s value are called an improvement. The terms land, real estate, and real property are often used interchangeably, but there are distinctions.
One of the largest initial real estate deals in history known as the “Louisiana Purchase” happened in 1803 when the Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed. This treaty paved the way for western expansion and made the U.S. the owners of the “Louisiana Territory” as the land was bought from France for fifteen million, making each acre roughly 4 cents. The natural right of a person to own property as a concept can be seen as having roots in Roman law as well as Greek philosophy. The profession of appraisal can be seen as beginning in England during the 1500s as agricultural needs required land clearing and land preparation. Textbooks on the subject of surveying began to be written and the term “surveying” was used in England, while the term “appraising” was more used in North America.
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