Heirs’ property began to be purchased after the end of the Civil War and in most cases, by now, the original owner has 100s, if not 1000s of heirs’ by now.
The original owner might have created a family compound on the land by dividing it up among their descendants, who in turn passed on their portion of the land to their children and so on and so on.
Having been handed down without proper paperwork or a clean title, the property does not have clear legal ownership. It can not receive financing nor is it able to be developed because there isn’t established an owner.
Each heir is entitled to an equal share and percentage of the property. Unfortunately, the law in some states enables one person who owns a share of the property to force the courts to place the property up for sale.
Once the property goes up for sale, if people are living on the property, it will force them to be displaced from the land, regardless of how long they have been living there or if they have a financial stake in the property.
Heirs’ Property Illustrations Courtesy of Farmers.gov
Land Grab Photo Courtesy of Ericka Lugo
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