Real vs personal property

Severance

Turning real property into personal property by detaching it

Cut down a standing tree and the timber becomes personal property; mine ore and it becomes personal property. The reverse process is annexation or attachment, which converts personal property into part of the real estate.

How the exam asks about it

Paired with annexation and with the fixture rules. A severed item can still be sold with the land, but it is being sold as goods rather than as realty.

Related terms

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