Definition of "Involuntary alienation"

Lisa Turner real estate agent

Written by

Lisa Turnerelite badge icon

Lisa Turner - Selman And Associates

The definition of involuntary alienation in real estate is the loss of property through attachment, condemnation, foreclosure, sale for taxes or other involuntary transfer of title. Involuntary alienation differs from voluntary alienation in that in the latter, the residents vacate voluntarily, whereas they do not in the case of the former. 

 

Perhaps the most commonly seen of these is foreclosure, in which a bank evicts the residents from their home due to unpaid mortgage payments. Let’s look at a couple of examples of involuntary alienation. 

 

Examples of Involuntary Alienation in Real Estate

 

Richard is a twenty-four-year-old electrical engineer in a fairly remote town with a respectable population of 21,000 residents. After getting his certification, Richard finds a high-paying position with attractive benefits and steady work. As many professionals his age often do, Richard buys a flashy, expensive car, and starts payments on a large house that is well above his means. 

 

As a result of the collapse of the largest employer in the county, Richard loses his job and is forced to take a lower-paying job just to make ends meet. After several months of decreased income, Richard’s savings have run out, and he begins to miss his house payments. One evening, after a hard day of work at his grueling new job, Richard returns home to find a large red-and-white sign reading “FORECLOSED” standing in his front yard. 

 

This is an example of foreclosure, one of the most common types of involuntary alienation. As is sometimes the case with this type of action on the part of the bank, the foreclosure was unannounced, as residents often destroy the property in response to the eviction notice. There are other circumstances under which residents may be involuntarily alienated from their property such as failure to pay property taxes, but foreclosure is by far the most common.

Property seized by a bank is often sold at lower than it would otherwise sell for as the bank is simply interested in covering the money owed. When looking to buy a house ask the realtor about foreclosures.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

A binding arbitration is a way to solve disputes without going to court. An alternative to the more expensive and lengthy legal procedures, a binding arbitration is basically the process ...

A legal procedure to sell a mortgage property to the highest bidder in order to satisfy a mortgage claim from a mortgagee against the value o the property. A foreclosure sale can occur from ...

Series of sloping horizontal slats most frequently mounted in doors and windows permitting the passage of air while restricting vision and preventing rain from entering the building. ...

Language commonly used in a fee simple title conveyance. The significance is whether the title is clear and can be passed on to the purchaser's estate including all heirs and those who may ...

(1) The interest rate charged on a construction loan. (2) The rate at which construction loan progress payments are made. See also bridge loan; bullet mortgage; development loan. ...

person's behavior partly genetic and partly learned through experience over time. Some people have good personal traits while others have poor ones. ...

In everyday discourse, a merger defines the combination of two entities, be it real estate or two companies, into a single and legit one. We should make a difference between a merger and ...

Same as term financial institutions: Institutions acting as intermediaries between suppliers and users of money. The financial markets are where those wanting funds are matched with those ...

Interest rate on a loan that varies periodically based on some related measure. If interest rates are currently high and a prospective buyer of a home believes future interest rates will be ...

Popular Real Estate Questions