Land: What You Buy But Never Really Own | Complexify

In this episode of Complexify, we wade deep into the murky waters of property law and custom to discover that while it sounds nice in theory to own some land, there may not be any such thing.

VICE News’ “Complexify” series takes you down the rabbit hole, to show you why just about everything is more convoluted than you think.



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[VICENews]

In this episode of Complexify, we wade deep into the murky waters of property law and custom to discover that while it sounds nice in theory to own some land, there may not be any such thing.

[Lukas-bgyn]

"Buy land, I hear they don't make it anymore" The Netherlands has entered the chat

[lachv]

The only place where you can truly own a land is Minecraft

[svansy]

regarding the Allemannsrätten in Sweden: it works only if there's no fence. if you fence in your land, it's deemed as trespassing.

[azarinevil]

Not gonna lie, I would watch House Hunters: North Korea.. at least they'd be more honest about how fake it is 😂

[jdaza]

It's called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.

[FingeringThings]

And we still have to pay property taxes

[NegativeCelcius]

As my grandpa always said: "You can only own your land as good as you can defend it."

[jamescrud]

We rent everything in life. In the end you can't take any of it with you.

[JH-trck]

Never seen this reporter before, but i really enjoyed this video.

[Screech]

Let's not discuss aboriginal land rights (Native Americans) because what was stolen... is still stolen. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[fefemyluv]

It’s true. It’s literally another thing that can be swiped away for various reasons.

[RoboJules]

I'd honestly settle for an appartment, really. Just as long as I have something reliable that I can use as economic colateral, as well as a dwelling I can live in, I'd be 100% happy. I can't stand suburban sprawl - I like built up neighborhoods or pure nature, but not that sloppy middleground.

[VoidSurfer]

When a govt takes property through eminent domain, they must follow the constitution which states they must give fair compensation. Courts have agreed that means the land owner must be in the same financial condition after the taking as they were before.

[cutthechicken]

I grew up in WDC and was told that no American owns land. You own the house and pay property tax to Gov so homeowner can have the structure on the land. That's why eminent domain is legal.

[tylerhackner]

And people still are forced to pay property taxes

[Mitch-zrwb]

My folks never never netted above 120k per year combined, yet have a net worth of over 1.5m dollars - despite raising two kids.

Early in their marriage, they saved enough money for a down payment on a house. The bought their first house, 3b 2b, for under 100k. Eleven years later, they sold that house for 180k. Throughout that eleven years, they paid the mortgage down to 50k, creating 130k in wealth. They took most of that money and built their second home in an area that was "up and coming", and put the rest of the money into mutual funds.

The second home was purchased for 160k, and paid off in twenty years. In that 20 years, the value of the home increased to over 350k.

Each week, both my mom and dad had a certain amount of money taken from their check and put into their 401ks, and mutual funds - EVERY WEEK.

After 35 years of marriage, they have no bills, a paid off a house now worth double what they paid, and hundreds of thousands in their 401ks and mutual funds. They never bought fancy cars, fancy clothes. They lived within their means, they saved, they invested, and built enough wealth that they can retire comfortably and enjoy their grandkids.

It's not rocket science... My wife and I are following the same formula, and guess what... It's working.

[chesterg.]

Honestly you don't own anything because of the government. They can make whatever rules they want. They can regulate your land, your guns, your house, your labor, your income, your business... anything they feel like passing a law for.

[jrfdg]

This guy is needlessly sarcastic. It’s exhausting.

[jamesripley]

I’ve been saying this since I was 18 years old and guess what money ain’t real but gold purified by fire like it says in the Bible