

Natural law can be seen as having an influence in Emerich de Vattel's 1758 "Law of Nations" which conceptualized the idea of private property. Natural law which can be seen as "universal law" was discussed among writers of the 15th and 16th century as it pertained to "property theory" and the inter-state relations dealing with foreign investments and the protection of citizens private property abroad. 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. The profession of appraisal can be seen as beginning in England during the 1500s as agricultural needs required land clearing and land preparation.

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. In the United States, the transfer, owning, or acquisition of real estate can be through business corporations, individuals, nonprofit corporations, fiduciaries, or any legal entity as seen within the law of each U.S. Real estate is different from personal property, which is not permanently attached to the land, such as vehicles, boats, jewelry, furniture, tools and the rolling stock of a farm. In terms of law, real is in relation to land property and is different from personal property while estate means the "interest" a person has in that land property. Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water immovable property of this nature an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more generally) buildings or housing in general. For other uses, see Real Estate (disambiguation). For the legal concept, see Real property.
