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own an interest in the whole property. An owner may deed away his orher interest without permission of the other owners. Upon the death ofone joint tenant, the entire ownership goes to the other joint tenants.Example 5. If Wendy Chow, Beverly Rojas, and Mark Rojas, inExample 4, had owned the property as joint tenants instead oftenants in common, there would have been a different result afterChow’s death. The Rojases would have assumed ownership ofthe entire property as joint tenants. Chow’s husband and childrenwouldn’t have received any interest in the property.Tenancy by the Entirety Only a husband and wife may hold atenancy by the entirety . This kind of tenancy is based on a commonlawdoctrine that held that a husband and wife are regarded by the lawas one. In theory, each spouse owned the entire property, which neithercould transfer without the other’s consent. The husband, however, hadthe entire control over the property. He alone had the right to enter thepremises and the right to receive the rent and profits from it. Wheneither spouse died, the property was owned outright by the survivingspouse. The advantage of this type of ownership is that the propertycannot be taken away from one of the spouses, even by a court, unlessboth spouses are sued together.Example 6. Harry and Wanda Quinn owned their residence astenants by the entirety. Mrs. Quinn was involved in an automobileaccident that injured another driver. Suit was brought againstMrs. Quinn but not against Mr. Quinn. Their home could not betaken from them in court to sell to satisfy a judgment, even ifMrs. Quinn was held to be responsible, because the couple ownedthe property as tenants by the entirety.Some states have updated this law to give women and men equalrights to possession of the property, as well as to the rent and profitsfrom it. Other states have done away with this type of ownershipaltogether.The Loss ofWildlife HabitatWhen the economyprospers, Americanconsumers tend topurchase more homes.Unfortunately, animalsoften lose their homesat an alarming ratebecause of our buildingexpansion and development.Under whatcircumstances, if any,do you think corporationshave the rightto tear down foreststo build condominiums?What can youdo to help protectthe wildlife?Get InvolvedContact national wildlifeorganizations suchas Defenders of Wildlifeand the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service to learnhow to help protectthe environment.DeedsA deed is a written instrument that transfers ownership of real property.The person transferring ownership is the grantor. The one to whomownership is given is the grantee. Title is transferred when the deed issigned and delivered. The deed should be recorded in a public office togive notice to the public that the grantee now owns the property.A general warranty deed contains express warranties that title to theproperty is good. The warranties are the personal promises of the grantorthat if title is discovered to be faulty, the grantor will make up for anyChapter 34: Buying a Home 741