Washington State Real Estate Exam (State Portion) |
Comprehensive Practice Questions & Verified
Answers with Detailed Rationales | 2026 Update
1. There are two types of property. What are they?: Real property (realty) and personal property (personalty)
2. Real property (realty) is described as:: Land, anything affixed to the land, and anything incidental or appurtenant
(belonging) to the land. Sometimes it is describes as "that which is immovable"
3. Personal Property (personalty) is described as:: Is usually moveable. A car, a sofa, and a hat are simple examples
of personal property. Anything that is not real property is personal property.
4. Why is it very important to understand the distinction between real and personal property?: Because of
transactions.
5. Provide an example of a real estate transaction (the emphasis of distinction between real and personal
property): When a piece of land is sold, anything that is considered part of the real property is transferred to the buyer
along with the land, unless otherwise agreed. But if an item is personal property, the sellers can take it with them when
they move out unless otherwise agreed.
6. What does the inverted pyramid symbolize?: A parcel of real property and what the landowner owns. - surface
- parcel
- shared airspace
- above and below surface - to the center of the earth
7.What is ALSO considered part of real property?: The rights and privileges associated with land ownership.
(think of real property as the land plus a bundle of rights)
8.What is included in the owners bundle of rights?: possess, use, enjoy, encumber, will, sell, or do nothing at all with
the land
9.what is "posses" ?: to exercise dominion or control over tangible property.
10. what is "use"?: the right to enjoy the benefits of real estate or personal property 11. what is "enjoy"?: refers to
the right to the benefits of that property.
,12. what is "encumber" ?: a claim against a property (asset) by a party that is not the owner. impacts the
transferability and/or use of subjected properties.
this include liens, easements, leases, mortgages, or restrictive covenants.
13. what is "will"?: allows you to direct how your belongings—such as bank balances, property, or prized
possessions—should be distributed.
14 what is "sell"?: to give away a right in a property absolutely
15. What is an appurtenance?: a right or interest that goes along with or pertains to a piece of land 16. appurtenance
example: rights or privileges that concern physical aspects of a property.
minerals in the ground, right to sunlight, or an unobstructed view
17. what are the 4 basic appurtenances?: air rights, water rights, mineral rights, and support rights - mineral
-air
-water
-support
MAWS
18. what are air right restrictions?: building/structure height restrictions protect neighbors from scenic views and
access to solar energy "sun rights"
19. Can air rights be sold separately from the property?: Yes, they can be.
20. Suppose you build a multi-story condominium on your land and sell the units. The buyer of a unit is actually
purchasing ... ____________: ownership rights to a specified parcel of the airspace above the land.
21. The rules concerning water rights can apply to BOTH:: surface water and to subsurface water
22. Surface water may be confined to a:: channel or a basin or
unchanneled water such as a runoff or flood water
23. Subsurface water (ground water) runs in or collects where?: underground channels or collects in porous
underground layers
24. In the U.S there are two main systems for allocating water rights. What are they?: 1. The Riparian Rights system
2. The Prior Appropriation system
25. What is the Riparian Rights System?: Rights tied to land ownership.
,26. Under the riparian rights system, a landowner has the right to what?: Use the water that touches her property
Ex: Suppose the Barnhill River flows by your land. You have the right to use water from the river for domestic purposes
27. What are domestic purposes (riparian water rights?): bathing, washing clothes, or watering your vegetable
garden
28. What is the DISTINCTION between riparian water and littoral water?: riparian water = flowing water (river,
stream, creek)
littoral water = standing water
(a pond or a lake)
This term also applies to tidal waters such as Puget Sound or the ocean
29. You have just purchased a prime parcel of oceanfront property. You probably have what type of water rights?:
Littoral Rights.
Littoral rights attach to property that borders a stationary body of water such as a lake or ocean
30. A property owner has riparian rights. This suggests that her property is next to:: A river or stream.
Riparian rights allow property owners who have flowing water such as a rover or stream next to or across their property
to take reasonable amounts of water for use on the property.
31. What limitations does the law put on the riparian or littoral?: Water may only be used on the riparian or littoral
property itself.
It can not be transported for use elsewhere, on property that doesn't adjoin the river, lake, or other water source.
32. If the application for an appropriation permit is granted, the permit holder
gains what?: the right to to take or divert water from a particular source for a specified reasonable and beneficial use.
33. Is the appropriation permit holder required to own riparian or littoral
land?: No, they permit holder is not required. The permit may allow the appropriated water to be transported for use
far from its source.
34. In Washington, the proper appropriation system may also be applied where?: To groundwater beneath a
property
, 35 You just purchased oceanfront property in a small coastal town. You start to notice that townspeople walk along
the shore at low tide, right in front of your house (and they have been doing this for years). You want to stop them
from continuing to do so. Which of the following is generally true?: You are unlikely to succeed, because you only own
the property to the mean high watermark.
(in most cases a beachfront owner's property ends at the mean high water mark AKA the mean high tide mark, so the
townspeople have the right to walk along the shore at low tide. You probably can't stop them)
36. 4 Appurtenances?: 1. air rights
2.waters rights
3.mineral rights
4.support rights
MAWS
37. What does the appurtenant right: mineral rights mean to a landowner?: The right to extract any solid minerals
located within the property inverted triangle
38. Can mineral rights be sold separately from the rest of the property?: Yes, these rights can be sold separately
from the rest of the property.
39. What minerals are considered part of the real property until they are extracted from the ground?: Solid minerals
like copper and coal
40. When do solid minerals become personal property?: Once they are brought to the surface
41. Mineral ownership is more complicated when it comes to the non-solid minerals such as?: Oil and natural gas
42. When any oil or gas produced from wells is located on a landowners property, who's personal property does it
become?: It becomes the personal property of that landowner.
This is true even if the wells caused the oil or gas to migrate from underneath the neighboring property.
43. What is the rule of capture meant to encourage?: Oil and gas production
44. Under the law, is oil and gas governed by the rule of capture?: Yes, under the law
they are governed
Comprehensive Practice Questions & Verified
Answers with Detailed Rationales | 2026 Update
1. There are two types of property. What are they?: Real property (realty) and personal property (personalty)
2. Real property (realty) is described as:: Land, anything affixed to the land, and anything incidental or appurtenant
(belonging) to the land. Sometimes it is describes as "that which is immovable"
3. Personal Property (personalty) is described as:: Is usually moveable. A car, a sofa, and a hat are simple examples
of personal property. Anything that is not real property is personal property.
4. Why is it very important to understand the distinction between real and personal property?: Because of
transactions.
5. Provide an example of a real estate transaction (the emphasis of distinction between real and personal
property): When a piece of land is sold, anything that is considered part of the real property is transferred to the buyer
along with the land, unless otherwise agreed. But if an item is personal property, the sellers can take it with them when
they move out unless otherwise agreed.
6. What does the inverted pyramid symbolize?: A parcel of real property and what the landowner owns. - surface
- parcel
- shared airspace
- above and below surface - to the center of the earth
7.What is ALSO considered part of real property?: The rights and privileges associated with land ownership.
(think of real property as the land plus a bundle of rights)
8.What is included in the owners bundle of rights?: possess, use, enjoy, encumber, will, sell, or do nothing at all with
the land
9.what is "posses" ?: to exercise dominion or control over tangible property.
10. what is "use"?: the right to enjoy the benefits of real estate or personal property 11. what is "enjoy"?: refers to
the right to the benefits of that property.
,12. what is "encumber" ?: a claim against a property (asset) by a party that is not the owner. impacts the
transferability and/or use of subjected properties.
this include liens, easements, leases, mortgages, or restrictive covenants.
13. what is "will"?: allows you to direct how your belongings—such as bank balances, property, or prized
possessions—should be distributed.
14 what is "sell"?: to give away a right in a property absolutely
15. What is an appurtenance?: a right or interest that goes along with or pertains to a piece of land 16. appurtenance
example: rights or privileges that concern physical aspects of a property.
minerals in the ground, right to sunlight, or an unobstructed view
17. what are the 4 basic appurtenances?: air rights, water rights, mineral rights, and support rights - mineral
-air
-water
-support
MAWS
18. what are air right restrictions?: building/structure height restrictions protect neighbors from scenic views and
access to solar energy "sun rights"
19. Can air rights be sold separately from the property?: Yes, they can be.
20. Suppose you build a multi-story condominium on your land and sell the units. The buyer of a unit is actually
purchasing ... ____________: ownership rights to a specified parcel of the airspace above the land.
21. The rules concerning water rights can apply to BOTH:: surface water and to subsurface water
22. Surface water may be confined to a:: channel or a basin or
unchanneled water such as a runoff or flood water
23. Subsurface water (ground water) runs in or collects where?: underground channels or collects in porous
underground layers
24. In the U.S there are two main systems for allocating water rights. What are they?: 1. The Riparian Rights system
2. The Prior Appropriation system
25. What is the Riparian Rights System?: Rights tied to land ownership.
,26. Under the riparian rights system, a landowner has the right to what?: Use the water that touches her property
Ex: Suppose the Barnhill River flows by your land. You have the right to use water from the river for domestic purposes
27. What are domestic purposes (riparian water rights?): bathing, washing clothes, or watering your vegetable
garden
28. What is the DISTINCTION between riparian water and littoral water?: riparian water = flowing water (river,
stream, creek)
littoral water = standing water
(a pond or a lake)
This term also applies to tidal waters such as Puget Sound or the ocean
29. You have just purchased a prime parcel of oceanfront property. You probably have what type of water rights?:
Littoral Rights.
Littoral rights attach to property that borders a stationary body of water such as a lake or ocean
30. A property owner has riparian rights. This suggests that her property is next to:: A river or stream.
Riparian rights allow property owners who have flowing water such as a rover or stream next to or across their property
to take reasonable amounts of water for use on the property.
31. What limitations does the law put on the riparian or littoral?: Water may only be used on the riparian or littoral
property itself.
It can not be transported for use elsewhere, on property that doesn't adjoin the river, lake, or other water source.
32. If the application for an appropriation permit is granted, the permit holder
gains what?: the right to to take or divert water from a particular source for a specified reasonable and beneficial use.
33. Is the appropriation permit holder required to own riparian or littoral
land?: No, they permit holder is not required. The permit may allow the appropriated water to be transported for use
far from its source.
34. In Washington, the proper appropriation system may also be applied where?: To groundwater beneath a
property
, 35 You just purchased oceanfront property in a small coastal town. You start to notice that townspeople walk along
the shore at low tide, right in front of your house (and they have been doing this for years). You want to stop them
from continuing to do so. Which of the following is generally true?: You are unlikely to succeed, because you only own
the property to the mean high watermark.
(in most cases a beachfront owner's property ends at the mean high water mark AKA the mean high tide mark, so the
townspeople have the right to walk along the shore at low tide. You probably can't stop them)
36. 4 Appurtenances?: 1. air rights
2.waters rights
3.mineral rights
4.support rights
MAWS
37. What does the appurtenant right: mineral rights mean to a landowner?: The right to extract any solid minerals
located within the property inverted triangle
38. Can mineral rights be sold separately from the rest of the property?: Yes, these rights can be sold separately
from the rest of the property.
39. What minerals are considered part of the real property until they are extracted from the ground?: Solid minerals
like copper and coal
40. When do solid minerals become personal property?: Once they are brought to the surface
41. Mineral ownership is more complicated when it comes to the non-solid minerals such as?: Oil and natural gas
42. When any oil or gas produced from wells is located on a landowners property, who's personal property does it
become?: It becomes the personal property of that landowner.
This is true even if the wells caused the oil or gas to migrate from underneath the neighboring property.
43. What is the rule of capture meant to encourage?: Oil and gas production
44. Under the law, is oil and gas governed by the rule of capture?: Yes, under the law
they are governed
