Final answer:
Encumbrances in real estate are burdens or restrictions like liens, restrictive covenants, and easements that can affect property value and transferability.
Step-by-step explanation:
Real estate encumbrances are restrictions or burdens that affect the use or transfer of property. This includes various liens, restrictive covenants, and easements. Liens can be voluntary, like a mortgage, or involuntary, like a tax lien. They impact the clear transfer of property title because they must be paid off or resolved before the title can change hands cleanly. Restrictive covenants are provisions in property deeds that limit how the property can be used, such as setting minimum house sizes or aesthetic requirements to maintain a certain neighborhood standard. Easements grant the right to use another's property for a specified purpose, such as the right of way or conservation purposes, which may also affect property value and use.