free and clear

Definitions

1. 1

   In a condition of lawful outright ownership, without restrictions or encumbrances.

   • [T]hey cannot at once name a dozen in the town who own their farms free and clear.
   • I have been trying to get a free and clear title to the land for a client of mine.
   • The will might stipulate, for example, that the heir receive the home, free and clear, Ms. Wheatley-Liss said, which may mean that the executor will be directed to sell stocks, bonds or other assets in the estate to pay off the mortgage.
2. 2

   Possessing such lawful outright ownership.

   • I made the last payment on the house today. . . . We’re free and clear.
   • Though standard in real estate transactions, the concept of title insurance, which guarantees that a seller is the free and clear owner, has been resisted by the art world.

The neighborhood