Watch this home's ownership move from one person to the next. Fee simple absolute is the broadest private ownership estate. It is potentially perpetual and inheritable. The current owner can transfer it, and an heir can inherit it. Notice that our timeline has no preset ending. Compare that with a life estate, which is measured by a specified person's life. And compare it with a defeasible fee, which may end when a specified condition occurs. The word absolute does not erase legal limits. Taxes, zoning, and valid liens can still apply. Quick check: does fee simple absolute mean an owner can ignore zoning? No. Broad ownership still operates within the law.