Property and real estate glossary
There are 150 entries in this glossary.All
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| BIWEEKLY MORTGAGE |
A mortgage where you make "half payments" every two weeks, rather than one payment per month. This results in making the equivalent of 13 monthly payments per year, rather than 12, significantly reducing the time it takes to pay off a thirty year mortgage. |
| BLANKET OR TRUST DEED |
A mortgage or trust deed that covers more than one lot or parcel of real property, and often an entire subdivision. As individual lots are sold, a partial reconveyance from the blanket mortgage is ordinarily obtained. |
| BLIGHTED AREA |
Any region of a city or town that has fallen into disrepair or otherwise has become undesirable. |
| BONA FIDE |
Any genuine offer, made without intent to defraud or deceive. |
| BRIDGING FINANCE |
An interim loan made to facilitate the purchase of a new home before the buyer's current residence sells and its equity is available to fund the new purchase. |
| BROKER |
An individual who facilitates the purchase of property by bringing together a buyer and a seller. |
| BUFFER ZONE |
A segment of land between two disparate municipal zones which acts as a shield to keep one zone from encroaching upon the other. Often used to separate residential districts from commercial areas. |
| CALL OPTION |
A clause in a mortgage which allows the lender to demand payment of the outstanding balance at a specific time. |
| CAP |
Associated with Adjustable Rate Mortgages. A limit on how high monthly payments or how much interest rates may change within a certain time period or the life of the mortgage. |
| CAPE COD COLONIAL |
A single-story house style made popular in New England. Often characterized by a steep roof with gables. |
| CAPITAL |
Accumulated goods and money which is most often used to generate additional income. |
| CAPITAL EXPENDITURE |
An outlay of funds designed to improve the income-producing capabilities of an asset or to extend its economic life. |
| CASH-OUT REFINANCE |
Refinancing a mortgage at a higher amount than the current balance in order to transform a portion of the equity into cash. |
| CAVEAT EMPTOR |
Literally translated: ''Let the buyer beware.'' A common business tenet whereby the buyer is responsible for verifying any and all claims by the seller of property. |
| CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT |
A document showing that the bearer has a certain amount of money, at a particular amount interest, on deposit with a financial institution. |