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50 Real Estate Terms You Better Know In This Market
Brand new agent or an industry veteran, there are some words and phrases that frequently crop up. We've chosen 50 terms to create an easy-to-use glossary you'll return to again and again
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One of the biggest industry changes in the last couple of years has been the influx of new agents entering the ranks of Realtor. Whether you’ve been a real estate agent for three months or 30 years, there are a host of terms that you need to keep track of to do your job.
For agents who need a refresher, Inman has gathered a list of some of the most essential terms to know in the business.
Check them out in alphabetical order below. Or if it’s easier, search the page for a specific term.
A
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
Sometimes referred to as a “mother-in-law suite,” an accessory dwelling unit is a second residential area on a homeowner’s property. The accessory unit is typically either detached from the main home as a separate structure, or walled off from the home for the privacy of the second residents. These units are often installed on a property to house family members close by, or to rent out to another family altogether. Local laws and zoning ordinances often restrict the size and other features of these structures, and sometimes do not allow them at all.
This means the seller of the home has received an offer from a potential buyer. However, there are certain contingencies that need to be met before the sale can be finalized. A purchase contract may include contingencies — such as a buyer’s contingency for a property inspection and negotiating any necessary repairs with the seller before closing. If any of these contingencies are not met, the contract will be null and void, and there may or may not be penalties assessed. Most of the time, the contingencies within a contract can be worked through without any issues. But there are times when a buyer will back out of a deal because an agreement cannot be reached. Once all of the contingencies have been removed and the active contingent stage is completed, the property will show a “pending” status. If a buyer is interested in an “active contingent” home, continue to check back often to see if the status has changed. If you see that the “active contingent” status falls off and the home is not pending sale, this will open the door for the client to place an offer.
An addendum is an additional document that gets added to the purchase and sale agreement. The document will include any additional information or requests that the buyer did not put into the original purchase and sale agreement. The language in the addendum has the ability to override the original terms of the agreement. For this reason, any addendums that are attached can be very powerful. Adding an addendum to a contract is often preferred to other methods, such as striking out clauses within the contract.
An adjustable-rate mortgage is a mortgage that does not have a fixed interest rate. The rate changes throughout the lifetime of a loan based on the movements in an index rate. This type of mortgage usually offers a lower initial interest rate compared to fixed-rate loans.
Amortization is the schedule of a homeowner’s monthly mortgage loan payments. An amortization schedule shows you how much of their monthly mortgage payment goes to interest and how much to principal. Near the beginning of a loan’s term, most of the monthly payment will be applied to the interest and a smaller portion to the principal balance. As the homeowner continues to make payments, the monthly amount going toward interest will decrease and a greater share of the payment will be put towards the mortgage balance.
An appraisal is the estimation of a home’s current market value. A licensed appraiser completes this estimation, which is calculated by comparing the recent sales of homes in the area as to the property that is being appraised. This is required by mortgage lenders to be sure that the money they are lending to a new homeowner or a current homeowner is a fair amount for the home. The lenders want to be sure that the buyers are not overpaying for the property. This is to protect the lender. If the borrower stops making payments on the home and the lender needs to sell it, the lender wants to be sure it can recuperate the amount owed on the loan.
‘As is’ or ‘Where is’
When a property is sold “as is” or “where is,” it means the sellers don’t want to perform any repairs on the home prior to closing. There’s no guarantee from the seller that everything is in working condition, and thus, a buyer who purchases a home “as is” is responsible for fixing any problems the home may have or any repairs that may be needed.
B
Back Office
Accounting, financial and legal business operations required of brokers to process and distribute commissions, delegate operating funds and generally keep an office running. Back-office solutions are often a part of transaction management products or sold stand-alone.
Blind Offer
Though not typically advisable, some homebuyers will purchase a property sight unseen. Known as a blind offer, these types of deals are more popular amongst buyers seeking to flip homes as a business venture.
Broker Price Opinion
When preparing a home to list on the market, a real estate professional will often give a broker price opinion on how much the home should sell for. This opinion is usually based on a market analysis of similar homes and can incorporate a more detailed evaluation of the home’s interior condition. A broker price opinion is most frequently used to inform the home’s eventual list price. BPOs are sometimes ordered by banking asset managers when borrowers default on their mortgage payments. BPOs are more affordable than a full appraisal and are commonly used to estimate property value for foreclosures and short sales.
Buyer concessions
Concessions are benefits or discounted offers by the buyer to help sell a home and close a deal. Usually specified during negotiations, concessions can include covering the cost of new appliances in a home, moving expenses and any repairs needed. Concessions can impact the selling price of a home, so oftentimes, appraisers take concessions into consideration when evaluating the home and comparable properties in the area.
C
Cancellation of Contract
According to the terms of the initial contract, the buyer or seller may have opportunities to cancel it. Cancelation can happen when a buyer fails to secure financing for the purchase, or when an inspection reveals flaws that the seller is unwilling to address. Typically the buyer has more opportunities to back out than the seller, but may lose their earnest money or option fee in the process.
Comparative Market Analysis
A comparative market analysis (CMA) is used by real estate agents to estimate the value of a property by comparing and evaluating the property to similar ones that have recently sold in the same area. CMA is one of the cornerstones of pricing a property well, or making a competitive offer. Agents should familiarize themselves with the various search parameters that can help find similar properties, from number of bedrooms and bathrooms to the home’s square footage, age and more.
A contingency is a clause in a formal real estate contract that states there are certain conditions that must be met, by either the buyer or the seller, in order to continue to the next step in the contract. There are contingencies in almost every real estate contract. They are there to protect the buyer and the seller. If the contingencies are not met, there might be a breach in the contract, and the transaction could fail to close. One of the most important types is a financing contingency. This type of contingency ensures the buyer is able to secure the needed mortgage within a reasonable time period before closing. Contingencies can also be tied to the results of the home inspection, or the timely sale of the buyer’s current home.
Conversion
Conversion is a term for turning a lead into a client. Marketing software products, vendor-provided drip campaigns, CRM funnel structures and all forms of paid lead generation systems should be measured largely by conversion rates.
Counter offer
When a buyer’s offer doesn’t live up to a seller’s expectations, the seller can submit a counteroffer. This typically amounts to a rejection of the original offer. Sellers who do this put the original offer at risk, and give the buyer a chance to walk away without going under contract. If the buyer accepts a counteroffer and makes the up-front payments required, both parties are under contract.
D
When you are transferring the ownership of a home, whether through a home purchase or an inheritance, you will need a deed. This is the legal document that transfers the property ownership from one person to another. The deed to a home is also known as a title and is the written proof of who owns the home. The homebuyer signs the document on the day of closing. Once it has been signed and the deal is completed, the new homebuyer will receive a copy and the original copy will be filed with the appropriate county offices.
A “default” occurs when a borrower does not make his or her mortgage loan payment and falls behind. When this happens, he or she risks the home heading into the foreclosure process. Usually, the foreclosure process is started within thirty days after the due date is not met. When a mortgage loan goes into default, the agency that is the loan holder has the option of taking over the property.
Depreciation is defined as a decrease in the value of a property over time. While the main driver of depreciation is usually a sustained downturn in home prices, other factors can also play a role, such as the amount of wear and tear on the home and any changes in the neighborhood. At the end of the day, the home is only as valuable as the price sellers will pay for when the homeowner is ready to sell.
Depending on where the home is located, the seller may have to disclose various known issues with the property. These can range from damage or recent repairs to roofing or pipes, to known local hazards such as earthquakes or fires.
A down payment is the amount of money that a buyer has saved to help fund the purchase of a home. This amount is usually given as a percentage of the total of the home’s purchase price. For example, a common down payment amount is 20 percent, which means the buyer will be paying 20 percent of the total purchase price upfront. The remainder of the purchase price over and above the down payment is typically covered through a mortgage loan.
E
Earnest Money Deposit (EMD)
The earnest money deposit is a portion of the sales price that is typically held in escrow until buyers complete a purchase transaction or cancel a contract. Depending on the reason and timing for backing out of a contract, the buyer may lose this earnest money amount, and could also be the target of a legal dispute. Buyers write contingencies into their offers to maintain their right to back out of the deal while protecting their earnest money.
An easement is defined as someone’s right to use a piece of land — someone who is not the owner of the land. There are many easements that can affect the value of land, but oftentimes there is nothing a homeowner can do about them. An easement is usually put into place to serve a purpose and is limited to this particular type of use only — such as for utility companies to access underground infrastructure. Easements are why it is important for homebuyers to order a land survey. This survey will let them know if there are any easements that are associated with the property they are purchasing.