REAL ESTATE TERMS
A,
B,
C,
D,
E,
F,
G,
H,
I,
J,
K,
L,
M,
N,
O,
P,
Q,
R,
S,
T,
U,
V,
W,
X,
Y,
Z
B ---
BACKFILL
the replacement of excavated earth into a hole or against a structure.
BACKUP CONTRACT
a contract to Buy real estate that becomes effective if a prior contract fails to be consummated.
BALANCE SHEET
a financial statement in table form showing assets, liabilities, and equity, in which assets equal the sum of liabilities plus equity.
BALANCE, PRINCIPLE OF
in real estate appraisal, there is an optimal mix of inputs that, when combined with land, will result in the greatest land value. Inputs, or factors of production, include labor, capital, and entrepreneurship.
BALLOON MORTGAGE
a mortgage with a balloon payment.
BALLOON PAYMENT
the final payment on a loan, when that payment is greater than the preceding installment payments and pays the loan in full
BAND OF INVESTMENT
an income property appraisal technique where the overall interest rate is derived from weighting mortgage and equity rates.
Back to top -- View New Home Listings
BASE PERIOD
a point of time that serves as a benchmark for reflecting the change in an index.
BASE RENT
the minimum rent due under a lease that has a percentage or participation requirement.
BASELINE
part of the Rectangular Survey or Government Rectangular Survey method of land description.
BASIC INDUSTRY MULTIPLIER
in economic base analysis, the ratio of total population in a local area to employment in basic industry. Basic industry is considered to be any concern which attracts income from outside the local area.
BASIS POINT
one 100th of 1%.
BASIS(TAX)
the point from which gains, losses, and depreciation deductions are computed.
BEARER INSTRUMENT
a security that does not indicate the owner; payable to whoever presents it.
Back to top -- View New Home Listings
BEDROOM COMMUNITY
a residential community in the suburbs, often near an employment center, but itself providing few employment opportunities.
BEFORE-AND-AFTER-RULE
in an eminent domain award, many jurisdictions appraise the property value before the taking, then the property value after the taking, considering enhancement or injury to the property that was the result of condemnation.
BEFORE-TAX CASH FLOW
cash flow prior to deducting income tax payments or adding income tax benefits.
BEFORE-TAX EQUITY REVERSION
same as after-tax proceeds from resale, except it does not consider income taxes.
BELOW-MARKET INTEREST RATE (BMIR)
in some government-subsidized housing, the owner is charged a low interest rate with the requirement that savings be passed on to tenants in the form of reduced rent.
BENCHMARK
a permanently affixed mark that establishes the exact elevation of a place; used by surveyors in measuring site elevations, or as a starting point for surveys.
BENEFICIARY
the person who receives or is to receive the benefits resulting from certain acts.
Back to top -- View New Home Listings
BEQUEATH
to specify by will the recipient of personal property. Compare devise.
BEQUEST
that personal property given by the terms of a will.
BETTERMENT
an improvement to real estate.
BI-LEVEL
a house built on 2 levels in which the main entrance is situated above the lower level but below the upper level.
BIANNUAL
occurring twice a year. Same as semiannual. Contrast with biennial.
BIENNIAL
occurring every 2 years.
BILATERAL CONTRACT
a contract under which each party promises performance.
Back to top -- View New Home Listings
BILL OF ASSURANCE
the name given, in some states, to the total collection of restrictive covenants that apply to a group of contiguous lots.
BILL OF SALE
a written instrument given to pass title of personal property from a seller to a buyer. Used when furniture and I>ortable appliances are sold.
BINDER
an agreement, accompanied by a deposit, for the purchase of real estate, to evidence good faith on the part of the purchaser.
BIWEEKLY LOAN
a mortgage which requires principal and interest payments at two-week intervals. The payment is exactly half of what a monthly payment would be. Over a year's time, the 26 payments are equivalent to 13 monthly payments on a comparable mortgage loan. As a result, the loan will amortize much faster than loans with monthly payments.
BLANKET MORTGAGE
a single mortgage that covers more than one parcel of real estate.
BLEEDING A PROJECT
1. in new construction, overstating expenses and fees so as to divert a larger than normal amount of the project costs to the developer's profit. 2. managing an existing piece of real estate so as to obtain the highest possible current income from it, to the extent that many normal operating expenses are forgone.
BLENDED RATE
an interest rate, applied to a refinanced loan, that is higher than the rate on the old loan but lower than the rate offered on new loans.
Back to top -- View New Home Listings
BLIGHTED AREA
a section of a city in which a majority of the structures are dilapidated.
BLIND POOL
an investment program in which monies are invested into an association without investors knowing which properties will be purchased.
BLOCKBUSTING
a racially discriminatory and illegal practice of coercing a party to sell a home to someone of a minority race or ethnic background, then using scare tactics to cause others in the neighborhood to sell at depressed prices.
BLUE-SKY LAWS
state laws requiring the offeror of securities to give full disclosure, and register the offering as required by federal and state law.
BLUEPRINT
a detailed set of plans used as the guide for construction of a building.
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION
a government entity whose purpose is to assure uniform property tax assessments.
BOARD OF REALTORS
a local group of real estate licensees who are members of the State and National Association of Realtors.
Back to top -- View New Home Listings
BOECKH BUILDING VALUATION MANUAL
a book, frequently updated, that offers estimates of the replacement cost or reproduction cost for different types of buildings. Address: Boeckh 525 East Michigan P.O. Box 664 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0664
BOILER PLATE
standard language found in contracts. Preprinted material.
BOMA
Building Owners and Managers Association.
BONA FIDE
in good faith, without fraud.
BOND
a certificate that serves as evidence of a debt and of the terms under which it is undertaken.
BOOK VALUE
the carrying amount of an asset, as shown on the books of a company.
BOOT
unlike property included to balance the value of like properties exchanged.
Back to top -- View New Home Listings
BOTTTOMLAND
1. low land near a river, lake, stream, which is often flooded 2. land in a valley or dale.
BOUNDARY
same as property line.
BOY
beginning of year.
BREACH OF CONTRACT
a violation of the terms of a legal agreement; default. Breach of contract allows the non-breaching party to rescind the contract, sue for damages, or sue for performance of the contract.
BREAK-EVEN POINT
the amount of rent or the occupancy level needed to pay operating expenses and debt service. Also called default point.
BRIDGE LOAN
mortgagee financing between the termination of one loan and the beginning of another loan.
BROKER
a state-licensed agent who, for a fee, acts for property owners in real estate transactions, within the scope of state law.
Back to top -- View New Home Listings
BROKERAGE
1. the business of being a broker. 2. the commission received by a broker for his services.
BROWNSTONE, BRICK ROW HOUSE, OR EASTERN TOWNHOUSE
a nineteenth-century-style house, usually having 4 or 5 stories with a stoop leading up to the first floor. There are common side walls with a house on either side.
BUDGET MORTGAGE
a mortgage that requires monthly payments for taxes and insurance in addition to interest and principal.
BUFFER ZONE
a transitional area between 2 areas of different predominant land uses.
BUILD TO SUIT
an arrangement whereby a landowner offers to pay to construct on his or her land a building specified by a potential tenant, and then to lease land and building to the tenant.
BUILDER WARRANTY
a guarantee on the quality of construction offered by the developer or building contractor.
BUILDERS AND SPONSORS PROFIT AND RISK ALLOWANCE (BSPRA)
an amount above the cost of apartments that is allowed to be included in the project cost for purpose of determining the loan amount in certain government-sponsored programs.
Back to top -- View New Home Listings
BUILDING CAPITALIZATION RATE
in appraisal, the capitalization rate is used to convert an income stream into one lump sum value. The rate for the building may differ from that for the land because the building is a wasting asset.
BUILDING CODES
regulations established by local governments describing the minimum structural requirements for buildings; includes foundation, roofing, plumbing, electrical, and other specifications for safety and sanitation.
BUILDING LINE
a line fixed at a certain distance from the front and/or sides of a lot, beyond which the building may not project.
BUILDING LOAN AGREEMENT
an agreement whereby the lender advances money to an owner at specified stages of construction.
BUILDING OWNERS AND MANAGERS ASSOCIATION (BOMA)
an organization of practitioners who own and manage buildings, notably office space. Address: Building Owners and Managers Association 1221 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20005
BUILDING PERMIT
permission granted by a local government to build a specific structure at a particular site.
BUILDING RESIDUAL TECHNIQUE
an appraisal technique whereby income to land is subtracted from net operating income to result in the building income. Building income is capitalized into building value.
Back to top -- View New Home Listings
BUILDING RESTRICTIONS
provisions in building codes that affect the orientation, size, and appearance of a building.
BUILT-INS
appliances, machinery, and other equipment that are constructed as part of a building rather than left freestanding and moveable.
BULLET LOAN
typically a loan with a 5- to 10-year term and no amortization. At the end of the term the full amount is due.
BUNDLE OF RIGHTS THEORY
the theory that ownership of realty implies a group of rights such as occupancy, use and enjoyment, and the right to sell, bequeath, give, or lease all or part of these rights.
BUNGALOW
a small, early-twentieth-century-style, I-story house that usually has an open or enclosed front porch.
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior that oversees the management of much of the land owned by the U.S. government, particularly national forests and other relatively undeveloped land.
BUSINESS DAY
a standard day for conducting business. Excludes weekends and holidays.
Back to top -- View New Home Listings
BUY DOWN
1. the action to pay additional discount points to a lender in exchange for a reduced rate of interest on a loan. The reduced rate may apply for all or a portion of the loan term. 2. a loan that has been bought down by the seller of the property for the benefit of the buyer.
BUY-BACK AGREEMENT
a provision in a contract under which the seller agrees to repurchase the property at a stated price upon the occurrence of a specified event within a certain period of time.
BUY-SELL AGREEMENT
a pact among partners or stockholders under which some agree to buy the interests of others upon some event.
BUYER'S BROKER
an agent hired by a prospective purchaser to find an acceptable property for purchase. The broker then represents the buyer and negotiates with the seller in the purchaser's best interest.
BUYER'S MARKET
a situation where buyers have a wide choice of properties and may negotiate lower prices. Often caused by overbuilding, local population decreases, or economic slump.
BYLAWS
a set of regulations by which an organization conducts its activities.
Featured New Home
Featured Mortgage Brokers
- EVERETT FINANCIAL INC, ORANGE BEACH, AL
25910 CANAL RD STE N
ORANGE BEACH, AL 36561 - ENVOY MORTGAGE LTD, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
6760 CORPORATE DR STE 130
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80919 - PRIMARY RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE INC, BALTIMORE, MD
1816 ALICEANNA ST # B
BALTIMORE, MD 21231 - HIGH TECH LENDING INC, CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA
7777 GREENBACK LN STE 210
CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA 95610 - ALCOVA MORTGAGE LLC, ROANOKE, VA
305 MARKET ST SE STE 204
ROANOKE, VA 24011