- Owner Financing Education
- Buying a Home
- Selling a Property
Real Estate 101: Terms and Definitions
The real estate industry can sometimes feel like it has a language all its own. Forté Properties’ Real Estate 101 Glossary provides simple definitions for some of the most common terms you can expect to hear during the home buying and/or selling process.
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Acceleration (Acceleration Clause)
The right of the mortgagee (lender) to demand the immediate repayment of the mortgage loan balance upon the default of the mortgagor (borrower), or by using the right vested in the Due-on-Sale Clause.
Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM)
Is a mortgage in which the interest rate is adjusted periodically based on a preselected index. Also sometimes known as the re-negotiable rate mortgage, the variable rate mortgage or the Canadian rollover mortgage.
Adjustment Interval
On an adjustable rate mortgage, the time between changes in the interest rate and/or monthly payment, typically one, three or five years, depending on the index.
Alta Title Policy (Buyers)
This is a policy that insures the lender’s lien position, in the event there are unrecorded mortgages, liens, etc.
Amortization
Means loan payment by equal periodic payment calculated to pay off the debt at the end of a fixed period, including accrued interest on the outstanding balance.
Annual Percentage Rate (A.P.R.)
Is a interest rate reflecting the cost of a mortgage as a yearly rate. This rate is likely to be higher than the stated note rate or advertised rate on the mortgage, because it takes into account point and other credit cost. the APR allows home buyers to compare different types of mortgages based on the annual cost for each loan.
Appraisal
An estimate of the value of property, made by a qualified professional called an “appraiser”.
Assessment
A local tax levied against a property for a specific purpose, such as a sewer or street lights.
Assumption
The agreement between buyer and seller where the buyer takes over the payments on an existing mortgage from the seller. Assuming a loan can usually save the buyer money since this is an existing mortgage debt, unlike a new mortgage where closing cost and new, probably higher, market-rate interest charges will apply.
Balloon (Payment) Mortgage
Usually a short-term fixed-rate loan which involves small payments for a certain period of time and one large payment for the remaining amount of the principal at a time specified in the contract. Typically seen on transactions where Owner Financing is used.
Blanket Mortgage
A mortgage covering at least two pieces of real estate as security for the same mortgage.
Boot
Most commonly, the name given to “taxable income” received by a party, originating from taking constructive receipt of an asset, while participating in an Internal Revenue Code 1031 Tax Deferred Exchange.
Borrower (Mortgagor)
One who applies for and receives a loan in the form of a mortgage with the intention of repaying the loan in full.
Broker
An individual in the business of assisting in arranging funding or negotiating contracts for a client buy who does not loan the money himself. Brokers usually charge a fee or receive a commission for their services.
Buy-down
When the lender and/or the home builder subsidized the mortgage by lowering the interest rate during the first few years of the loan. While the payments are initially low, they will increase when the subsidy expires.
Cash Flow
The amount of cash derived over a certain period of time from an income-producing property. The cash flow should be large enough to pay the expenses of the income producing property (mortgage payment, maintenance, utilities, etc.)
Caps (Interest)
Consumer safeguards which limit the amount the interest rate on an adjustable rate mortgage may change per year and/or the life of the loan.
Caps (Payment)
Consumer safeguards which limit the amount monthly payments on an adjustable rate mortgage may change.
Certificate of Eligibility
The document given to qualified veterans which entitles them to VA guaranteed loans for homes, business, and mobile homes. Certificates of eligibility may be obtained by sending DD-214 (Separation Paper) to the local VA office with VA form 1880 (request for Certificate of Eligibility)
Certificate of Reasonable Value (CRV)
An appraisal issued by the Veterans Administration showing the property’s current market value.
Certificate of Veteran Status
The document given to veterans or reservists who have served 90 days of continuous active duty (including training time) It may be obtained by sending DD 214 to the local VA office with form 26-8261a (request for certificate of veteran status. This document enables veterans to obtain lower down payments on certain FHA insured loans).
Closing
The moment where the property and funds legally change hands. Also called settlement.
Closing Costs
The fees charged by an escrow company, title company, and lender to close (complete) the tranfer of property. Common fees charged usually include a loan origination fee, discount points, appraisal fee, title search and insurance, survey, taxes, deed recording fee, credit report charge and other costs assessed at settlement.
Commitment
A promise by a lender to make a loan on specific terms or conditions to a borrower or builder. A promise by an investor to purchase mortgages from a lender with specific terms or conditions. an agreement, often in writing, between a lender and a borrower to loan money at a future date subject to the completion of paperwork or compliance with stated conditions.
Construction Loan
A short term interim loan to pay for the construction of buildings or homes. These are usually designed to provide periodic disbursements to the builder as he progresses.
Contract Sale or Deed
A contract between purchaser and a seller of real estate to convey title after certain conditions have been met. It is a form of installment sale.
Conventional Loan
A mortgage not insured by FHA or guaranteed by the VA.
Credit Report
A report documenting the credit history and current status of a borrower’s credit standing.
Debt-to-Income Ratio
The ratio, expressed as a percentage, which results when a borrower’s monthly payment obligation on long-term debts is divided by his or her gross monthly income. See housing expenses-to-income ratio.
Deed of Trust
In Texas, this document is used in place of a mortgage to secure the payment of a note.
Default
Failure to meet legal obligations in a contract, specifically, failure to make the monthly payments on a mortgage.
Deferred Interest
When a mortgage is written with a monthly payment that is less than required to satisfy the note rate, the unpaid interest is deferred by adding it to the loan balance.See negative amortization
Delinquency
Failure to make payments on time. This can lead to foreclosure.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
An independent agency of the federal government which guarantees long-term, low-or no-down payment mortgages to eligible veterans.
Document Prep Fee
A fee charged by lenders for coordinating and ultimately completing a loan package. In Las Vegas, for an escrow company to charge a “doc-prep fee” is rare.
Down Payment
Money paid to make up the difference between the purchase price and the mortgage amount.
Due-on-Sale Clause
A provision in a mortgage or deed of trust that allows the lender to demand immediate payment of the balance of the mortgage if the mortgage holder sells the home. (Read more about the Due on Sale Clause.)
Earnest Money
Money given by a buyer to a seller as part of the purchase price to bind a transaction or assure payment.
Equity
The difference between the fair market value and current indebtedness, also referred to as the owner’s interest. The value an owner has in real estate over and above the obligation against the property.
Escrow
An account held by the lender into which the home buyer pays money for tax or insurance payments. Also earnest deposits held pending loan closing.
Farmers Home Administration (FmHA)
provides financing to farmers and other qualified borrowers who are unable to obtain loans elsewhere.
Federal Home Loan Bank Board(FHLBB)
The former name for the regulatory and supervisory agency for federally chartered savings institutions. Agency is now called the Office of Thrift Supervision
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) also called “Freddie Mac”
A quasi-governmental agency that purchases conventional mortgage from insured depository institutions and HUD-approved mortgage bankers.
Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
A division of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Its main activity is the insuring of residential mortgage loans made by private lenders. FHA also sets standards for underwriting mortgages.
Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) also know as “Fannie Mae”
A tax-paying corporation created by Congress that purchases and sells conventional residential mortgages as well as those insured by FHA or guaranteed by VA. This institution, which provides funds for one in seven mortgages, makes mortgage money more available and more affordable.
FHA Loan
A loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration open to all qualified home purchasers. While there are limits to the size of FHA loans ($155,250 as of 1/1/96), they are generous enough to handle moderately-priced homes almost anywhere in the country.
FHA Mortgage Insurance
Requires a fee (up to 2.25 percent of the loan amount) paid at closing to insure the loan with FHA. In addition, FHA mortgage insurance requires an annual fee of up to 0.5 percent of the current loan amount, paid in monthly installments. The lower the down payment, the more years the fee must be paid.
FHLMC
The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation provides a secondary market for savings and loans by purchasing their conventional loans. Also known as “Freddie Mac.”
Firm Commitment
A promise by FHA to insure a mortgage loam for a specified property and borrower. A promise from a lender to make a mortgage loan.
Fixed Rate Mortgage
The mortgage interest rate will remain the same on these mortgages throughout the term of the mortgage for the original borrower.
Flood Certification
This is a fee paid to a third party to search and verify all records (usually for a lender), pertainting to the location of flood zones in proximity to a property.
FNMA
The Federal National Mortgage Association is a secondary mortgage institution which is the largest single holder of home mortgages in the United States. FNMA buys VA, FHA, and conventional mortgages from primary lenders. Also known as “Fannie Mae.”
Foreclosure
A legal process by which the lender or the seller forces a sale of a mortgaged property because the borrower has not met the terms of the mortgage. Also known as a repossession of property.
Guaranty
A promise by one party to pay a debt or perform an obligation contracted by another if the original party fails to pay or perform according to a contract.
Hazard Insurance
A form of insurance in which the insurance company protects the insured from specified losses, such as fire, windstorm and the like.
Housing Expenses-to-Income Ratio
The ratio, expressed as a percentage, which results when a borrower’s housing expenses are divided by his/her gross monthly income. See debt-to-income ratio.
Interim Financing
A construction loam made during completion of a building or a project. A permanent loan usually replaces this loan after completion.
Investor
A money source for a lender.
Jumbo Loan
A loan which is larger (more than $214,600 as of 1/1/97) than the limits set by the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. Because jumbo loans cannot be funded by these two agencies, they usually carry a higher interest rate.
Lien
A claim upon a piece of property for the payment or satisfaction of a debt or obligation.
Loan-to-Value Ratio
The relationship between the amount of the mortgage loan and the appraised value of the property expressed as a percentage.
Margin
The amount a lender adds to the index on an adjustable rate mortgage to establish the adjusted interest rate.
Market Value
The highest price that a buyer would pay and the lowest price a seller would accept on a property. Market value may be different from the price a property could actually be sold for at a given time.
MIP (Mortgage Insurance Premium)
It is insurance from FHA to the lender against incurring a loss on account of the borrower’s default.
Mortgage Insurance
Money paid to insure the mortgage when the down payment is less than 20 percent. See private mortgage insurance, FHA mortgage insurance.
Mortgagee
The lender.
Mortgagor
The borrower or homeowner.
Negative Amortization
Occurs when your monthly payments are not large enough to pay all the interest due on the loan. This unpaid interest is added to the unpaid balance of the loan. the danger of negative amortization is that the home buyer ends up owing more than the original amount of the loan.
Non Assumption Clause
A statement in a mortgage contract forbidding the assumption of the mortgage without the prior approval of the lender. Note: The signed obligation to pay a debt, as a mortgage note.
Origination Fee
The fee charged by a lender to prepare loan documents, make credit checks, inspect and sometimes appraise a property; usually computed as a percentage of the face value of the loan.
Owner Financing
When part or all of the purchase price of real estate, less the buyer’s down payment, is carried by the seller, the seller is providing Owner Financing. (Read more about Owner Financing.)
PITI
Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance. Also called monthly housing expense.
Points (Loan Discount Points)
Prepaid interest assessed at closing by the lender. Each point is equal to 1 percent of the loan amount (e.g., two points on a $100,000 mortgage would cost $2,000).
Power of Attorney
A legal document authorizing one person to act on behalf of another.
Prepaid Expenses
Necessary to create an escrow account or to adjust the seller’s existing escrow account. Can include taxes, hazard insurance, private mortgage insurance and special assessments.
Prepaid Interest
An amount paid up front by a borrower to cover accrued interest on a mortgage which closes on any day other than the first day of the month.
Prepayment
A privilege in a mortgage permitting the borrower to make payments in advance of their due date.
Prepayment Penalty
Money charged for an early repayment of debt. Prepayment penalties are allowed in some form (but not necessarily imposed) in many states.
Primary Mortgage Market
Lenders making mortgage loans directly to borrower’s such as savings and loan associations, commercial banks, and mortgage companies. These lenders sometimes sell their mortgages into the secondary mortgage markets such as to FNMA or GNMA, etc.
Principal
The amount of debt, not counting interest, left on a loan.
Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)
In the event that you do not have a 20 percent down payment, lenders will allow a smaller down payment – as low as 5 percent in some cases. With the smaller down payment loans, however, borrowers are usually required to carry private mortgage insurance. Private mortgage insurance will usually require an initial premium payment and may require an additional monthly fee depending on you loan’s structure.
Property Tax Impound (also “Impound Account)
That portion of a borrower’s monthly payments held by the lender or servicer to pay for taxes, hazard insurance, mortgage insurance, lease payments, and other items as they become due. Also known as reserves.
REALTOR®
A real estate broker or an associate holding active membership in a local real estate board affiliated with the National Association of REALTORS®.
Rescission
The cancellation of a contract. With respect to mortgage refinancing, the law that gives the homeowner three days to cancel a contract in some cases once it is signed if the transaction uses equity in the home as security.
Recording Fees
Money paid to the lender for recording a home sale with the local authorities, thereby making it part of the public records.
Refinance
Obtaining a new mortgage loan on a property already owned. Often to replace existing loans on the property.
RESPA
Short for the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. RESPA is a federal law that allows consumers to review information on known or estimated settlement cost once after application and once prior to or at a settlement. The law requires lenders to furnish the information after application only.
Second Mortgage
A mortgage made subsequent to another mortgage and subordinate to the first one.
Secondary Mortgage Market
The place where primary mortgage lenders sell the mortgages they make to obtain more funds to originate more new loans. It provides liquidity for the lenders. security.
Simple Interest
Interest which is computed only on the principle balance.
Survey
A measurement of land, prepared by a registered land surveyor, showing the location of the land with reference to know points, its dimensions, and the location and dimensions of any buildings.
Sweat Equity
Equity created by a purchaser performing work on a property being purchased.
Tax Service Fee
A fee paid at the closing to a third party, that will notify the lender when property taxes are due, how much they are, and whether or not they are current.
Title
A document that gives evidence of an individual’s ownership of property.
Title Insurance
A policy, usually issued by a title insurance company, which insures a home buyer against errors in the title search. The cost of the policy is usually a function of the value of the property, and is often borne by the purchaser and/or seller. Policies are also available to protect the lender’s interests.
Title Search
An examination of municipal records to determine the legal ownership of property. Usually is performed by a title company.
Truth-In-Lending
A federal law requiring disclosure of the Annual Percentage Rate to home buyers shortly after they apply for the loan. Also known as Regulation Z.
Underwriting
The decision whether to make a loan to a potential home buyer based on credit, employment, assets, and other factors and the matching of this risk to an appropriate rate and term or loan amount.
Usury
Interest charged in excess of the legal rate established by law.
VA Loan
A long-term, low-or no-down payment loan guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Restricted to individuals qualified by military service or other entitlements.
VA Funding Fee
A premium of up to 1-7/8 percent (depending on the size of the down payment) paid on a VA-backed loan. On a $75,000 fixed-rate mortgage with no down payment, this would amount to $1,406 either paid at closing or added to the amount financed.
Verification of Deposit (VOD)
A document signed by the borrower’s financial institution verifying the status and balance of his/her financial accounts.
Verification of Employment (VOE)
A document signed by the borrower’s employer verifying his/her position and salary.
Wraparound Mortgage
Results when an existing loan is wrapped with a new loan, resulting in an interest rate at or above the existing interest rate. The payments are made to a second lender or the previous homeowner, who then forwards the payments to the first lender after taking the additional amount off the top. (Read more about Wrap Around Mortgages.)