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WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Caton Properties: Real Estate Terms


Acceptance – Consent to an offer to enter into a contract

Adjustable Rate Mortgage – A loan that allows the lender to adjust the borrower's interest rate and payments at prescribed limits.

Amortized Loan – A loan which is paid off in legal installments during its term

APR (Annual Percentage Rate) – A term used in the Truth in Lending Act. It represents the relationship of the total finance charge (interest, discount points, origination fees, loan broker, commission, etc.) to the amount of the loan.

Appraisal – An estimate of real estate value, usually issued to standards of FHA, VA, FNMA. Recent comparable sales in the neighborhood are the most important factors in determining value.

Appreciation – Increase in value for any reason.

Assumable Mortgage – Purchaser takes ownership to real estate with an existing mortgage and assumes responsibility as the guarantor for the unpaid balance of the mortgage.

Bill of Sale – Document used to transfer title (ownership) of the mortgage.

Closing Statement – A financial statement rendered to the buyer and seller at the time of transfer of ownership, giving an account of all funds received or expended. Also called settlement sheet or HUD-1.

Cloud on the Title – Any condition which affects the title to real property being clear. Normally, this is any type of lien that requires payoff prior to settlement.

Comparable Sales – Sales which have similar characteristics as the subject property and are used for analysis in the appraisal process.

Contract – An agreement to do or not to do a certain thing.

Consideration – Anything of value to induce another to enter into a contract (i.e., money, services, a promise).

Deed – Written instrument which, when properly executed and delivered, conveys title to real property.

Discount Point(s) – A loan fee charged by a lender of FHA, VA, or Conventional loans to increase the yield on the loan investment. One point is 1% of the loan amount. Therefore, the more points paid, the lower the interest rate.

Earnest Money – Initial deposit made by the purchaser of real estate as evidence of good faith; also called the good faith deposit.

Easement – The right, privilege, or interest that one party has in another's land. For example, utility companies often have easements across private properties for purposes of telephone poles, wires, and such.

Encumbrance – Anything which burdens or limits the fee title to property, such as a lien, easement, or restriction of any kind; that is, any right to or interest in land which affects its value.

Equity – The value of real estate over and above the liens against it. It is obtained by subtracting the total liens from the value.

Escrow Payment – That portion of a mortgagor's monthly payment held in trust by the lender to pay for taxes, hazard insurance, mortgage insurance, lease payments, and other items as they become due.

Exchange – The trading of equity in a piece of property for equity in another

Fannie Mae – Nickname for Federal National Mortgage Corp. (FNMA), a tax-paying corporation created by Congress to support the secondary mortgages insured by FHA or guaranteed by VA, as well as conventional home mortgages.

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) – The Federal Government agency which administers HUD insured loans

FHA Insured Mortgage – A mortgage under which the Federal Housing Administration insures loans made, according to its regulation, by approved lenders.

Fixed-Rate Mortgage – A loan that fixes the interest rate at a prescribed rate for the duration of the loan.

Foreclosure – Procedure whereby property pledged as security for debt is sold to pay the debt in the event of a default

Freddie Mac – Nickname for the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (FHLMC), a federally controlled and operated corporation to support the secondary mortgage market. It purchases and sells residential conventional home mortgages.

Graduated Payment Mortgage – Any loan where the borrower pays a portion of the interest due each month during the first few years of the loan. The payment increases gradually during the first few years to the amount necessary to fully amortize the loan during its life.

HUD ONE – See closing statement.

Investor – The holder of a mortgage or the permanent lender for whom the mortgage banker services the loan. Any person or institution that invests in mortgages.

Joint Tenants – Ownership by two or more persons who hold a divided interest with rights of survivorship.

Lease Purchase Agreement – Buyer makes a deposit for the future purchase of a property with the right to lease the property in the interim.

Loan to Value Ration (LTV) – The ratio of the mortgage loan principal (amount borrowed) to the property's appraised value (selling price). Example – on a $100,000 home, with a mortgage loan principle of $80,000, the LTV is 80%.

Mortgage – One type of the document used to make property the security for the payment of a loan.

Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) – The consideration paid by a mortgagor for mortgage insurance either to FHA or a private mortgage insurance company protecting the investor from possible loss in the event of a borrower's default on a loan.

Mortgagee– The lender of the money or the receiver of the mortgage document.

Mortgagor – The borrower of the money or the giver of the mortgage.

Note – A written promise to pay a certain amount of money.

Organization Fee – A fee or charge for work involved in the evaluation, preparation, and submission of a proposed mortgage loan.

Prepayment Penalty – A fee paid to the mortgage company for paying the mortgage before it becomes due. Also known as prepayment fee or reinvestment fee.

Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) – See Mortgage Insurance Premium.

Promissory Note – A written contract containing a promise to pay a definite amount of money at a definite future time.

Realtor – A member of local and state real estate boards which are affiliated with the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Rent with Option – A contract which gives one the right to lease property at a certain sum with the option to purchase at a future date.

Second Mortgage / Second Deed of Trust / Junior Mortgage or Junior Lien – An additional loan imposed on a property with a first mortgage. Generally a higher interest rate and shorter term than a "first" mortgage.

Severalty Ownership – Ownership by one person only.

Survey – The process by which a parcel of land is measured and its area ascertained.

Tenancy in Common – Ownership by two or more persons who hold an undivided interest without right of survivorship. (In the event of the death of one owner, his/her share will pass to his/her heirs).

Tenants by the Entirety – Only married couples can take title in this form of ownership. Should one spouse die, his/her share is passed on to the surviving spouse.

Title Insurance – An insurance policy which protects the insured (Purchaser or Lender) against loss arising from defects in the title.
 
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