Definitions Flashcards
Abatement
a reduction in the price of a property due to the discovery of some problem that tends to decrease the property’s value
Accessory building
a building whose function is secondary to that of the main structure
Amenities
desirable features of a building or near a building that have the effect of increasing the property’s value
Amoritization
the payment of a loan over the life of the loan using equal payments at equal intervals. Each payment provides for a portion to be applied to the principal and remainder to be applied to the interest.
Anchor Tenant
a major tenant in shopping mall, such as a department store, that in theory serves to attract shoppers to the mall to the benefit of other, smaller stores.
Appraisal
an estimation of a property’s value made by a qualified appraiser
Aquifer
a natural, underground reservoir from which wells draw water
Assessed Value
the value given to a piece of property by a local jurisdiction, to be used to assess taxes on the property. The assessed value is a percentage of the actual value, that is, the value that the property would command on the open market
Bedroom community
a region or small town that contains mainly housing and offers few employment opportunities
Blighted Area
an area of a city that has been determined to contain buildings and infrastructure that are in a state of decay and in need of improvement
Boilerplate
a standard portion (generally a paragraph or more) of a written document, such as a contract or architectural specification, that appears in all similar documents
Buffer zone
a piece of land used to separate two incompatible uses
Capital Expenditure
an amount of money used to make physical improvements to a property to enhance the property’s value over an extended period of time
Cash Flow
the amount of money that is net income from a property after expenses are paid
CC&Rs
abbreviation for “covenants, conditions, and restrictions,” which are all the rules that apply to a property owner in a subdivision, condominium, or cooperative housing facility.
Cluster housing
a particular type of housing development in which the houses or apartments are placed close to each other and have access to nearby common open spaces
Common Area
a portion of a building or development that is available for the use of all the tenants or unit owners. Typically, common areas are owned by the property owners in the development or homeowners’ association, and property owners subsequently pay the maintenance fees.
Conditional use Permit (CUP)
a permit given by a city or other zoning jurisdiction for a proposed use that would otherwise not be allowed in a particular zoning district. The conditional use permit provides the zoning jurisdiction with the means to impose special conditions on the proposed development , to ensure that the development will not adversely affect the surrounding neighborhood or the public safety and welfare.
Condominium
a development in which residents own their own living units but share common areas, which are maintained by the condo corporation
Conveyance
the act of transferring an interest in a property to another person, or the document written to formalize such a transfer.
Cooperative (or Co-op)
a type of land ownership where the residents of individual units own an interest in the corporation that owns the entire property. Unlike the residents of a condo, the residents of a coop do not own their own units directly.
Cul-de-sac
a dead-end street that has only one way in and often features a large circular turnaround space at the end
Dedication
the donation of a parcel of land by a developer to develop a parcel of land
Demising wall
aka Party wall, the shared wall between two leased spaces or between two residential units.
Despoil
to remove items of value from a site