Learn the abbreviated language of real estate agents
Website design By BotEap.comSunday mornings with the real estate section of the newspaper can be overwhelming for home buyers and sellers. Figuring out the shorthand for popular home features requires a questioning mind. Mark Nash, author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home, takes the guesswork out of listing sheets and residential real estate classifieds.
Website design By BotEap.comBOOM! 3/2 FSTH,S/E Exp.,Wbfplc,2 Tan.Gar,SS Kit.,Motv. 1031 Sell. mid 5’s
Website design By BotEap.comWhat it really says: New on the market, 3 bed, 2 bath, single pay townhome with south and east facings, wood burning fireplace, 2 tandem garage parking spaces, stainless steel kitchen appliances. Motivated seller needs to sell to meet the guidelines for a 1031 exchange. Price $550,000.
Website design By BotEap.comWhat it really means: Either a deal fell through (buyers walked out) or sellers took the property off the market due to illness, repairs, or vacation. There are no homeowners association assessments because the townhome is owned in good standing. Indoor garage parking spaces are end-to-end or tandem. The seller who has not occupied the property because it is a 1031 exchange needs to sell within a short period of time to meet tax guidelines. Yes, the price is fifty thousand over half a million dollars.
Website design By BotEap.comThe increase in real estate prices in recent years has created a new real estate discourse. The shorthand used by agents can be difficult for home buyers and sellers to decipher, but don’t be fooled by the lack of zeros in prices or the use of friendly words instead of the actual choice. Sounds a lot less expensive if you’re looking in the 1.1 to 1.5 range than a million, a hundred thousand to a million, five hundred thousand. Also, “repair top” sounds better than it really is: tired. “As is” translates to buyer beware.
Website design By BotEap.comHere are some additional abbreviations home buyers and sellers should be familiar with when interacting with real estate agents.
Website design By BotEap.comA/G. Above the ground. Pools that are above ground or grade.
Website design By BotEap.comAccompany accommodation. Listing agent must show property.
Website design By BotEap.comAC Air conditioning. W for windows, AC for central air.
Website design By BotEap.comAccessories app. Kitchen and laundry.
Website design By BotEap.comApt. Supplement. Showings by appointment only, please do not ring the bell unannounced.
Website design By BotEap.comApprox. Approximately. Check everything that is approximate.
How is it. Website design By BotEap.comasm. Evaluation. Annual, quarterly, or monthly fees from the homeowners association to homeowners. Website design By BotEap.comAtt. Attached. Any condominium, cooperative, duplex, townhouse, or two-bedroom apartment that is attached to another unit. Website design By BotEap.comHAVE. Prosecution and inspection. Defined period under the terms of the purchase contract where both parties can have the contract reviewed by a lawyer and the buyers can carry out an inspection of the property at their expense. Website design By BotEap.comBsmt. base. Below ground or ground level. Website design By BotEap.comLicensed in letters. Bath. Either half (no shower/tub), three quarters (shower no tub), or full (bath and/or shower). Website design By BotEap.comBr. Bedrooms. To qualify you usually have to have a window and a closet otherwise a living room or office. Website design By BotEap.comBOOM. Back to the market. It was available, it went off the market and now it’s available again. Website design By BotEap.combuilding Building. Such as skyscrapers (more than eight stories) or mid-rise (5-8 stories) or low-rise (2-4 stories). Website design By BotEap.comCab. Cabinets. Kitchen or other built-in storage. Website design By BotEap.comcancel Cancelled. A list is no longer available. Website design By BotEap.comCrpt. Rug. Wall to wall and studded. Website design By BotEap.comTHAT. Central air conditioner. Originally ducted or retrofitted as space-pak (spc pk). Website design By BotEap.comCLD. Closed. A property that has been sold and the buyers have received title. Website design By BotEap.comconstant construction. New, recent or quality. Website design By BotEap.comCTG. Share. A property is under contract with provisions that must be met. Buyers must sell their home (home sale=HS) or receive a mortgage commitment (mort). Website design By BotEap.comCooperative. Cooperative. A form of ownership of an apartment (apt) or a commission paid to a real estate broker who procures a buyer for a property. Website design By BotEap.comDet. Separate. A building that is not attached to another. Website design By BotEap.comNoise. Dining room. A separate space not combined (combo) with living room. Website design By BotEap.comaddress Addresses. How to get to a specific property address. Website design By BotEap.comD/N Dishwasher. Built-in (an accessory) or portable (personal property). Website design By BotEap.comDist. District. School (sch) or historical (hist). Website design By BotEap.comSUN. days on the market. The length of time a property has been on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Website design By BotEap.comDr. Driveway. Below is a description of the material that covers the driveway. Website design By BotEap.comEg Expired. A listing period for a property has passed. Website design By BotEap.comExcl. Exclusions. The vendors are taking the lamp from the grandmothers in the breakfast room (brkft). Website design By BotEap.comExp. Exhibition. Address faces house or unit. E=East, W=West, S=South, N=North Website design By BotEap.comext. Exterior. Features on the exterior of a building and the grounds. Website design By BotEap.comFamily Family. Family room. Please note that use of this word may violate fair housing laws. Website design By BotEap.comEnd. Finish. Basements can be completely finished (full fin) or partially finished (part fin). Website design By BotEap.comfplc. Fireplace. The fireplaces can be gas (gas fplc) or wood (wb fplc). Website design By BotEap.comflr. Floor. Like first floor master bedroom (first flr mstr). Website design By BotEap.comGrdn. Flower gardens or garden level. It can describe an exterior landscape or an interior dwelling level that is partially below ground level. Website design By BotEap.comGar. Garage. A closed space for storage. Website design By BotEap.comGFA. Gas forced air. A type of heating system. Website design By BotEap.comgrt. Good room. A combined family (combo), kitchen and breakfast area. Website design By BotEap.comHDWD. Laminate flooring. Watch out for the softer woods that fall into this category. Bamboo and poplar cannot withstand the same wear and tear as maple and oak. Diagonal hardwood (d/hdwd) and parquet (parq) are other options. Website design By BotEap.comHVAC. Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. It refers to an all-in-one heating and cooling system. Website design By BotEap.comH/War. Home warranty. Sellers have purchased a home warranty to protect buyers from repair costs. Website design By BotEap.comTime. 24 hour notice to tour a property. Website design By BotEap.comincluded Includes. Any item considered personal property (personal property) left in the home by vendors. Website design By BotEap.comin t. Inside. As in decoration (decor) or professionally (pro) designed. Website design By BotEap.comteam. Kitchen room. That is easy. Website design By BotEap.comL. List price. The advertised price of a house. Website design By BotEap.comBook. Living. A formal room typically adjacent to the main entrance of a house. Website design By BotEap.comLoc. Located or location. Rental rules in residential real estate. Website design By BotEap.comLL. Lower level. A nice word for base. Website design By BotEap.comLO listing office. The brokerage to contact regarding a specific listing. Website design By BotEap.comMaintenance Maintenance. It can apply to the amount of work to maintain a home or what is included in the homeowners association charges to homeowners. Website design By BotEap.comMOUNTAIN. market time. Just like the days in the market. Website design By BotEap.comMr. Master Bath or Bedroom. The designated space where the owners bathe and sleep. Website design By BotEap.commechanical Mechanical systems. The cooling, electrical, heating and plumbing systems of a home. Website design By BotEap.comMONTH. Month. Monthly installments or month-to-month rentals. Website design By BotEap.comfrom c. Office. Home office (hom ofc) or office space (ofc spc). Website design By BotEap.comO/M Off the market. A property that has been removed from the Multiple Listing Service. Website design By BotEap.comPrq. Parking lot. Options (opt) include off-street (off-st), space (spc), or covered (covd). Website design By BotEap.comHang. Slope. When a property in the MLS is under contract and is close to closing or escrow. Website design By BotEap.comprivate private private. Entrance (entr) or path (rd). Website design By BotEap.comPos. Possession. The date a buyer can occupy (occ) a property. Website design By BotEap.comPCHG. Change of price. The price has been lowered motivated or raised (difficult sellers). Website design By BotEap.comRoom. Website design By BotEap.comS. Selling price. The recorded price for which a property was sold. Website design By BotEap.comScrnd. Projected. Lanai’s (lan) or porches (per). Website design By BotEap.comDried. Security. System (sys) or building. Or a deposit (dep). Website design By BotEap.comSeparate Sep. Entrance or room not combined with another. Website design By BotEap.comSing in Family. single family Home. A single family home. Website design By BotEap.comSlider. Sliding doors). Usually refers to sliding glass for patio doors (pat). Website design By BotEap.comsquare feet Square feet. Check all square footage measurements in housing marketing materials. Website design By BotEap.comStye. History. Describe the number of levels in a house. Website design By BotEap.comStye. Style. The architectural character of a house. Colonial (Col), ranch (ran) or traditional (trad). Website design By BotEap.comTax. Taxes. Property taxes for the latest (2005=05) possible year (year). Website design By BotEap.comAlong. Throughout. Hardwood floors in every room. Website design By BotEap.comTH. town house Terraced house. Website design By BotEap.comTrans. Transport. Convenient to buses, trains, or highways (hwys). Website design By BotEap.comU/C. According to the deal. A property has a fully executed purchase contract. Website design By BotEap.comUser Utility(s). Cable, electricity, gas, oil and telephone services provided to a home. Website design By BotEap.comWine. Classic. A house that was built before World War II. Website design By BotEap.comwasher/dryer Washer and dryer. Side by side (SBS) or stackable (stk). Website design By BotEap.comW/. With. Wood burning fireplace with gas start. Wbfp with gas Str. Website design By BotEap.comWbfp. Fireplace. Website design By BotEap.comYard. Yard. Front, rear or side gardens. Website design By BotEap.comAnd what about those capitalized initials after real estate agents’ names on their business cards, called Professional Designations? Here is a sample. Website design By BotEap.comABR Accredited Buyers Representative. Home buyers should seek the Accredited Buyers Representative designation. The Council of Real Estate Agents trains real estate agents with experience in the specific representation of the real estate consumer. Website design By BotEap.comCRS Certified Residential Specialist. Agents who hold the CRS designation have additional education and sales experience with a focus on the latest in real estate professionalism, sales and marketing techniques. Website design By BotEap.comGRI Institute Graduate Realtor®. REALTOR® Institute graduates earn the GRI designation by completing a national advanced education program consisting of programs in residential marketing, cost basis, appraisal methods, investment and taxes in real estate, construction, trades, capital gains and mortgages .
How is it. Website design By BotEap.comasm. Evaluation. Annual, quarterly, or monthly fees from the homeowners association to homeowners. Website design By BotEap.comAtt. Attached. Any condominium, cooperative, duplex, townhouse, or two-bedroom apartment that is attached to another unit. Website design By BotEap.comHAVE. Prosecution and inspection. Defined period under the terms of the purchase contract where both parties can have the contract reviewed by a lawyer and the buyers can carry out an inspection of the property at their expense. Website design By BotEap.comBsmt. base. Below ground or ground level. Website design By BotEap.comLicensed in letters. Bath. Either half (no shower/tub), three quarters (shower no tub), or full (bath and/or shower). Website design By BotEap.comBr. Bedrooms. To qualify you usually have to have a window and a closet otherwise a living room or office. Website design By BotEap.comBOOM. Back to the market. It was available, it went off the market and now it’s available again. Website design By BotEap.combuilding Building. Such as skyscrapers (more than eight stories) or mid-rise (5-8 stories) or low-rise (2-4 stories). Website design By BotEap.comCab. Cabinets. Kitchen or other built-in storage. Website design By BotEap.comcancel Cancelled. A list is no longer available. Website design By BotEap.comCrpt. Rug. Wall to wall and studded. Website design By BotEap.comTHAT. Central air conditioner. Originally ducted or retrofitted as space-pak (spc pk). Website design By BotEap.comCLD. Closed. A property that has been sold and the buyers have received title. Website design By BotEap.comconstant construction. New, recent or quality. Website design By BotEap.comCTG. Share. A property is under contract with provisions that must be met. Buyers must sell their home (home sale=HS) or receive a mortgage commitment (mort). Website design By BotEap.comCooperative. Cooperative. A form of ownership of an apartment (apt) or a commission paid to a real estate broker who procures a buyer for a property. Website design By BotEap.comDet. Separate. A building that is not attached to another. Website design By BotEap.comNoise. Dining room. A separate space not combined (combo) with living room. Website design By BotEap.comaddress Addresses. How to get to a specific property address. Website design By BotEap.comD/N Dishwasher. Built-in (an accessory) or portable (personal property). Website design By BotEap.comDist. District. School (sch) or historical (hist). Website design By BotEap.comSUN. days on the market. The length of time a property has been on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Website design By BotEap.comDr. Driveway. Below is a description of the material that covers the driveway. Website design By BotEap.comEg Expired. A listing period for a property has passed. Website design By BotEap.comExcl. Exclusions. The vendors are taking the lamp from the grandmothers in the breakfast room (brkft). Website design By BotEap.comExp. Exhibition. Address faces house or unit. E=East, W=West, S=South, N=North Website design By BotEap.comext. Exterior. Features on the exterior of a building and the grounds. Website design By BotEap.comFamily Family. Family room. Please note that use of this word may violate fair housing laws. Website design By BotEap.comEnd. Finish. Basements can be completely finished (full fin) or partially finished (part fin). Website design By BotEap.comfplc. Fireplace. The fireplaces can be gas (gas fplc) or wood (wb fplc). Website design By BotEap.comflr. Floor. Like first floor master bedroom (first flr mstr). Website design By BotEap.comGrdn. Flower gardens or garden level. It can describe an exterior landscape or an interior dwelling level that is partially below ground level. Website design By BotEap.comGar. Garage. A closed space for storage. Website design By BotEap.comGFA. Gas forced air. A type of heating system. Website design By BotEap.comgrt. Good room. A combined family (combo), kitchen and breakfast area. Website design By BotEap.comHDWD. Laminate flooring. Watch out for the softer woods that fall into this category. Bamboo and poplar cannot withstand the same wear and tear as maple and oak. Diagonal hardwood (d/hdwd) and parquet (parq) are other options. Website design By BotEap.comHVAC. Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. It refers to an all-in-one heating and cooling system. Website design By BotEap.comH/War. Home warranty. Sellers have purchased a home warranty to protect buyers from repair costs. Website design By BotEap.comTime. 24 hour notice to tour a property. Website design By BotEap.comincluded Includes. Any item considered personal property (personal property) left in the home by vendors. Website design By BotEap.comin t. Inside. As in decoration (decor) or professionally (pro) designed. Website design By BotEap.comteam. Kitchen room. That is easy. Website design By BotEap.comL. List price. The advertised price of a house. Website design By BotEap.comBook. Living. A formal room typically adjacent to the main entrance of a house. Website design By BotEap.comLoc. Located or location. Rental rules in residential real estate. Website design By BotEap.comLL. Lower level. A nice word for base. Website design By BotEap.comLO listing office. The brokerage to contact regarding a specific listing. Website design By BotEap.comMaintenance Maintenance. It can apply to the amount of work to maintain a home or what is included in the homeowners association charges to homeowners. Website design By BotEap.comMOUNTAIN. market time. Just like the days in the market. Website design By BotEap.comMr. Master Bath or Bedroom. The designated space where the owners bathe and sleep. Website design By BotEap.commechanical Mechanical systems. The cooling, electrical, heating and plumbing systems of a home. Website design By BotEap.comMONTH. Month. Monthly installments or month-to-month rentals. Website design By BotEap.comfrom c. Office. Home office (hom ofc) or office space (ofc spc). Website design By BotEap.comO/M Off the market. A property that has been removed from the Multiple Listing Service. Website design By BotEap.comPrq. Parking lot. Options (opt) include off-street (off-st), space (spc), or covered (covd). Website design By BotEap.comHang. Slope. When a property in the MLS is under contract and is close to closing or escrow. Website design By BotEap.comprivate private private. Entrance (entr) or path (rd). Website design By BotEap.comPos. Possession. The date a buyer can occupy (occ) a property. Website design By BotEap.comPCHG. Change of price. The price has been lowered motivated or raised (difficult sellers). Website design By BotEap.comRoom. Website design By BotEap.comS. Selling price. The recorded price for which a property was sold. Website design By BotEap.comScrnd. Projected. Lanai’s (lan) or porches (per). Website design By BotEap.comDried. Security. System (sys) or building. Or a deposit (dep). Website design By BotEap.comSeparate Sep. Entrance or room not combined with another. Website design By BotEap.comSing in Family. single family Home. A single family home. Website design By BotEap.comSlider. Sliding doors). Usually refers to sliding glass for patio doors (pat). Website design By BotEap.comsquare feet Square feet. Check all square footage measurements in housing marketing materials. Website design By BotEap.comStye. History. Describe the number of levels in a house. Website design By BotEap.comStye. Style. The architectural character of a house. Colonial (Col), ranch (ran) or traditional (trad). Website design By BotEap.comTax. Taxes. Property taxes for the latest (2005=05) possible year (year). Website design By BotEap.comAlong. Throughout. Hardwood floors in every room. Website design By BotEap.comTH. town house Terraced house. Website design By BotEap.comTrans. Transport. Convenient to buses, trains, or highways (hwys). Website design By BotEap.comU/C. According to the deal. A property has a fully executed purchase contract. Website design By BotEap.comUser Utility(s). Cable, electricity, gas, oil and telephone services provided to a home. Website design By BotEap.comWine. Classic. A house that was built before World War II. Website design By BotEap.comwasher/dryer Washer and dryer. Side by side (SBS) or stackable (stk). Website design By BotEap.comW/. With. Wood burning fireplace with gas start. Wbfp with gas Str. Website design By BotEap.comWbfp. Fireplace. Website design By BotEap.comYard. Yard. Front, rear or side gardens. Website design By BotEap.comAnd what about those capitalized initials after real estate agents’ names on their business cards, called Professional Designations? Here is a sample. Website design By BotEap.comABR Accredited Buyers Representative. Home buyers should seek the Accredited Buyers Representative designation. The Council of Real Estate Agents trains real estate agents with experience in the specific representation of the real estate consumer. Website design By BotEap.comCRS Certified Residential Specialist. Agents who hold the CRS designation have additional education and sales experience with a focus on the latest in real estate professionalism, sales and marketing techniques. Website design By BotEap.comGRI Institute Graduate Realtor®. REALTOR® Institute graduates earn the GRI designation by completing a national advanced education program consisting of programs in residential marketing, cost basis, appraisal methods, investment and taxes in real estate, construction, trades, capital gains and mortgages .