“Real” Estate Dictionary

If you’ve ever searched for and/or purchased a home, you probably ran into some interesting properties. The tiny condo or disastrous home may have surprised you, “How could the listing agent not have disclosed this?” you may have thought. Well, they did, but not in layman’s terms. Here are some common real estate terms, and the true meanings behind them.

        

Authentic = old

Awaiting your touch = needs a lot of work

Charming = hasn’t been painted in years, small and needs updating

Classic style = outdated

Comfortable = very small

Cozy = a very, very small box



Fixer-Upper = a day away from falling down

Furnished = owner doesn’t want to move his/her own junk out

Great investment property = you probably don’t want to actually live here

Has potential = needs some serious work

Historic = old, needs updating

Low maintenance (yard) = landscaping shrubbery may have died long ago

Minutes away from the airport = basically located on the landing strip



Motivated seller = been on the market forever or foreclosure is around the corner

Natural setting = the deer will eat your plants

Needs TLC/work = what realtors call “a handyman special,” major structural damage

Needs light cleaning = needs HEAVY cleaning, hire the nearest cleaning crew

Newer (enter feature here) = not that new, but newer than the house itself

Open/Flowing floor plan = no, or very few, inside walls

Partial view = you’re seeing the water through the window of another building



Peek-a-boo view = an even smaller view of the water through the window of that other building

Priced to move/sell = get this house off of our hands as soon as possible

Pond site = wet spot in yard

Quiet neighborhood = nobody wants to live there

Short sale = anything but short

Sold as-is = possible foreclosure, don’t ask for repairs or credits

Starter home = will never be finished

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