Real Estate

Property Glossary

Search a concise glossary of common real-estate, mortgage, rental, and investment terms.

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How this property glossary works

Search a concise glossary of common real-estate, mortgage, rental, and investment terms. The calculation runs in your browser, so ordinary input values do not need to be sent to a calculation API.

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Common property terms

Amortization

The scheduled repayment of loan principal over time, usually together with interest.

Appraisal

An estimate of a property’s value prepared using market and property evidence.

Cap rate

Annual net operating income divided by property value or purchase price.

Cash flow

Money remaining from rental income after operating expenses and debt service.

Cash-on-cash return

Annual pre-tax cash flow divided by the actual cash invested.

Closing costs

Transaction expenses paid around completion, which may include legal, registration, lender, inspection, tax, or other fees depending on jurisdiction.

Comparable sale

A recently sold similar property used as evidence when estimating market value.

Debt service

Required loan payments, usually principal and interest.

Down payment

The portion of a property purchase price paid upfront rather than financed.

DSCR

Debt service coverage ratio: net operating income divided by debt service.

Equity

Property value minus outstanding secured debt.

Gross rent multiplier

Property price divided by annual gross rent.

HOA / service charge

A recurring fee charged by an owners association, building, or community for shared services or facilities.

LTV

Loan-to-value ratio: loan balance divided by property value.

Net operating income

Property income minus normal operating expenses, before financing costs and usually before income tax.

Rental yield

Annual rental income expressed as a percentage of property value; definitions may be gross or net.

Vacancy rate

The share of potential rental time or units that are unoccupied.

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Results are intended for everyday informational use. Finance, real-estate, construction, education, and other planning results are estimates based on the values you enter. Taxes, lending rules, fees, building methods, grading systems, laws, and market practices vary by location or institution. Verify important decisions with appropriate official sources or professionals.

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