Nelya Calev - real estate
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Nelya Calev
John L. Scott Real Estate
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Annual Percentage Rate (APR) – All of the charges that the borrower will pay for the loan, including the interest, loan fee, discount point, and mortgage insurance costs, expressed as an annual percentage of the loan amount.

Bump Clause – A provision in a purchase and sale agreement that allows the seller to keep the property on the market while waiting for a contingency clause to be fulfilled.  In the meantime, if the seller receives another good offer, he or she can require the buyer to either waive the contingency or terminate the contract.

CC&R’s – A declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions; usually recorded by a developer to place restrictions on all lots within a new subdivision.

Closing – The final stage in a real estate transaction, when the seller receives the purchase money, the buyer receives the deed, and title is transferred.

Closing Costs – Expenses incurred in the transfer of real estate in addition to the purchase price, i.e.: the appraisal fee, title insurance, excise tax, broker commission, etc.

Closing Date – The date on which all terms of the purchase and sale agreement must be met or the contract is terminated.  Signing of documents takes place a few days before this date.

Condominium – Property developed for concurrent ownership, where each co-owner has a separate interest in an individual unit, combined with an undivided interest in the common areas of the property.

Counteroffer – A response to a contract offer, changing some of the terms of the original offer.  It acts as a rejection of the original offer, not as an acceptance.

Discount Points – A percentage of the principal amount of the loan, collected by the lender at the time the loan is originated, to give the lender an additional yield.

Document Fee – The amount paid for preparation of documents.

Earnest Money – A deposit that a prospective buyer gives the seller as evidence of his or her good faith intent to complete the transaction.

Easement – An irrevocable right to use some part of another person’s real property for a particular purpose.

Encroachment – A physical intrusion onto neighboring property, usually due to a mistake regarding the location of the boundary.

Encumbrance – A nonpossessory interest in real property; a right or interest held by someone other than the property owner, which may be a lien, an easement, a profit, or a restrictive covenant.

Escrow – An arrangement in which something of value, such as a money or a deed, is held on behalf of the parties to a transaction by a disinterested third party (escrow agent) until specified conditions have been fulfilled.

Escrow Fee – The amount you pay the escrow agent for holding and preparing papers, accounting for all funds, and coordinating all parties involved in the transaction.

Income Ratio - A standard used in qualifying a buyer for a loan to determine whether he or she has sufficient income

Insurance, Title – Insurance protects against losses resulting from undiscovered title defects.  An owner’s policy protects the buyer, while a mortgagee’s policy protects the lien position of the buyer’s lender.  This is a onetime premium paid at closing.

Loan, Fixed Rate – A loan on which the interest rate will remain the same throughout the entire loan term.

Loan-to-Value Ratio (LTV) – The relationship between the loan amount and either the sales price or the appraised value of the property (whichever is less), expressed as a percentage.

Mortgage, Adjustable Rate (ARM) – A loan in which the interest rate is periodically increased or decreased to reflect changes in the cost of money.

Offer – When one party (the offeror) proposes a contract to another (the offeree); if the offeree accepts the offer, a binding contract is formed.

Prepayment Penalty – The amount you must pay your lender when you pay your loan in full before it is due.

Real Property – Land and everything attached to or appurtenant to it, also called real estate.

Reconveyance Fee – The amount you pay to transfer the title of your property to the next owner.

Title Search – An inspection of the public record to determine all rights and encumbrances affecting title to a piece of property.