I.D.E.A.L.
Definition of "I.D.E.A.L."
An acronym stating the real estate is the I.D.E.A.L. investment. Each if the five letters in IDEAL stands for an advantage to real estate as an investment. "I" stands for interest deduction. The mortgage interest paid on the first and second residential homes are tax deductible. On the average, real estate is a good hedge against inflation because property value and the income from properties rise to keep pace with inflation. "D" stands for depreciation. The building on your land depreciates in book value each year and you can deduct this depreciation from your investment property and not residential. "E" is for equity buildup. This buildup of a capital asset is like money in the bank. As you amortize a mortgage, the value of your equity investment will steadily rise. In the case of income-producing property, this amortization could mean that your tenants help you build your estate. "A" is for appreciation. Your property value goes up every year, hopefully. Be careful because this is not guaranteed. "L" is for leverage. When you buy a house you make a down payment, say, 10% and you borrow the balance, say, 90%. You get the benefit of 100% even though you put up only 10% of your own money. You can maximize return with other people's money (OPM). The use of a mortgage and OPM means that you can use small amounts of cash to gain control of large investments and earn large returns on the cash invested.
Popular Real Estate Terms
Examining and testing the ground to determine the conditions for building something, such as an office building. ...
A mortgage where the payments are overdue and open to a foreclosure action at any time. A mortgage not having a prepayment clause permitting the mortgagor to repay the mortgage at any ...
(1) Short-term loan that is made in anticipation of permanent longer term loans. The interest rate on such a loan is usually higher than on longer term loans. (2) A business loan in which ...
Zoning a portion of land in a given area for different purposes than its surrounding functions. For example, a locality may decide to spot zone a vacant lot in a residential area for ...
Apartment building in which each resident owns a percentage share of the corporation that owns the building. ...
One of series of parallel beams directly supporting a floor or a roof. Joists can be made out of wood, steel or steel reinforced concrete. Joists are in turn supported by other beams or ...
A provision that allows a mortgage recorded at a later date to take preference over an existing mortgage. ...
Federal agency providing home financing to qualified people in low-income, rural areas. ...
Statutes stipulating that the property of deceased individuals is distributed in a way that assumes that property during marriage is jointly owned and equally shared by the spouses ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.