Definition of "I.D.E.A.L."

Colleen   MacCallum real estate agent

Written by

Colleen MacCallumelite badge icon

EXIT Right Realty

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.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

The time period a real estate investment is held. The return is tied to the time period of the investment. The period is used for income tax purpose to determine whether a profit earned or ...

The term market segmentation is mostly used in marketing for assembling prospective buyers in groups based on their needs and their response to a marketing action. One definition of market ...

Premiums in insurance and real estate define as a bonus or surplus money. A dividend means a periodic fee you have to pay for your insurance protection. While in real estate, a premium ...

Exposed heating unit located within a room that transfers heat generated by hot water or stream through conduction. The surrounding air circulates around the radiator using convection ...

The floor of a building closets to the building grade. Normally, the ground floor of a building is the first floor. A ground floor can sometimes be located between the first floor and the ...

An inlaid stone or wood flooring arranged in tightly fitting geometrical patterns. It is decorative and often more than one color. ...

Issued to correct errors in another deed such as spelling errors in a name or an improper legal description. For example, a correction deed was issued to the property owner Smith to amend ...

Real estate held for productive use or investment. Land is recorded at the acquisition price plus incidental costs including real estate commissions attorney's fees, escrow fees, title, ...

Form of financing that replaces or "takes-out" a construction loan to a developer. The take-out loan is a permanent mortgage loan which replaces the construction loan when, commonly, the ...

Popular Real Estate Questions