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

Amount the taxpayer gets back when he or she files the tax return at the end of the reporting year because taxes were overpaid for that year. The tax overpayment equals the tax payments ...

Clause in a percentage lease permitting the landlord to cancel a lease and recover the property if the tenant's sales fall below a specified level. Clause in a lease permitting the ...

Individual with legal privileges and obligations. The legal term is sometimes used for a corporation. ...

The lessee becomes a lessor by subletting the property to a third party. Typically, the sandwich leaseholder does not own or use the property. ...

A judicially approved plan in which a persons obligations are paid over three years. It is an arrangement for the repayment of debts which permits a credit user in severe financial straits ...

Agreement in which the contract price to build something is equal to the total costs incurred plus a predetermined profit. The profit may be based on a percentage of cost (e.g., 20% of ...

The unadjusted basis of assets is the actual price paid for purchasing an asset without any reductions from depreciation deductions. In order words, the unadjusted basis is an asset’s ...

Approving or permitting an action to occur. ...

Aerial photos are photographs taken by cameras mounted in aircraft or satellites. Aerial photos are more commonly used in the industrial Real Estate Market to get a better feel of a ...

Popular Real Estate Questions