Think Realty
A loan made based on the value of the collateral securing the loan rather than the borrower’s predicted likelihood or ability to repay the loan. In hard money, the value of the collateral is the most important factor in the lending decision although many hard money lenders will check credit, ...
A lender who makes loans based on the value of the collateral securing the loan rather than the borrower’s predicted likelihood or ability to repay the loan. Find out more about hard money loans (and find a reputable lender) with the American Association of Private Lenders ...
Also called eco-roofs and rooftop gardens. A green, growing vegetative layer of grasses, shrubs, plants, and/or trees. Green roofs may reduce rooftop surface temperatures in addition to improving storm-water quality and management ...
Also referred to as a GFE, this document includes the breakdown of estimated payments due when a mortgage loan is closed. Lenders are required to provide these documents in order to help borrowers make good decisions and comparisons between loan offerings ...
A home remodeling professional who manages and executes larger remodeling projects. General contractors (GCs) may work in commercial or residential construction and manage new construction as well as remodeling, renovations, and rehabs ...
The contents of an IRA that is considered fully distributed may be taxed in their entirety. They are no longer tax-protected by the IRA ...
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
A piece of legislation that grants public access to documents or other data in possession of a government agency or public authority. Real estate investors can leverage FOIA to get information on foreclosure properties ...
The receivership process typically begins when a property owner stops making payments on a property. The receiver is responsible for controlling the property and maintaining its value. These can happen in commercial and residential properties ...
The process by which a lender seizes collateral, in real estate usually a piece of physical property, on a loan as a result of nonpayment ...
You can fill out a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) form for any agency record. There is no universal FOIA form, but most agencies and public authorities have their own form and their own department to service FOIA requests ...
The process of purchasing a property, adding value, then selling the property for a profit on a relatively short timeline. Also simply referred to as “fix-and-flip,” flipping may take a few weeks, a few months or, in some cases, upward of a year. However, this strategy involves selling on a ...
The process of purchasing a property, adding value, then selling the property for a profit on a relatively short timeline. Also simply referred to as “flipping,” doing fix-and-flip deals may take a few weeks, a few months or, in some cases, upward of a year. However, this strategy involves selling ...
A government-backed mortgage issued by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). These loans tend to have lower interest rates and less-stringent qualification requirements than other industry loans. FHA borrowers pay for mortgage insurance to protect the lender from loss in the event of a default ...
The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) is a government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) established to stimulate the housing market by making mortgages more affordable to borrowers. Fannie Mae does not actually originate mortgages. Instead, it purchases and guarantees them after origination in order to create more liquidity for lenders and, by extension, ...
An estimate of the market value of the property ...
Your exit strategy is the part of the deal where you cash out of the investment. Technically, buying and holding a property as a cash-flowing rental property is not an exit strategy, but a cash-flow strategy. However, as with an actual exit, you must determine how long it will be ...
An agreement between a listing broker and a seller permitting the broker to represent the seller and the seller to also represent themselves. If the seller is able to make the sale without the assistance of the broker, then no commission is paid ...
When an impartial third party holds something of value (in real estate, usually earnest money) during the progress of a transaction. If a home is “in escrow,” that means that the third party is holding the earnest money while the contract is negotiated and the deal is closed. Lenders may ...
Value found in an asset. In real estate, equity is the amount of value in an asset after the cost of the mortgage and other collateralized debts are deducted ...
Money paid to confirm a contract. If you back out of a contract on a property, you will likely lose your earnest money ...
The initial payment made when a property is purchased on credit. Down payments usually range in size from 5% to 25% of the value of the loan and may affect a lender’s decision to require mortgage insurance ...
The people and organizations with whom your IRA should never conduct transactions, including (but not limited to) yourself, most of your family and any business entities you control ...
Loss of value. In real estate, depreciation can be a negative or a positive, since it may be associated with tax deductions in some cases ...
Late. When a mortgage is delinquent, the borrower is late in making payments ...
When the borrower conveys all interest in their mortgaged property to the lender in order to satisfy a loan and avoid foreclosure ...
