Definition of "Acre in Real Estate"

An acre is defined as a land unit that is commonly used in the US customary and imperial systems of 66 by 660 feet (one chain by one furlong). An acre is a measure of volume used in many countries. Meaning “open field” is commonly used to measure tracts of land and was first defined back in the middle age for measuring the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in one day. With the International yard and pound agreement of 1959, the acre was determined to represent precisely 4,046.856 422 4 square meters, and the other measuring systems translated it accordingly. 

Because we do not use just one unit of measurement globally, an acre is recognized as a statute measure in the United Kingdom, most countries of the former British Empire, and the United States. What should be noted, however, is that, while the measurement can be legally used for trade and measurements of tracts of land, it should only be given as secondary information and should not be used for land registration.

The Size of an Acre

Considering that we no longer use yokes of oxen to measure land, you might be wondering how big is an acre. The measurement of an acre can be of any shape, not only rectangular. The only necessity is that it amounts to a total area of 43,560 square feet. To better visualize, imagine something like a football field without both end zones.

An acre is about 4,047 square meters, 43,560 square feet, around 40% of a hectare, 1/640 of a square mile. It is essential to check the documents for any land owned or bought, however,  to make sure that the measurements are in acres and not commercial acres. For a commercial acre, there is a slightly different method of measurement.

Real Estate Secrets:

Did you know that our real estate glossary has approximately 100 acres filled with real estate terms?

And if you’re not in the mood to walk this uncharted territory, find a real estate agent and let him trailblazer it for you.

Comments for Acre In Real Estate

Sheila Thompson Sheila Thompson said:

What is the meaning of property offset?

Apr 18, 2019  13:49:48

 
Real Estate Agent

Hello Sheila, are you thinking about properties under an offset statement? 

May 01, 2019  04:33:16
 
 
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

Mortgage placed on a property after a previous mortgage. It can be a second, third, etc. mortgage. A junior mortgage is subordinate to the terms of a previous mortgage. Junior mortgages ...

Amount required to payoff the full balance of the mortgage today. The amount equals the principal balance plus any prepayment penalty. ...

Allocating common or central costs to each unit of property. An example is assigning to each owner of an apartment based on the number of rooms occupied the cost incurred by the landlord to ...

A backfill defines the act of replacing a vacant lot. People use a backfill as a replacement for an unoccupied position. Backfill in construction and archaeology! The most common ...

Claim by a real estate broker that his or her actions were the principal cause of the completion of a property sale between two parties. A successful procuring cause claim would entitle a ...

Natural resource, such as oil, coal, and timber, having a limited useful life and subject to depletion. Such assets decrease in worth primarily due to the extraction of the valued commodity ...

The rate at which a market can absorb additional units of supply without causing market saturation and severe price distortions. For example, during a recessionary period, many homeowners ...

A broad definition of termite clause is a provision in a contract for the sale of real property that gives the purchaser the right, at his or her expense, to have the property inspected for ...

The definition of a rambler house is quite simple in nowadays circumstances as any one-story home or ranch is also referred to as a rambler. The typical rambler house, however, has some ...

Popular Real Estate Questions