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
Outline or diagram of a structure or group of structures used for planning purposes. ...
Also known as adjoining landowners or abutting owners, adjoining owners are property owners whose property touches a common property. The definition of adjoining property owners is those ...
Title that can be made null and void or defeated upon the satisfaction of a claim or the completion of some future contingency. ...
Expenditure paid to occupy property over a specified time period. ...
Pit or cavity built into the basement of a building to avoid or minimize flooding. It allows for the drainage of excess water and moisture. ...
Real annual return on a real estate investment. It equates the initial investment with the present value of future net cash inflows from the investment. The IRR can be determined by using a ...
Act of receiving the rights and privileges of a citizen including property rights. ...
Federal government agency monitoring and regulating corporate financial reporting and disclosure, use of accounting principles, auditing practices, and trading activities. Its regulations ...
Single-family dwelling attached to other units by common walls. ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.